ASHUTOSH

O1119101717, BBAM6A, IBM,

Q1. Explain with appropriate examples the cultural differences between India and
USA. What

strategy should an HR manager follow in these 2 regions?

There is plethora of difference between india and usa in the sense of business
culture. In our contemporary modern life, work occupies a large amount of our
time and we also tend to give it a lot of importance. Our work makes us who we are
and so the work culture of the organizations where we work plays an important
role in our well-being. Traveling to the foreign countries for job seeking can be in a
way daunting because if we do not fit well with the work culture of that country, our
chances of survival are dim. So before immigrating to the Big Apple, we should
make ourselves aware of the work culture of that country and judge ourselves
honestly as to if we would be able to adapt to it or not.

The most important foundation of the American work culture is professionalism,

from which other strands of the business culture branch out. Whereas in India we
may find that not all companies or sectors are deeply professional in their working.
So, let us see the differences in the work culture of the two countries.

1.Timing’s Everything

The Americans are sticklers for time and deeply value punctuality to the extent that
if they are going to be late even for five minutes they will inform beforehand. The
Indians, on the other hand, are known for their tardiness, though we can’t
generalize them, employees coming late to the office is a common phenomenon in
India. Punctuality in the US is believed to be a key factor in scaling the heights in
your career as it carries a good impression and so if you want to work in America,
you better be on time.

2. Fit is Fabulous

The Americans are suckers for fitness and one would find that most of their
colleagues are hitting the gym, jogging, doing yoga, etc. before or after work. They
value mental fitness which is important for the oratory skills and physical fitness
which helps us be motivated and focused. Thus, they also believe in healthy and
smart eating to keep their body and mind fresh. The fad for fitness in India in the
workplace is catching up in the 21st century but the stress related to work can
downplay that.

3. No place for the catty creatures

The workplace culture in America is not the fussy kind and they dearly value
teamwork. The employees do not try and chip away your image as they are focused
on their own personal growth. They are not mean to one another but instead help
each other out. On the other hand, in India, we may find many instances of power
and politics in the workplace which only leads to a stressful environment.

4. Confidence, Confidence, Confidence!

Whatever the Americans do, they do it with unflinching confidence. However, one
may find that people up the ladder are more confident of themselves and their
work, whereas as you go down the ladder, the employees face similar challenges
that their counterparts in India do—shyness and fear that their voices won’t be
heard. In addition to this, in India, there still is to a large extent, a masculine work
tapestry, with men being the sole breadwinners.

5. Sweet Bosses

The employers in the USA are way more empowering than those in India. They
believe in the collective efforts of their employees and will provide you with a
liberating work environment, not making you subservient to their whims. In India,
we may not always be lucky to have a good boss, but the workplace culture is
changing and the mentors in the organizations can be found to encourage their
subordinates towards success.
6. R.E.S.P.E.C.T

People in America have a lot of respect for one another and they always talk in a
dignified but relaxed manner. The employees are warm, open and friendly and not
cut-throat and cold as some people in corporate America are bound to be. Though
they mostly address each other on first name basis in order to have a smooth
conversation, they never lose the respect and dignity for the other person. Way
back home, we too respect our colleagues but most often end up being competitive
rather than being collaborative as the sin of jealousy never leaves us.

7. Work vibes are good vibes

The brainstorming sessions in corporate America can be a blast. The agenda is

informed beforehand so that everybody researches and comes up with good ideas.
In the meetings, everyone is encouraged to participate, especially the timid ones.
The senior leaders will take time out to interact with people to keep the connection
going. On the contrary, the meetings in India can be a handful. They tend to bring
out all the emotions of rage, anger, jealousy, and competitive spirits can be high.
Although, again this in no way is a generalization and the Indians too can have
smooth sailing meetings with an open dialogue where many a great idea are born.

8. Get right down to business

The American people are more task-oriented. They believe that you need not like
your teammates as long as you can get the job done. They highly respect the
deadlines. They want initiative, independent thinking, and pushback from the
workers to think of better ways to work together. Indians, on the other hand, are
more people-oriented who would want to have nice and friendly conversations to
make each other feel better before getting to work. They want to work in a pre-
determined manner and think that the quality of work matters more than the
deadlines.

Thus, the work cultures of the two country’s vary to a great extent and the
knowledge of the same is rather very important before one can join either kind of
an organization. You have to see for yourself as to whether you can adapt yourself
to their respective cultures which are important to get to your highest potential as
to each is own.
Diversity management is a process intended to create and maintain a positive work
environment where the similarities and differences of individuals are valued. The
literature on diversity management has mostly emphasized on organization culture; its
impact on diversity openness; human resource management practices; institutional
environments and organizational contexts to diversity-related pressures, expectations,
requirements, and incentives; perceived practices and organizational outcomes related
to managing employee diversity; and several other issues.

Pivotal areas for the hr manager to tackle the diversity.

1.HR Practices to Develop Culture

HR has a special role in ensuring that an organization's culture will continue

and thrive. When an organization does a good job assessing its culture, it can
then go on to establish HR policies, programs and strategies that support
and strengthen its core purpose and values. In aligned organizations, the
same core characteristics or beliefs motivate and unite everyone, cascading
down from the C-suite to individual contributors.

HR professionals have many tools for developing and sustaining a high-

performance organizational culture, including hiring practices, onboarding
efforts, recognition programs and performance management programs. HR's
biggest challenge is deciding how to use these tools and how to allocate
resources appropriately

2. HIRING PRACTICES

The central role that HR plays in helping an organization capitalize on its

culture is in hiring. HR has the opportunity to select people who fit the way
the organization operates. Traditionally, hiring focuses primarily on an
applicant's skills, but when a hire's personality also fits with the
organization's culture, the employee will be more likely to deliver superior
performance. .

On the other hand, ill-fitting hires and subsequent rapid departures cost
approximately 50 percent to 150 percent of the position's annual salary.
Unfortunately, nearly one in three newly hired employees' leaves voluntarily
or involuntarily within a year of hiring, and this number has been increasing
steadily in recent years. 
Some hiring practices to ensure cultural fit include these:

 Looking at each piece of the organization's vision, mission and values

statements. Interview questions should hone in on behaviors that
complement these areas. For example, if the organization works with a
lot of intensity, then job applicants should display that natural intensity
to be considered for hire.
 Conducting a cultural fit interview. Ask questions that elicit comments
about organizational values such as honesty or integrity. If a
candidate's description of the worst place he or she ever worked
sounds just like the organization where he or she is interviewing, the
candidate probably will not be successful.
 Leaving discussion of company culture for later. Do not tell candidates
about culture up front. First, listen to what they have to say about their
experiences and beliefs. This tactic will reveal more candid responses
to help determine whether they are a fit for the organization.
 Making sure at least three people are involved in the hiring
process. Different people will see and hear different things. These
varied perspectives give a clearer understanding of the person being
considered for hire.

Searching for employees who will fit in seamlessly can have drawbacks. The
biggest mistake an organization can make is to paint an inaccurate picture of
itself as it tries to attract candidates. If new hires discover they have been
sold a bill of goods, they will not be happy; they will probably not stick
around, and, while they are around, morale will decline.

Another possible drawback is that people are more reluctant to take negative
actions against people like themselves. As a result, mediocre workers are
more likely to stay employed if they share the cultural values. Similarly,
although an organization's comfort level is palpable when the culture is
aligned, experts say, too much comfort can result in groupthink and
complacency.

3. ONBOARDING PROGRAMS

HR plays a primary role in socializing new employees by designing and

overseeing the onboarding process. Onboarding teaches newcomers the
employer's value system, norms and desired organizational behaviors. HR
professionals must help newcomers become part of social networks in the
organization and make sure that they have early job experiences that
reinforce the culture

4.REWARD AND RECOGNITION PROGRAMS

These programs are key mechanisms HR can use to motivate employees to
act in accordance with the organization's culture and values. For example, if
teamwork is a core value, bonuses should value teamwork and not be based
on individual performance. HR should also put the spotlight on those who
personify the company's values. 

5.PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS

Employees who share values and aspirations tend to outperform those in

environments that lack cohesiveness and common purposes. Performance
management programs can greatly affect corporate culture by clearly
outlining what is expected from employees as well as by providing a
feedback tool that informs employees about proper behavior. .

6.Communications

Conflicting messages regarding corporate culture may create distrust and

cynicism, which can prompt, or help employees justify, actions as deleterious
as embezzlement. Experts say that cultural inconsistencies may also cause
workers to grow discouraged, to believe management is disingenuous, to
doubt statements from higher-ups and to be less inclined to give their best
effort.

Organizations may be investing significant time and money in creating a

culture but may not be reaping the commensurate rewards—especially if
executives, supervisors and rank-and-file employees have differing
perceptions of the company's culture. HR professionals must therefore
ensure that the organization clearly and consistently communicates its
culture to all employees. 

7.Metrics

Assessing organizational culture is a crucial step in developing sound HR

strategies that support enterprise objectives and goals. But how do you
measure something as potentially tough to describe as culture? After
identifying the key dimensions of culture such as values, degree of
hierarchy, and people and task orientations, performing these next steps will
help organizations assess culture:

 Develop a cultural assessment instrument. This instrument should

enable members of the organization to rate the organization on the
key cultural dimensions, as well as on aspects of the organization not
covered on the assessment.
  Administer the assessment. Survey respondents should include
individuals at all levels, functions, divisions and geographical units of
the organization.
 Analyze and communicate about assessment results. Leaders and HR
executives should discuss areas of agreement and disagreement about
the organization's culture.
 Conduct employee focus groups. Just because top management
leaders agree on organizational culture does not mean that all
employees see things that way.
 Discuss culture until consensus forms around key issues. Focus on
"Who are we?" and "What makes us who we are?" Organizations that
decide that where they are now is not where they want to be may need
to look at moving the organization to embrace a different culture.

Cultural assessments, and other activities such as cultural audits and 360-
degree feedback, may also help uncover cultural inconsistencies. Then
leaders and HR professionals can eliminate the inconsistencies. For example,
if customer service is a focus of the company's culture, evaluate how much
time employees spend visiting customer sites, how much interaction they
have with customers, what customer service training they receive and other
indicators of a customer service focus.

8. Legal Issues

Employers that emphasize cultural fit in their recruitment and selection

process can be vulnerable to discrimination claims if they are not careful. HR
professionals should ensure that hiring practices and selection decisions
based on a cultural fit rationale do not result in discriminating against any
applicants who may not be "just like" the selectors.

Employers should also be aware that certain types of organizational cultures

(for example, cultures that are highly paternalistic or male-dominated) may
tend to perpetuate disparities in promotions, compensation and other terms
of employment. Those disparities may violate anti-discrimination laws. .

9.Global Issues

Research suggests that national culture has a greater effect on employees

than the culture of their organization. Organizational leaders and HR
professionals should understand the national cultural values in the countries
in which the organization operates to ensure that management and HR
practices are appropriate and will be effective in operations in those
countries. National cultural differences should be considered when
implementing organizational culture management initiatives in global
businesses.

Managers must be able to respond to nuances in communication styles, as

well as deal with different expectations that employees have of their leaders
across national cultures. Not meeting those expectations may doom the
global organization's chance for success in particular countries.

These issues become even more complex in global business mergers.

Success in international mergers depends on the merged organization's
willingness to enable people with different cultural perspectives to engage in
meaningful and valuable discussions about the new business. 

@. Six steps in human resource planning. Cultural difference usa and

india

1.Workforce

2.Home country culture

3.Taste and preference of home country

4.Connectivity

5. Cross culture study

6. Cultural difference in consumer

by dr. mk smith