Question

What techniques could a manager use for establishing methods and measures to evaluate the effectiveness of diversity and inclusion initiatives?

Answer 1

The manager needs to understand the behavior of the employees and thereby attempting to create a more efficient organization on the basis of such a study. This strategy could help in applying various scientific theories to study these individuals working in a Corporate set-up in order to optimize the performance of overall human resource even in a culturally diversified set up. Understanding the work culture and the dominance of the Organizational values that may either boost or impede the growth and productivity of an Organization and in the areas of employee retention or training and development, skills sets requirements while conducting an effective recruitment process, these strategies could in a way facilitate the predictability of the events by influencing the Organizational events.

MANAGING THE RISKS WITH DIVERSE WORKFORCE THROUGH TECHNIQUES AND INCLUSION OF INITIATIVES:

While undertaking any Project or working in a Team with a diverse workforce, various cross cultural risks are associated with that one would have to manage. There could be certain policies that could be formed in identifying and mitigating of risks especially in culturally diversified Organizations when engaged in cross-cultural management. These risks could pertain to:

·          The risk of getting a cultural shock when a member, say from America, is chosen as a Team member for an Indian Organization. Here, the American member initially might be exposed to the risk of physiological, psychological, and social reaction after being absorbed in geographically new background. The same risk would be applied to members hailing from various other countries to India. Cultural shock risk could be in terms of different management philosophies, language, alternative food and cuisines, dressing style, driving patterns, availability of goods, attitude towards work and productivity, separation from friends and colleagues, unique currency system, etc.

·          There is further an overall of risk of performance by the new members from the other countries due the communication barrier that might exist in absence of interpreters in the picture.

·          The risk of misunderstanding may also be given birth due to misinterpretation of various verbal and physical gestures by the host country and vice-versa.

·           There exist overall risks of uncertainty, conflict, motivational challenges, and economical shock when the members are completely unfamiliar to the Team etiquettes of the Host country.

·          Risk of Parochialism when the new employees forming the part of the host country's team exhibit such behaviors which are prudent in their home country but may not get along well with that of the host country. There are possibilities that such members are unable to actually evaluate the differences of the cultural gaps existing in both the nations.

·          Risk of Ethnocentrism when the members joining the host country are already in the opinion that the working conditions are best suited only to their home countries hence working in a different cultural background would certainly pose as a big threat.

Here, Quality Assurance and Control can contribute in mitigating the above risks. Therefore, by choosing the Right Team Players in accordance to the predetermined criteria after imparting sufficient training and guidance, by defining the purpose of the team, by developing strong Team dynamics, by expecting feedback and granting rewards for good performances, various Team building relationships could be promoted by the Quality Assurance and Control Teams.

The next technique could be a study of individuals as to how they react within a group that would enable to understand their behavior and thereby attempting to create a more efficient organization on the basis of such a study. The technique could help in applying various scientific theories to study these individuals working in a Corporate set-up in order to optimize the performance of overall human resource even in a culturally diversified set up. Understanding the work culture and the dominance of the Organizational values that may either boost or impede the growth and productivity of an Organization and in the areas of labor retention or training and development, skills sets requirements while conducting an effective recruitment process, these policies could in a way facilitate the predictability of the events by influencing the Organizational events.

In this regard there could be an application of two concepts to manage the cultural diversity: a. Psychometric instruments that could be used to make the cultural diversification more relevant and b. how it would help in types of risks that might be introduced to the organizational behavior and business practices in the home country, when teams are culturally or geographically diverse.

Minds play a very important role in controlling our Organizational behavior. It is only when the mind is healthy, that an individual could be in the position to undertake better decisions which could be in the advantage of an Organization. A poor health may therefore impact the mind adversely.

Also, it talks a lot about our mindset revolving around particular sets of ideologies as well that in turn helps in shaping the Organizational values on the part of the mindset. Some may be conservative in approach while some open and broad-minded. The Organizational polices when formed on the basis of this mindset, becomes an identifying factor for the entire institution and this is how we can infer that there exists relationships between our minds and how we interact within Organizations. Accordingly, Psychometric tests could be used as one of the important instruments in managing the diversity. Further, the study of neuroscientific study could possibly tap this impact of mind upon the Organizational relationships. Therefore, this policy could help in molding the attitudes and mindset of the labor force in a desired direction. When neuroscientific study analyzes this mind, it could perhaps help in coming up with solutions that can help impact the Leader’s view more favorably in the interest of the women fraternity thereby bringing in more diversity to the Organization. As a result, women shall not only be employed for the desk-job in the Organization but rather step out to the fields, generate the relevant information and furnish it to the leaders fighting all the odds.

Thus in the above major ways, the techniques could be such that the labor's individual differences are treated: accepted/valued or assimilated into the culture while dealing with cross-cultural management pertaining to the labor issues and that is how managed effectively in managing the cultural diversity.