Cultural diversity is an asset as well as a challenge to business leaders the world over, especially those business leaders working in multinational organizations. Globalization is the current trend and it is certain that companies will continue to launch their businesses internationally in the future. The failure or success of a company is greatly hinged on the type of leadership style practiced and put in place in the organization. Hence, a multi- national company's management should use the kind of leadership style that would consider the various diversities that are present in the organization in addition to the host country's requirements and regulations while at the same time taking care not to stray from the organization's usual mode of management.
Workplace disagreements and uncivil interpersonal reactions are quite common in any organization, especially in multinational organizations. Finding the most appropriate way to deal with the uncivility, cultural diversity, and especially racism towards Muslims depends on the leadership style employed in the organization. In effect, leadership styles and behaviors should be related to a particular cultural environment (Muenjohn & Armstrong, 2015, 255). The full range leadership model aims to enhance morale and motivation in the workplace by connecting an employee's identity to a project and the collective identity of the company. When the full range model of leadership is applied through the lens of passive corrective and active constructive leadership, issues of incivility can be minimized and the challenge of racial diversity and racism against Muslims can be dealt with (Lee & Jensen, 2014, 416).
Active constructive leadership in an organization enables a leader to shape the behaviors and mannerisms of the employees by communicating their intolerance towards the employees untoward behavior by formulating ethical standards which discourage disrespectful actions and encourage the employees to behave appropriately in the workplace (Lee & Jensen, 2014, 418). By applying a full range leadership style, the management of multi- national corporations can learn to adapt to the various management situations that spring up in a multinational organization and are not bound to rely on just one model. The racial diversity and racism situations in the workplace are quite unpredictable. It is not easy to predict how the racist feelings and behavior would come about or how to effectively deal with the situation. The best possible way for the management of an organization would be the adaptation of the most suitable method in relation to the problem at hand.
In addition to the kind of leadership styles that must be put into practice by managers of multinational companies, there are various practices that must be put in place in order to deal with the issue of racial diversity in a workplace. Different countries have different ways of contextualizing leadership and tend to have differing expectations of their leaders. Leaders can begin by having an appreciation of the Muslim workers in their organizations regardless of the public perceptions or political atmosphere (Geier, 2016, 240).
The full range leadership model allows the managers to set up race equality measures that would be an important deterrent in race discrimination against the Muslims. The leadership model seeks to create morale and organizational identity in the workplace. Hence, when the Muslim employees see their leaders efforts to create and maintain an equal opportunity working environment where there are mutual respect and trust, then they would develop a firm organizational identity. The model also helps leaders to create organizational ethics which must be adhered to by all employees. Within these work ethics, the leaders can make it mandatory for all employees to respect others diversities. When the managers respect and treat Muslims and other races fairly and equally, then the employees would be motivated to do the same (Geier, 2016, 245).
In comparison, the situations prevalent in workplaces are quite different from the theoretical models of leadership that are recommended for business managers and leaders. Business theories and practice propose equality and fair treatment of all right from the recruitment and hiring stages to training and how employees are treated in the workplace. Moreover, the upward projectory of an employee should be pegged only on merit and qualification, not on other considerations such are race and other discriminatory attributes. Employees are supposed to be given opportunities to grow and thrive (Ehrich et al., 2015, 211). In as much as leaders are supposed to be impartial, equal and fair, they sometimes tend to discriminate and practice ethnocentrism in the workplace. Workers’ basic rights should always be upheld by the management. Trained and qualified management staffs are held responsible upholding integrity and wellbeing of the employees, regardless of their backgrounds. If the business models of leadership are applied appropriately, then there would be tolerance and equality in the workplaces. The application of the full range leadership style would lead to an end to uncivil behavior in the workplace (Lee & Jensen, 2014, 417). Employees who do not respect the rights of others, especially the rights of other employees who subscribe to the Islamic religion should be warned or let go but in current situations, they are usually tolerated since the prevalent attitude towards Muslims is negative.
In general, leadership practice can be improved through the deliberate efforts of the management of the organization to provide equal opportunities and work environments where the employees can thrive and release their full potential. There are instances when the managers do not handle situations in the right way and employees end up being affected. To counter this, the managers can learn from their mistakes and not be afraid to apply leadership models and practices that would be beneficial to their employees and the organizations.
The leadership practice can be greatly improved if an organization embarks on equal and fair practices right from recruitment and hiring stages to the training and settlement of disputes. The recruitment and selection processes should be handled well and professionally without any form of discrimination toward any minority or race. Recruitment should be based on skills and competence and no one should be disqualified from a position in an organization because of their religion or race. In effect, these employees would develop a loyalty, appreciation, and trust for their managers and the organization. Also, allowing the employees to better themselves and to be able to practice their cultural or religious beliefs so long as they do not interfere with their work or with other employees rights (Ehrich et al., 2015, 197-214).
In conclusion, there are various leadership challenges that are prevalent in organizations today. One of these challenges is racial diversity and racism and how to effectively deal with it. Dealing with this challenge in a company is largely dependent on the leadership styles and practices employed by managers in their organizations. Effective leadership styles and practices can be able to foster good relations among employees and with the management and in effect, lead to the success of the organization.
References
Ehrich, L.C., Harris, J., Klenowski, V., Smeed, J., Spina, Nerida. (2015). The Centrality of Ethical Leadership. Journal of Educational Administration. Vol. 53, No.2, pp 197-214.
Geier, M. T. (2016). Leadership in Extreme Contexts: Transformational Leadership, Performance Beyond Expectatins? Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies. Vol. 23, No.3, 234-247
Lee, J and Jensen, J. M. (2014). The Effects of Active Construictive and Passive corrective Leadership on Workplace Incivility and the Mediating role of Fairness Perception. Sage. Vol. 39 (4) 416-443
Muejohn, N., Armstrong, a. (2015). Transformational Leadership: The Influence of culture o the Leadership behaviors of Expartriate Managers. International Journal of Business and Information. Vol. 2, no. 2
