MODULE 3

MODULE 3


III. MANAGING DIVERSITY

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SUMARY

We saw the spheres of activity in the management of cultural diversity knowing how each one work. We also learned the differences between managing diversity and equal opportunities,

Also we learned parallel between managing diversity and the competitive advantage, analyzing each variable as cost, resource acquisition, marketing, creativity, problem solving, and organizational flexibility.

Finally we learned the components to transform traditional organizations into multicultural ones.

QUESTION

Which is the best way for a organization to manage the cultural diferences?

We saw the spheres of activity in the management of cultural diversity knowing how each one work. We also learned the differences between managing diversity and equal opportunities,

Also we learned parallel between managing diversity and the competitive advantage, analyzing each variable as cost, resource acquisition, marketing, creativity, problem solving, and organizational flexibility.

Finally we learned the components to transform traditional organizations into multicultural ones.

When an organization is involved with different cultures it must educate their employees towards an understanding and tolerance in these differences. There is a process that can make things easier for an organization.

This process is call Holvino’s Multicultural Organizational Development model and it provides a useful support of the stages of an organization moving from a monoculture, that is characterized for exclusionary issues into the organization where the values of one group, culture or style are dominant, to multicultural organization who are inclusive and where the values of diverse people are valued and contribute to organizational goals and excellence.

According to this, an organization must development approach to designing and implementing a diversity initiative follow a five-step process: 1) preparing for the initiative; 2) assessing needs related to diversity; 3) developing a vision, goals and a strategic plan; 4) implementing the interventions selected; and 5) monitoring and evaluating progress and results.

These steps are something basic and very easy to accomplish by an organization, the key is that it must focus on the strengths of the organizational development approach to diversity, because this will provides a clear focus; it is similar to other planning processes.
If every organization take this into account, the problems with the cultural differences will be easier to accomplished, and will make the workplace a better place for the employees and a more successful company because is clear that a happy worker make happy costumers.

Bibliography

• DEBORAH MERRILL-SANDS, EVANGELINA HOLVINO WITH JAMES CUMMING (2000). Working with Diversity. Center for Gender in Organizations (CGO) SIMMONS Graduate School of Management Chaos Management, Ltd.
  

MODULE 4

MODULE 4

IV. INTERNATIONAL LABOUR MIGRATION

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SUMMARY

We learned about migration having into account some important concepts as the origins, history and important dates of migration in our society and others.

Also we emphasized in the fact of the brain drain, specially the ones that happens here in Latin America, because of the lack of opportunities and support from government to the education and many other factors.

In class this case and other related were discussed, taking into account the conflicts, consequences and issues that something like this can bring, also the image that the migrant has of another country as a opportunity to improving lifestyle for the migrant himself and the family. We talk also about the consequences for each country, the one that loses a citizen and the one that receives the migrant, evaluating every problem and discussing it. Some of these problems were the brain drain, remittances, the population increase, the decrease of the jobs.

QUESTION

What are the social or political impacts of migration to the cities?

There are a lot of impacts in those two issues and in several more, some of those impacts are positive and some negative. The key is to understand the impacts and manage it in the right way.

First we can analyzed the political impacts, because is important to show that there are more positive migrant policies in cities, but it has taken a long time. Migrants always try to achieve urban benefits and amenities like access to schools and housing, but the problem is with governments who don’t see this as possible as they want to.

Even though now is common to see a shift at the highest levels of government towards social policies addressing inequality and disparity. Differential treatment of migrants is now becoming to be a potentially explosive issue, because the migrant population is growing.

In the latest days there are growing up second-generation migrants, who are the younger migrants, they are studying and working searching a better future for them and their families. But is common to see that in the cities they are not treated in the same way as the local kids.

Gradually there have been small changes in all of those aspects and the positive policy changes have been happening slowly, because the principal importance for governments is the welfare of the citizens and the migrants who are also important citizens as well.

Governments must educate all the society to understand and respect the migrants, because everybody must know that they are human beans and deserve the same rights as the citizens.

Bibliography

• Stark O (1991), The migration of labor. Cambridge, Massachusetts/Oxford, England, Basil Blackwell.


• Douglas S. Massey, Joaquín Arango, Graeme Hugo, Ali Kouaouci, Adela Pellegrino, J. Edward Taylor (1998).Worlds in motion. understanding international migration at the end of the millennium. Oxford. Oxford University Press.
  

MODULE 2

MODULE 2

II. Exploring Diversity

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SUMMARY

Here we learned and understood that everybody are different in several ways and also knew how those differences affects individuals’ values, opportunities and perceptions of self and others at work and at society. Also we saw important concepts about this topic as race, discrimination and racism.

We went deeper with the concept of racism, looking at important issues as the personal, the cultutal and the institutional racism.

To understand better the diversity we saw the theories underpinning of diversity, and also we learned how to understand the multicultural diversity in every of it issues.


QUESTION

Why there are differences and conflicts, between people of different cultures in workplace in some organizations? ¿Is this problem related with the cultural diversity?

First we should know there are a lot of differences and low tolerance for people from other cultures in actual society, because everybody feels afraid of the unknown issues, that’s why in this cases the lack of information and education about other cultures or behaviors make people reject those other person who are different.

Even thought there are some investigations and research that shows how these differences are taken between different culture people, especially in workplace. E.T. Hall developed the concept that there are three important concepts about cultural differences. These are time, context, and space. He also established that is important to understand the differences between monochronic time and polychronic, because time is essential to success, especially in workplace.

Is important to understand monochronic time is characterized as linear, tangible, and divisible. In monochronic time, events are scheduled one item at a time and this schedule takes precedence over interpersonal relationships. Monochronic time focuses on the time is money approach and is couched in terms such as time spent, time wasted, time lost and so on.

Otherwise polychronic time is characterized by the concurrent happening of many things and by a great involvement with people and is more focused on completing human transactions than it is on the holding on of schedules.

That’s why we saw that those cultures that are monochronic do one thing at a time and concentrate on the job at hand, and take commitments seriously. They are more likely to value promptness and are accustomed to short- term relationships. And in the other hand polychronic cultures focus on doing many things at a time, are more distractible and are likely to base their promptness on the strength of a relationship, so keeping strangers waiting is far more acceptable than family.

The other issues that Hall exposed were the high and low context, it refers to the amount of information that a person can manage. This can vary from a high context culture where background information is implicit to low context culture where much of the background information must be made explicit in an interaction. In consequence people from a high context cultures often send more information implicitly, have a wider "network," and thus tend to stay well informed on many subjects. The people from low context cultures usually verbalize much more background information, and tend not to be well informed on subjects outside of their own interests.

Here we can understand why there are differences in work, because not everybody has the information of this, and in some cases this causes serious problem at work, some of them unsolved ones. We should understand that in every place there are a lot of different attitudes and behaviors in people, some of those are characteristics of their cultures and knowing those differences life in work can be easily and peacefully if we understand the cultural diversity.

Bibliography

• 
  
  Hall, E.T. (1990), Understanding cultural differences, Intercultural Press, Yarmouth, ME


• 
  
  Hall, E.T. (1985), Hidden Differences: Studies in International Communication, Gruner & Jahr, Hamburg