Multicultural Organizations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Multicultural Organizations - Research Paper Example Competition is coming from all continents. Organizations are being compelled to be open to change and creative in order to remain competitive. This can only succeed through embracing diversity. Modern day management entails taking maximum advantage of workplace diversity. Managing diversity remains one of the challenges facing organizational leadership. Organizational managers must get acquainted with the skills necessary in a multicultural environment. The setting entails competitors, employees, partners and consumers. This paper seeks to look into the characteristics of multiethnic organizations and its competitive advantages. Inter-and intra-organizational connections are growing in terms of complexity and scope. Traditional organizational model and competence needs to be extended to include cross-cultural competence. Cross cultural competence becomes an organizational competitive advantage. This is clear when an organization is operating in different cultural settings. The busine ss environment is changing rapidly. According to Lucia and Lepsinger, the rapid change is being fuelled by cost management, downsizing and intensified competition. People are viewed as the key to organizational success. The role of people in the globalization context cannot be enhanced without focus of a multiethnic or multicultural approach. Individual competence becomes useful in organizational models because they determine the organizational alignment and internal behaviors (Earley & Mosakowski, 2000). Individual competence leads to organizational competence. The changing realities of mean it’s important and timely to investigate the effect of managerial customs on multicultural organizations (Adler, 1991). Globalization efforts and consequent shift are demographics have created a state where multicultural organizations are to be accepted as norms. In the global environment, employees are able to work in person or virtually. Globalization thrives through the creation of a digital or virtual space where people from all continents adopt a global culture in the online platform. This has brought together people of different races, ethnicity and cultures (Dodd 1998). Organizations are beginning to appreciate those conventional methods of management or business may not make much difference. Organizations have been forced to look for ideas that offer a competitive advantage. Multicultural organizations are a response to the growing need for globalization and profitability (Williams &O’Reilly, 1998). There are organizations where the disabled are given preference, and the voice of the minority is protected through organizational structures. A multicultural organization is heterogeneous in nature. In a global and pluralistic society, all groups in a multicultural organization must be seen to be integral parts of the organization. Diversity is managed and accepted as part of the organizational culture (Earley & Mosakowski, 2000). Multicultural organizat ions deal with employees as individuals with unique sets of strengths and weaknesses as opposed to members of certain groups. This minimizes generalizing and stereotyping within an organization. These organizations take advantage of the abilities and exceptional skills with an aim of developing the organizational processes. Support groups are helpful is maximizing the benefits from the special groups within an organization. Multicultural organizations maintain their effectiveness through sharing responsibilities equitably. All employees are involved in review of the organizational practices and norms. The approach means that all employees are supportive of the organizational goals. Shared responsibility has implications of the behavior change and may require organizations to