Cross Culture Mangement At The Company Mylee

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Mylee is a cloth retailing company with big stores in 44 cities in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Due to the size of the organization there is need for a large workforce; this has resulted in a workforce comprising of people from Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia and South America.

The stores are big in size with different floors; different junior managers who work in various time shifts oversee the operations at different floor level and they supervise the highly multi-cultural workforce.

They all have been promoted to mangers after the restructuring of the organization a month ago; they are all from the United Kingdom and have no experience of managing culturally diverse groups of people prior to this period. Therefore the need arises to train them how to manage effectively a team made up of culturally diverse group of people such as this.

Why Train the Managers?

There is no doubt that cultural differences exists between different groups of people who possess different cultural values. These values influence their attitudes about the form of behaviour considered most appropriate and effective in any given situation (Miroshnik, 2002) which is inclusive of work.

Therefore a good understanding of different cultures will help the managers understand the skills of their subordinates and this will be of immense benefit in order to carry out their activities effectively without undermining the culture of the organization.

People and effective management and development of them are considered to be one of the major sources of competitive advantage for businesses (Higgs, 1996). As the workforce in various countries has become more culturally diverse due to the rapid pace of globalisation, this competitive advantage can be achieved through realisation of the importance of intercultural competence (Zakaria, 2000; Matveev and Milter, 2004). The term ‘intercultural competence’ in various literature has been also referred to as ‘cross-cultural competence’, ‘cross-cultural awareness’, ‘cross-cultural sensitivity’, ‘intercultural sensitivity’, and others; we found the descriptions of Matveev and Milter (2004) to be most comprehensive – therefore, we also use the same term: ‘intercultural competence.’ To exhibit intercultural competence means being an effective member of a multicultural team who is able to establish interpersonal relationships with people from different nationalities through an effective exchange of both verbal and nonverbal levels (Matveev and Milter, 2004). In order to become such a competent member of a multicultural team Matveev and Milter (2004) have identified three main dimensions of intercultural competence: firstly, sufficient cultural knowledge; secondly, skilled actions; and, thirdly, suitable motivation or personality orientation:

1)Cultural knowledge: it contains general information about cultural practices, where the members of the team have to acknowledge differences in communication and interaction styles of both managers and their colleagues from different cultures, are able to be flexible in resolving communication misunderstandings, and feel comfortable when communicating with people from different nationalities. More particularly, it is crucial to have the understanding about the differences between cultures in body language, punctuality, leave-taking, showing agreement and disagreement, and status of women (Hurn and Jenkins, 2000).

2)Skills: includes adapting suitable behaviours perceived as appropriate in a variety of cultures to achieve effective results in different cultural settings (Higgs, 1996). The key skills necessary for an effective member of a team are interpersonal skills, listening skills, ability to manage anxiety and uncertainty, as well as the ability to understand and clearly communicate team goals, roles, and norms to other team members (Hurn and Jenkins, 2000; Matveev and Milter, 2004; Gudykunst, 1998).

3)Personality orientation: it encompasses individual’s interest of cross-cultural interaction, their personal thoughts and attitudes toward foreign nationals and the "degree of empathy" toward people from different cultures (Matveev and Milter, 2004, p.106). It comprises the level of an individual being able to understand the world from other people’s perspective (Koester and Olebe, 1988). It depends on the personality of each individual, if they are tolerant of ambiguity and uncertainty due to cultural differences. The ability to work in a flexible manner is also subjected to personality orientation. Also the ability to be patient, empathetic, charismatic and non-judgemental is considered to be part of personality orientation.

Therefore it is important to train the managers with these skills in order for them to carry out their job functions effectively.

Training Programme

The training is designed to educate fifteen managers on understanding of intercultural competence due to the culturally diverse group of employees. Before the commencement of the training, an online assessment t will be done regarding their skills which be evaluated later at the end of the training.

The training which will take place within 10 days with 70 hours of training period excluding break periods. It will run for three consecutive weeks starting on a Wednesday to Friday of each week and the Saturday of last week.

The teaching method used will be based on Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory Model (ELT) which is a learning style based on individuals natural attributes. It is a multi-linear model of adult development which is consistent with how people learn, grow and develop (Sternberg and Zhang, 2001).

In addition the models of learning can be applied to the managers we are training who are all British trained graduates.

Source: Adapted from Demirbas and Demirkan (2007).

There are primarily four learning styles; individuals are likely to exhibit a preference for one of the four styles which are accommodating, converging, diverging and assimilating. The two-by-two matrix above which according to Kolb is a way of choosing 'grasping the experience', which defines the approach to the learning style, and choose the way an individual chooses to 'transform the experience' into meaningful and usable element, which defines the emotional response to the experience (Kolb, 1984). The learning style is a product of these two choices:

how to approach a task - i.e., 'grasping experience' - preferring to (a) watch or (b) do , and

emotional response to the experience - i.e., 'transforming experience' - preferring to (a) think or (b) feel.

The theoretical aspect of this training is meant for those who prefer to watch and feel while the practical part is meant for those that think and do. Because this seeks to understand how different individuals participate in the learning process the learning styles it will help the trainees participate because it would cater for all their different learning styles.

With this in mind, the training is structured to incorporate individual differences, the training will be engaging, participatory involving group works, showing videos, running management simulation, lectures, case studies, role plays that will be explained both graphically and verbally. It will be practical and theoretical as well individually and socially interactive.

This is an attempt to ensure maximum assimilation of the course content and proper understanding of the show process of cross cultural interaction. The training schedule is below:

First week

Introduction to Intercultural competence, cultural knowledge and the importance of personality orientation

Methods

Learning outcomes

Lectures will be done and videos will be shown on managerial experiences which are to be studied by each manager and to be discussed on the last day of which is in relation to reflective observation and abstract conceptualization.

Emphasis will be placed on ethnocentrism; trainees will be taught that while cultures are different, none are superior or inferior in comparison to one another.

The emphasis will be on the cultural knowledge dimension of intercultural competence (learning through assimilating – as the managers are all UK university graduates, they should be familiar and comfortable with this learning style).

Learners have acquired the ability to examine and learn from their experiences on a continuing basis.

Learners instil new values and new learning from the experiences that will be discussed and challenges that will be brought up during the exercise.

Second week

Communication skills

Methods

Learning outcomes

Trainees will be sub-divided into three groups with five people in a group. This is to ensure effective participation in the various tasks they will be involved in.

Learners try out new behaviours in the training environment.

Learners are provided new experiences with which to compare and match their understanding and learning.

Development of communication skills in intercultural environment such as listening, questioning, persuading, respecting

Discussions between the groups include role plays and simulations which will be based on managerial challenges that will be set in terms of real life situations.

Role plays will be done with the trainees acting in different roles which include

Trainees and their line managers

Trainees and the subordinates

Trainees and clients

Feedback will be encouraged from them and their peers in order to assess their progression in the course of the training.

Third Week

Team building skills

Methods

Learning outcomes

Group discussions, team building tasks and simulations.

Trainees should be able to motivate and lead across cultures

This will be done in groups which will be newly formed.

Trainees will analyze three factors impacting team building in intercultural environment, and evaluate the effects of these factors on specific management situations.

A mini project will be written on how they intend to implement what has been learnt, how they intend to do this and the time scale they think this can be done.

Saturday

Review of Training

Discussion about submitted project, the activities done during training period, what has been learnt from the training, areas they need clarifications on.

Expected Training Outcome

To achieve the main objective of the training, which is to be interculturally competent.

Expectt the trainees to have achieved the necessary skills to make them better at performing their job functions.

Expect the trainees to be clear about how to put what has been learnt into action.

Ability to communicate appropriately and motivate their teams in order to seek a common ground

Trainees will know the responsibility bestowed upon them and what results of their actions will mean for the organization.

Evaluation

The evaluation will be an on-going process which will take place during the training as noted above and after the training.

This will be using Donald Kirkpatrick’s training evaluation model; this model entails the four levels of learning evaluation

The four levels of Kirkpatrick's evaluation model are essentially to measure:

reaction of student - what they think and feel about the training; it is important to note that this level of evaluation is to assess the training, the trainees are not assessed with this.

learning - the knowledge that is acquired as a result of the training

behaviour - extent of behaviour and capability improvement and implementation and application

results - the effects on the business or environment resulting from the trainee's performance

Donald Kirkpatrick Training Evaluation Model

Evaluation Level

Evaluation Tool

Reason for Evaluation

Method of Evaluation

Reaction

Feedback forms

To know the trainee’s personal reaction about the training

To know if the trainees consider the training relevant

The feedback forms will include open ended questions like :

Did the training help you understand what cultural competence is?

Did the trainer put across the message in ways that was easily comprehended?

Learning

Online Assessment

This is to know if the trainees have learnt about intercultural competence

To determine the extent or change that has been achieved due to what has been learnt

The online assessment done before the training will be assessed with this.

This is to test their skills by asking questions about skills they possess prior to and after the training.

Similar questions before the training will be asked in different ways in order to evaluate the improvement.

Behaviour

360 degree feedback

Observation

This is to evaluate the extent to which the trainees apply what they have learnt

Are trainees putting into action what they learnt in the training

To note any difference in the behaviour of the trainees to regarding what they have been taught

This will be done six months after the training and will be carried in form of feedback from their peers (other junior managers), senior managers and subordinates.

In this case the feedback will be conducted anonymously to enquire about their working relationship.

The anonymous technique will be used to increase the probability of truthful feedback.

Feedback will be gotten from the trainees also asking what aspect of their behaviour they think has been improved upon and to give examples of situations when they think it has helped them in the course of their job duties after the training.

Feedback forms from all the parties involved will be designed in a way that the questions are similar so it can be easily assessed.

The senior managers will give feedback as well through observing them.

Results

Appraisals

To assess how the trainees can contribute to the growth of the organization

This will be done six months after the training as well by looking at the trainees’ roles and responsibilities.

They will be appraised through factors such as numbers of complaints and cohesion within their teams.

Will be appraised by their understanding of how this training has made them understand the importance of being culturally competent to the organization as a whole.

The level of teamwork within their teams and how their teams work in relation with clients will be evaluated.