Global technology workforce management

Solution Preview

Suggestions regarding Human resource management

This is an issue of Human resource management. Human Resource management involves the development of organization systems and practices for the planning, acquisition, development and utilization of manpower. HR policies must be fair, reasonable and employee friendly. We have to manage the diversity issues in managing the global work force.

Diversity- Human context
The stereotyping of the different races is strong for example white Americans consider all Asians and Hispanics as illegal aliens. Those dealing with Hispanics in the city almost always assume Hispanics do not understand English and belong to the lower class. They believe Hispanics only work as maids. The Blacks are viewed as violence prone and with low education. The Asians, although they are well educated face the glass ceiling in employment above which they cannot progress. Thus this is because of lack of orientation towards diversity. In society the term diversity refers to the presence in one population of a wide variety of cultures, opinions, ethnic groups, socio-economic backgrounds, and so on.

Dimensions of diversity include, but are not limited to: age, ethnicity, ancestry, gender, physical abilities/qualities, race, sexual orientation, educational background, geographic location, income, marital status, military experience, religious beliefs, parental status, and work experience, according to Loden and Rosener in Workforce America! Managing Employee Diversity as a Vital Resource.

Organizational context
Diversity is perceived to enrich an organization's human capital. Whereas equal opportunity focuses on various disadvantaged groups, the management of diversity is about individuals. Managing diversity means acknowledging people's differences and recognizing these differences as valuable; it enhances good management practices by preventing discrimination and promoting inclusiveness. Good management alone will not necessarily help you work effectively with a diverse workforce. It is often difficult to see what part diversity plays in a specific area of management. Thus the most important factor is the principals and values of the company in developing and implementing the diversity initiatives. This is because values describe what your management team really cares about. This has to come from within then only one can develop a truly talented diversified organization. Hence diversity is more important in public programs and services to fulfill the social objectives. (indiainfoline)
Managing diversity is a challenge for today's public organization. The marketplace as well as the workplace is increasingly multicultural and diverse. Now the managers need to be more sensitive and responsive to the 'diversities' that exist in user tastes, employee behavior and government's requirements that could enable them to pursue a management strategy. The 2000 Census confirms that the nation is becoming more ethnically and racially diverse. This new American portrait reveals demographic changes stemming from the new immigration or immigration from non-European sources. Currently, over 4% of the U.S. population?almost 11 million people?trace their roots to Asia and the Pacific Islands
http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/UN/UNPAN000869.pdf.

Now the organization is using following strategies to achieve diversity:

Ø Understanding people in the organization who come from different countries and cultures has become quite an imperative and foremost task before the HR management.

Ø The diversity legitimization process involves 'respect' for diverse cultures and 'acceptance' of varying levels of performance by the employees.

Ø Having diversity in the workforce leads to synergy and innovation and helps to assimilate business values with core values. This aspect of diversity must be utilized by the HR management to create a healthy workplace with a multicultural fragrance.

Ø The Management must be flexible and be able to adapt to the diverse workforce and global consumers. This requires an understanding of the historical, political and economic references of people.

Ø Leaders must understand differences in worldviews, communication styles, the ethics and etiquette of the people they deal with, both internally and externally.
Truly diversity can improve the performance of the public organization. Dr. Cox suggests five components that together can improve diversity competence in an organization: (AED.org)
a) Effective Leadership is required to bridge the gap between diversity to the organizational mission and to communicate the importance of a commitment to diversity in order to achieve that mission.
b) Laying down specific measurements criteria which act as an indicator of diversity.
c) Training and education is necessary for awareness and inculcating diversity into the organization culture.
d) The alignment of management systems in order to improve diversity.
e) Continuous follow up for greater accountability.

http://www.aed.org/ToolsandPublications/upload/diversity_public_service.pdf.
Strategies for managing diversity give effect to the principle of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and aim to achieve a workforce that reflects the diversity of the broader community. Thus now diversity is approached as a strategy for improving employee retention and increasing the confidence of society. Strategies for managing diversity include:

? Guidelines for Managing Cultural and Linguistic Diversity
? workforce plans that provide opportunities for:
o individual development
o improved individual performance
o greater participation of declared disadvantaged groups
? documenting, communicating and consistently applying anti-discrimination policies
? ensuring processes are in place to investigate claims of discrimination and provide procedural fairness.
? Diversity training in the workplace to combat the innate "programming" that children received from their peers and parents before they have learned to think for themselves. This is important as discrimination is more of a cultural phenomenon, and it has become worse, not better, as the diversity of the US population has increased.
? Focus on the job requirements in the interview, and assess experience but also consider transferable skills and demonstrated competencies, such as analytical, organizational, communication, coordination. Prior experience has not necessarily mean effectiveness or success on the job.
? Know your own cultural biases. What stereotypes do you have of people from different groups and how well they may perform on the job? What communication styles do you prefer? Sometimes what we consider to be appropriate or desirable qualities in a candidate may reflect more about our personal preferences than about the skills needed to perform the job.

Another important factor is the principals and values of the public organizations in developing and implementing the diversity initiatives. This is because values describe what your management team ...