MANAGING A DIVERSE WORKFORCE IN THE GLOBAL WORK CULTURE90

Abstract

With the expansion of globalization, cross-cultures interactions and awareness of intercultural differences are rising. Workers are moving in greater numbers across borders and national cultures, increasing the diversity within the societies and institutions. Globalization is at both the macro level, exemplified by the expansion of technology in business, and at the micro level, through the use of laptops, mobile phones and the Internet, greatly increasing interaction. Although it can be said that at the macro level there is a form of global culture, at the micro level, the experiences, values, attitudes and behaviors of individuals, vary within the range of national and ethnic cultures. Different global trends, more effective teamwork, as well as changes in workforce demographics, have made managing diverse workforce one of the most important capacities of organizations.

To free up the talent and potential of this changing workforce, the public and private sectors are assessing their organizational systems, hoping to capitalize on the powerful benefits of a diverse workforce and clientele. Regarding that, this paper deals with the possibilities of leveraging workforce diversity, noting that the strategy and actions behind leveraging must be considered from strategic standpoint, so that company achieves the ultimate goal of maximizing employee potential, whether the employee is of the minority or majority group.