Multicultural Work Environment Research Articles

The Assessment of The Intermediation Role of Emotional Labor Dimensions in The Relationship between Cultural Intelligence and Individual Work Performance

Within the organization and market environment, where the number of businesses that provide services focused on a single culture is decreasing, the number of multinational companies that appeal to different customer profiles is increasing, the borders and distances between organizations are reducing, and cultural intelligence and emotional labor concepts are becoming increasingly important in terms of providing vital outputs to organizations. In this study, the data obtained from 261 participants from 50 countries serving for NATO in Afghanistan were evaluated. In the study, the relationship between cultural intelligence, emotional labor, and individual job performance, and the mediating role of emotional labor (surface, deep and genuine acting) in the relationship between cultural intelligence and job performance were examined. The results of the research show that in a multicultural work environment consisting of individuals from different countries and cultures, the cultural intelligence levels of the employees affect their emotional labor behavior and individual job performance. The results also show that the two emotional labor subdimensions (surface and genuine acting) have a partial mediating effect in the relationship between cultural intelligence and individual job performance. The study makes important contributions by addressing the exhibition of emotional labor specifically for public officials (providing security services) and by examining cultural intelligence as the premise of emotional labor and, as a consequent, job performance in an international cultural context.

Preparedness of Third-year Maritime Students of a University in Multicultural Working Environment

Multicultural crews on board with a lack of a common language or cultural difference could result in a high-risk work environment on ships. Consequently, international shipping agencies demand seafarers have technical and soft skills to perform efficiently and safely as individuals or as a team. Thus, this study aimed to assess the preparedness of maritime third-year students in a certain university to work in a multicultural environment. A Multicultural Personality Questionnaire-Short Form (MPQ-SF) was adopted and used to gather the data. The results revealed that maritime students are culturally intelligent, tolerant, and equitable towards people of different cultural backgrounds and multicultural environments. However, they need help adjusting and adapting to new situations. This result may help the university develop its curriculum, subject offering, and training, enhancing those weak points as revealed in this study to equip its graduates with the attributes of efficient seafarers. Through the College of Maritime Education, the school needs to provide an avenue to develop its soft skills and technical and theoretical abilities to perform efficiently, breaking the barrier of cultural diversity. Keywords : cultural empathy, flexibility, maritime education, multicultural personality, open-mindedness

Language barriers in multilingual Saudi hospitals: causes, consequences, and solutions

ABSTRACT Although a multilingual and multicultural work environment increases the diversity and exchange of experiences, it can also create and increase language barriers. This qualitative study explored language barriers in a multilingual Saudi hospital through 37 interviews of physicians, nurses, other healthcare workers, and patients. The resulting analysis revealed several causes of, consequences of, and solutions to overcome language barriers in the hospital workplace. The results are presented in three main sections. The first section presents the causes of language barriers due to multilingualism and discusses barriers related to patients, healthcare workers, and hospital policy in turn. The second section presents the negative consequences of language barriers for patients and healthcare workers. The last section discusses solutions and strategies the interviewees have used in the hospital to overcome language barriers, and solutions related to language, accent and dialect, or cultural barriers in turn.

Psychological capital and happiness at work: The mediating role of employee thriving in multinational corporations

Working in multicultural work environments of multinational corporations (MNCs) creates challenges whose expected impact on happiness is equivocal. In the following paper, we examine the relationship between psychological capital and happiness at work in the specific MNCs’ context. We assume that thriving (eudemonic well-being) at work fosters individuals’ development and enhances their happiness composed of both the affective (positivity) and cognitive (satisfaction with intercultural interactions) components. A sample of 137 individuals from subsidiaries of various MNCs and involved in intercultural interactions was included in the cross-sectional study. In order to test the mediating effect of vitality and learning, i.e., both components of thriving, on the psychological capital and happiness at work, as well as a moderating effect of psychological capital between thriving and happiness in a multicultural work setting, a bootstrapping analysis was conducted. Prior international experience and job tenure were control variables. The results show that psychological capital as resource caravans is positively associated with learning and further is related to more satisfaction with intercultural interactions. Moreover, psychological capital is associated with more vitality at work and further favorably relates to positivity. We also demonstrate that psychological capital does not moderate the relationship between thriving and happiness at work. The research broadens the understanding of positive aspects of well-being in the unique environment of MNCs. Our study suggests that managers should stimulate learning and vitality by managerial practices concerning improvement of employee psychological capital since then they may strengthen happiness at work.

An Examination on Manegers Opinions on the Importance of Cultural Intelligence

Purpose – Especially, adaptation to multicultural work environments is of great importance for organizational performance as well as for individual performance. The aim of this study is to determine the opinions of the managers of a multinational businesses operating in Kosovo regarding the importance of the cultural intelligence of the employees. Design/methodology/approach – The study is a qualitative research in terms of its methodology and it was designed according to the descriptive phenomenological design. Findings – The data of the study were collected from a group of 8 participants with a semi-structured interview form and the study group was determined according to the “purposive sampling” techniques and the “criteria sampling” technique by taking into consideration the general fiction and problem of the study. Content analysis technique was used in the analysis of the data of the study. Discussion – The findings of the study showed that for the managers, cultural intelligence levels of employees was a critical success factors in adapting to colleagues, managers, organizational and managerial processes.

Of ostriches, frogs, birds and lizards

PurposeIn response to the somewhat paradoxical combination of increasing diversity in the global workforce and the resurgence of nationalism in an era of global mobility, the purpose of this paper is to uncover how employees on international assignments respond to exposure to new cultures. Specifically, the paper aims to explicate the underlying psychological mechanisms linking expatriates’ monocultural, multicultural, global and cosmopolitan identity negotiation strategies with their responses toward the host culture by drawing upon exclusionary and integrative reactions theory in cross-cultural psychology.Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual paper draws on the perspective of exclusionary vs integrative reactions toward foreign cultures – a perspective rooted in cross-cultural psychology research – to categorize expatriates’ responses toward the host culture. More specifically, the study elaborates how two primary activators of expatriates’ responses toward the host culture – the salience of home-culture identity and a cultural learning mindset – explain the relationship between cultural identity negotiation strategies and expatriates’ exclusionary and integrative responses, providing specific propositions on how each type of cultural identity negotiation strategy is expected to be associated with expatriates’ exclusionary and integrative responses toward the host culture.FindingsThe present study proposes that expatriates’ adoption of a monocultural identity negotiation strategy is positively associated with exclusionary responses toward the host culture and it is negatively associated with integrative responses toward the host culture; expatriates’ adoption of a multicultural identity negotiation strategy is positively associated with both exclusionary responses and integrative responses toward the host culture; expatriates’ adoption of a global identity negotiation strategy is negatively associated with exclusionary responses toward the host culture; and expatriates’ adoption of a cosmopolitan identity negotiation strategy is negatively associated with exclusionary responses, and positively associated with integrative responses toward the host culture. The following metaphors for these different types of cultural identity negotiation strategies are introduced: “ostrich” (monocultural strategy), “frog” (multicultural strategy), “bird” (global strategy) and “lizard” (cosmopolitan strategy).Originality/valueThe proposed dynamic framework of cultural identity negotiation strategies illustrates the sophisticated nature of expatriates’ responses to new cultures. This paper also emphasizes that cross-cultural training tempering expatriates’ exclusionary reactions and encouraging integrative reactions is crucial for more effective expatriation in a multicultural work environment.

Turizmde Sosyo-Kültürel Uyumun Çalışan Memnuniyeti Üzerine Etkisi

Tourism is a very comprehensive sector that incorporates the workforce from different cultures. People from different countries and cultures create a multicultural work environment. Employees, who bring their own culture together, have to keep up with both the business environment and the social environment. Therefore, it is important to determine their sociocultural adaptation levels, which means that employees adapt to a new cultural environment. Employee satisfaction is important in terms of achieving service quality in the service sector and providing customer satisfaction accordingly. Achieving employee satisfaction depends on satisfying employees by increasing the motivation of them. The number of studies on the sociocultural adaptation of the employees in tourism sector is very limited. From this point of view, the main aim of this research is to reveal the effect of the socio-cultural adaptation levels of domestic and foreign employees working in tourism businesses on employee satisfaction. In the study, 467 employees working in hotels, travel agencies, food and beverag ecompanies and other tourism enterprises in Antalya province were conducted a questionnaire. As a result of the analyzes, the effect of socio-cultural adaptation on employee satisfaction was found to be negative and statistically significant. Accordingly, employee satisfaction decreases as sociocultural adaptation levels increase.

Collaborative Online International Learning to Prepare Students for Multicultural Work Environments

Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) is a pedagogical approach using digital technology to provide experiential international learning without travel abroad. Through web-based, cross-country intellectual exchange, COIL helps prepare nursing students for increasingly diverse and multicultural health care work environments globally. Opportunities to engage in multicultural learning experiences have traditionally relied on intensive study abroad trips, which can be prohibitive for students with limited fiscal resources or who are place-bound. A COIL experience for undergraduate nursing students at universities in the United States and the Philippines was designed to fulfill academic degree program goals related to professional communication, collaborative practice, and respect for diversity. After completing the COIL experience, students expressed valuing shared learning with peers in another country and reported gains in intercultural competence. Our efforts indicated that COIL-style endeavors provide meaningful, rewarding opportunities to engage with others across borders, while enhancing students' skills to relate positively to an increasingly diverse world.

Exploring Cross Cultural Workforce Management Issues in the UAE

This paper analyzes the unique challenges that human resources managers in the United Arab Emirates are faced with given the highly multi-cultural working environment that exists in the country. There is a very high net migration which drives these multi cultural work places. The paper explains the types of problems faced by managers and the approaches that managers have come up with to try and address these problems, such as recruitment and promotion of those with intercultural skills. These are compared with recommendations made by academic researchers in this subject area. It is concluded that the most important aspect of managing a cross cultural workforce is to find ways to promote cross cultural understanding.

Quality dementia care: Prerequisites and relational ethics among multicultural healthcare providers.

Many nursing homes appear as multicultural workplaces where the majority of healthcare providers have an ethnic minority background. This environment creates challenges linked to communication, interaction and cultural differences. Furthermore, the healthcare providers have varied experiences and understanding of what quality care of patients with dementia involves. The aim of this study is to illuminate multi-ethnic healthcare providers' lived experiences of their own working relationship, and its importance to quality care for people with dementia. The study is part of a greater participatory action research project: 'Hospice values in the care for persons with dementia'. The data material consists of extensive notes from seminars, project meetings and dialogue-based teaching. The text material was subjected to phenomenological-hermeneutical interpretation. Participants in the project were healthcare providers working in a nursing home unit. The participants came from 15 different countries, had different formal qualifications, varied backgrounds and ethnic origins. The study is approved by the Norwegian Regional Ethics Committee and the Norwegian Social Science Data Services. The results show that good working relationships, characterized by understanding each other's vulnerability and willingness to learn from each other through shared experiences, are prerequisites for quality care. The healthcare providers further described ethical challenges as uncertainty and different understandings. The results are discussed in the light of Lögstrup's relational philosophy of ethics and the concepts of vulnerability, ethic responsibility, trust and openness of speech. The prerequisite for quality care for persons with dementia in a multicultural working environment is to create arenas for open discussions between the healthcare providers. Leadership is of great importance.

Conflict Management Style of Team Leaders in Multi-Cultural Work Environment in the Construction Industry

A project delivery challenge arises in temporary (multi) organizations (TMOs) when the team is multi-cultural in character. One particular element that can influence team effectiveness in such environment is the way conflicts are handled. Recent research implies that different styles of conflict management have different impacts on team effectiveness, some being positive and some negative, and that the impact is often mediated by other factors. Nevertheless the impact of conflict handling style on team performance in TMO multi-cultural environments in East Asia has not widely been considered. As a result, this study investigates how conflict management can contribute to effectiveness in such environments, through the mediation of the level of team coordination, by gathering data from 126 team leaders and supervisors and 378 members nested in different multi-cultural projects in the Malaysian construction industry. The findings suggest that managing conflict cooperatively help to build the ideal positive share to team performance in multi-cultural environments in Malaysian construction industry, while a high degree of team coordination is also existing. The findings also advocate that the avoiding conflict management style may incorporate a positive result when it comes to team overall performance and that the effect of adopting avoidance conflict handling is also mediated by the level of team coordination.

The communication aspect of specialists’ professional competence

In the article the issues of specialists’ professional competence in a multicultural context are considered from the perspective of information and communication concepts. It is proved that the main objective of communication process is the adequate interpretation of communicants’ intentions. Communication competence of a specialist is seen as a resource to provide language and intercultural readiness for work, social flexibility and interaction on a professional level, including multicultural work environment, in the conditions of global academic mobility and expansion of business contacts.

National cultural differences and the management of textile and clothing companies in Bulgaria: three examples

The textile and clothing sector in Bulgaria nowadays is dominated by foreign companies from Italy and Germany. SMEs from Turkey are operating in many regions of the country. The establishment of a multicultural working environment requires knowledge of the impact of the national cultures on the organization and management of the textile and clothing companies. This paper applies the Hofstede‟s 6D cultural model to compare Bulgaria with three countries: Italy, Germany and Turkey, in the light of the influence of the particular national culture on the communication between employer and employees and peculiarities of the working organization in textiles and clothing companies. The discussion and conclusions may be extrapolated to other countries, operating in Bulgaria, as well, and the study can be used as an example for further analysis on organizational management in any kind of industry that is based on multicultural workplaces and relations.

Exploring the role of migrants in transnational occupational learning processes in Estonia-Finland space

The aim of the study was to examine the role of migrants in cross-border learning in occupational contexts. The research data included 78 semi-structured and 20 life-course interviews with people who had migrated from Estonia to Finland or who were transmigrating between these countries. The interview data were analysed qualitatively through a combination of data-based and theory-guided content analysis. The results showed how the migrants had engaged in transnational brokering and boundary encounters between work communities across national borders. Transnational brokering had involved introducing new work techniques, clarifying organizational cultures, conveying best practices and explaining local work requirements and communication styles. These transnational brokers had supported the processes of perspective making and perspective taking by explaining local work practices and, more broadly, mind-sets to non-migrants both in the host society and in their country of origin. Theoretical concepts from situated learning theory and transnational migration studies were applied in the analysis. The study provides a new perspective through which to examine international and multicultural work environments and the transformation processes related to the increasing cross-border mobility of labour.

Understanding Native-American Cultural Leadership in Relation to Bertalanfyy's General System Theory, Einstein's Theory of General Relativity, and Bohm's on Dialogue

According to Gambrell (2012), despite a growing body of leadership research, scholars currently have a limited understanding of subculture's leadership qualities and preferences. Specifically, Gambrell pointed out that up to the present time little research has been conducted that has considered contemporary Native-American leadership from these peoples' view point (p. 316). Additionally, Gambrell (2012) asserted that given volume of literature and outside mainstream framework is a limitation and should be addressed. Also, from my perspective, peoples from varied cultures nurture their own specific ways of leading and managing organizations in their societal context based on their own customs and traditions, and what is working and not working for them. My point in this writing is how can we accommodate other cultures' leadership styles in the mainstream corporate and educational institutions to meet the demands of postmodern challenges of diversity issues in leading and managing a multicultural work environment? And that includes the Native-American cultural leadership style in mainstream America. This reflective essay summarizes and analyzes Bryant's (1996) qualitative inquiry on the opposing views of leadership between what can be understood as mainstream American perspective and those of selected Native-Americans; and correspondingly, connects and aligns Bryant's (1996) findings on Native American leadership style to Bertalanfyy's General System Theory (GST), Einstein's Theory of Relativity, and Bohm's Dialogue in a Circle.

Short-term study tours as a driver for increasing domestic student mobility in order to generate global work-ready students and cultural exchange in Asia Pacific

Recent federal government programmes in Australia have seen a shift in focus from the international student towards increasing the possibilities for domestic mobility through short- and long-term exchange opportunities. The current New Colombo Plan funding scheme encourages Australian students, who have traditionally undertaken semester-long programmes in like-minded Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development nations such as USA and UK, to pursue short-term study in Asia Pacific. Cross-cultural awareness through global learning experiences is key to students in the twenty-first century particularly in Australia – a multicultural country with a diverse mix of cultures from over 250 countries [Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2011. Reflecting a Nation: Stories from the 2011 Census 2012–2013. Accessed January 1. http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@nsf/Lookup/2071.0main+features902012-2013]. Graduates who have studied abroad, even for a short period of time, in a culture significantly different to one's own, are more culturally adaptable, aware and able to work more effectively in multicultural work environments than students without this experience [Lipsett, A. 2008 Graduates who have Studied Abroad More Appealing to Businesses. October 16. http://www.guradian.co.uk/education/2008/oct/16/students-highereducation]. Short-term study tours can engage domestic students to look outwards whilst at the same time reflecting inwards on their own cultural behaviours. Thus they can be a driver for creating a work-ready graduate with strong cross-cultural communication skills. In this paper, I will argue that short-term study tours, to a culture significantly different to one's own, should be a key focus of internationalisation in tertiary education. Although focussed on the Australian context, the discussions in this paper reference student data from the USA and UK thus findings may be applied to other nations.

Supervisory Traits in Relation to Cross-Cultural Skills and Attitudes of Southeast Asian Educational Administrators

The leader’s style affects the leader’s behavior. The leader’s behavior makes the leader’s style. Encouraging cultural and demographic diversity within an organization helps an organization achieve social responsibility goals and improving cross-cultural relations includes understanding the true meaning of appreciating demographic and cultural diversity. This descriptive survey-correlation method of research aimed to determine whether the supervisory traits of Southeast Asian educational administrators were related to their cross-cultural skills and attitudes. This study aims to provide a list of traits, essential to identify their strongest and weakest traits to set objectives and develop plans to improve their integrity, industriousness, and ability to get along with others in order for them to become successful educational administrators. This may also serve as a feedback for them to determine whether they most likely function well in a multicultural work environment, or they need to develop more cross-cultural awareness and skills to work effectively in a multicultural work environment. Chi-square established that their supervisory traits were not significantly related to their cross-cultural skills and attitudes. Keywords - Social Science, Supervisory traits, demographic diversity, cross-cultural skills, cross-cultural attitudes, cross-cultural relations, descriptive design, Philippines, Asia

Business English as a Lingua Franca – A Cross-Cultural Perspective of Teaching English for Business Purposes

In our era of globalisation, English is at the top of the languages used in international business. A vast majority of business communication in English is carried out by non-native speakers of English. In a cross-cultural exchange of information, the sender and the recipient come from different cultural backgrounds. The patterns of communication vary across the globe and non-native speakers tend to apply their native language patterns when communicating in English. This paper thus focuses on the concept of spoken communication and dimensions of culture and how they are reflected in communication patterns in different business situations. It also addresses the teaching of Business English as a lingua franca and the role of Business English teachers in helping learners develop their communicative and intercultural competence in order to communicate effectively in a multicultural work environment.

Understanding designing for construction safety: the interaction between confidence and attitude of designers and safety culture

Designing for construction safety (DfCS) can be defined as the consideration of construction site safety at the design stage of a construction project. Although the link between the design decisions and accidents on construction sites is well established in the literature, the number of studies searching for the designers' perspective on the issue is limited. The aim of this research study is to investigate the interaction between (i) the designers' reliance on their abilities, (ii) their attitudes towards DfCS and (iii) organizations safety culture and current practices. Data is collected by means of a web-based questionnaire. The sample for this study consists of 72 participants from 17 nationalities who are actively engaged in design activities for construction projects in the United Arab Emirates, including architects, civil and structural engineers, mechanical engineers, interior designers and electrical engineers. By providing empirical evidence from a multi-cultural working environment, the findings of this study suggest that (i) designers nationalities, age, experience and professional background have a significant impact on their attitudes towards DfCS; (ii) safety culture of the organization is highly correlated with the attitudes of the designers towards designing for safety. Moreover, hands-on experience is regarded to be an important component in enabling professionals to develop their knowledge and understanding of their role in influencing health and safety.

Acculturation of local new product development team members in MNC subsidiaries in Thailand

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the phenomenon of acculturation in new product development (NPD) teams in a multicultural working environment. This paper provides recommendations for multinational companies (MNCs) in dealing with problems among team members from different cultures.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through 24 in‐depth interviews with local middle‐level managers (e.g. R&D, marketing managers) and expatriates working on NPD projects in MNC subsidiaries located in Thailand. A qualitative method was employed to explore and attain insightful information about the acculturation of local NPD members when working with expatriates.FindingsResults show that local NPD team members may acculturate themselves to foreign work culture when they have regular contact with expatriates during the product development process. The acculturation may also affect the team performance and the relationship among team members. Cultural training programs for local NPD team members are recommended.Research limitations/implicationsSince this qualitative pilot research has a rather small sample size of cases, it limits the ability to generalize the findings. The findings from MNCs subsidiaries may not represent all other cultures of MNCs operating in Thailand.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study significantly contribute to MNCs from North America and Asia that develop new products in Thailand. Cultural training programs and frequent and two‐way communications are suggested to increase the familiarity of local employees with the foreign work culture, to develop mutual objectives, and to promote shared interests among multicultural NPD team members.Originality/valueThis study extends the application of acculturation of local NPD team members within a multicultural setting, which has been rarely explored. Theoretically, the findings provide an in‐depth understanding of the local managers' acculturation pattern found in NPD teams. Also, it provides recommendations on how to support the local NPD team members more effectively in adopting critical values of the parent firm's culture so as to achieve NPD tasks facing less miscommunication and improving project performance.