INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT –
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
(Department)
National Cultural Profiles
According to Hofstede’s profile, Greece has the following results:
Power distance: Score: 60 – almost medium level
Hierarchy and inequalities, in Greece, have an acceptable level. People with power have more advantages and responsibilities. Elders have more importance and children look after them. Given the way, I have been raised and the dealing of my family with elders, I agree with this view.
Individualism: Score: 35 – collective culture
Greece shows a collectivist culture in which strong and loyal connection to a group could protect the members. This is also true for businesses, where people know each other, and long-lasting and loyal relationships are helpful. Given my experience, I agree with this, and our families are helpful. During meetings, we start with a friendly conversation to feel comfortable.
Masculinity: Score: 57 – medium level of masculine society
In Greece, it is an honour for men to look after the family. In their culture, the success of a member is valuable to the whole group. They tell about important personalities on meeting with someone new.
I agree that they enjoy telling others that they know famous people, and ensuring that the person is fully aware of their status. It is embarrassing for men in our culture to not have the ability to take care of their family, and when they take care of their families they become proud and don’t want help.
Uncertainty Avoidance: Score: 100 - uncomfortable with ambitiousness
Yes, they are totally uncomfortable with ambitious situations. From my experiences, it is important for my family overseas to live a relaxing life. I even find myself like this.
Long-term orientation: Score: 45
Indulgence: Score: 50
I agree to a certain degree as most of the people, do like to indulge, but the older generation doesn’t justify indulging and buying things for themselves. They like to save money for their kids.
I agree with Hofstede’s profile for Greece. The scores relatively accurately reflect the Greek culture. However, I think that the indulgence needs further study.
Guanxi
In Greece, selection process needs improvement. Interviewing is commonly used procedure, and organizations do not consider employment agencies. With the growth of internet, recruitment process changes, and I believe that Greece starts using social networking in order to receive maximum benefits. Online recruitment helps in attracting candidates and makes the process of recruitment easier, faster and cheaper. Web based applications can be used to publicise vacancies on a company's official website, on job sites, and social networking sites.
Applications, emails, curriculum vitae, images, and recommendations facilitate the selection of candidates through Internet tools, such as using online tests or screening through the candidate’s online profiles on social networking sites. With Facebook, Google Chat, LinkedIn, and Twitter, the provided information can help in the selection of most adequate and skilled staff for the available position. However, I don’t feel its right to screen through Facebook and personal pages to make a 100% judgement about a candidate. Their personal and professional lives should be separated. The only thing that can be done is to ensure the privacy of all Facebook pages, tags etc., so that the users can choose what potential employers can see.
Week4
Cultural Intelligence
Cultural Intelligence can be defined as a person’s capability to function effectively in a diverse/multi-cultural environment. Culturally intelligent employees acquire the potential for innovation and creativity. Their ability to combine diverse resources allows them to help the organization in best use of the multiple perspectives.
Culture should be considered, when designing training programs. It is important to understand that learning motivation is directly related to trainees’ life. Before performing training and development activities, Cultural Intelligence trainer must examine the strengths and weaknesses of trainees. Moreover, trainers have to show expertise in cultural competency and diversity.
Below are some of the suggested Training and Development techniques:
Organizational Support
This can help in successful transfer of the knowledge and skills to others.
Develop a personal self-assessment for each individual to:
Motivate people to improve their behavior
Allow them to identify strengths and weaknesses
Allow people to examine their bias and stereotypes
Cross-cultural awareness training programs and simulations to:
Develop strengths and overcome weaknesses
Promote positive attitudes
Allow people to identify diversity issues
Call Centre Staffing
The quality of jobs in call centres is extremely poor. They suffer from stress and emotional exhaustion. They have repetitive tasks with no opportunity to perform other, more stimulating tasks. Offshore call centres can help organizations in reducing their expenses by paying employees in developing countries a significantly lower wage than they would have in the home country. Employment in a call centre requires working under pressure, meeting almost impractical statistical targets, remaining alert in order to avoid mistakes, and dealing with customer complaints. Along with low wages, people work for long hours with no quality-of-life and little time for leisure or sleep.
Strategies to improve the quality of working life in call centres:
Shorter working hours with regular breaks,
Provide a comfortable sitting, and an environment to stand up and go outside,
Incorporate different roles,
Remuneration, compensation, and recognition of their efforts,
Provide appropriate training, and
More trust and less monitoring.
The ILO Website
Australia – Max. 10 hours/day or 40 hours/week
Canada – Max. 8 hours/day or 40 hours/week
Conditions:
The daily hours limit is not for managers, superintendents, or exercise management functions.
Cyprus – Max. 48 hours/week (excluding overtime)
Conditions:
Russia – Max. 40 hours/week (except in unhealthy conditions, or for employees below 16 years of age)
Conditions:
In organizations or in fulfilling special kinds of work requiring more working hours, it is permissible to add working hours, so that the duration of working hours for the record-keeping period (that must be less than one year) would not exceed the standard working hours.
Iraq – Max. 8 hours/day
Conditions:
The number of working hours per day shall be reduced for arduous or harmful work. Increase in the number of working hours shall be in relation to the time necessary to address the particular situation involved.
I do not believe that it is practical or possible to have universal laws on working times applied to all industries and countries. Different roles have different stress levels and require different time frames to complete assigned tasks. However, I believe there should be a rule, where individuals have not to work more than 10 hours/day as it is unhealthy and can affect the productivity and quality-of-life.
Corruption
The implications of corruption for the selection, training and development processes with international business can have serious effects. Especially, corruption in international business could be a lot more difficult to monitor, recognize and control than in the home country as it may be recognised at a later stage to correct and save the organization.
If people are hired through corrupt behaviour, they may not necessarily be the best-qualified candidate for a role and will not have the ability to meet the organizational objectives. If unqualified staff is hired, organization would start losing money on one side, and the business would start losing its full potential on the other side. Moreover, other employees may need to work harder to fill the gap the inadequate employee is leaving. If this happens repeatedly, the organization may have little to no suitable staff, and the organisation would be in serious trouble.
On a further note, if employees are being trained and hired on the basis of some irrational and corrupt characteristic such as favouritism etc., they would need a lot more training than another suitable candidate, thereby increasing the cost and time. In addition, training might still not be sufficient as they are not at the expected standard and the given training could be too advanced for the employee to learn.
In order to avoid these problems it’s imperative to ensure a selection process, where sincere and trustworthy staff is selected, who have no evidence of corruption. In addition, they need to have the capability and necessary skill set to deal with any circumstances; they may be put in to avoid the corrupt activities.
