The Management of a Multicultural Workforce

Many companies have culturally diverse workforces. This applies to medium- and small-sized businesses as well as to multinational organisations. The existence of a multicultural workforce has important implications for human resource management policies. The Management of a Multicultural Workforce takes a systematic approach to relating organisational features and activities to specific aspects of national culture.

Written in an accessible style for students at the MBA and final-year undergraduate level studying cross-cultural organisation and international human resource management, this book will also interest researchers and managers of international firms or those based in one country with a multicultural workforce.

The first part of the book examines the significance of culture and the way in which culture influences organisations. Topics cover leadership style, organisational structure, decision making processes, major organisational activities and the significance of societal culture within which these take place.

The second part concentrates on the specific issue of human resource management and culture. The emphasis is on the implications of national culture for human resource management practices in uninational and multinational firms of varying size, employing a multicultural workforce. Among the issues discussed are the options open to managers to cope with cultural diversity, the richness of such diversity, and the tensions that arise in such settings. Finally the issue of the transferability of management practices across borders is discussed.

• Part One: Organisations, Human Resource Management and National Culture
• Introduction
• International firms and us
• Plan of the book
• Chapter One: Human Resource Management and Its Significance for International Firms
• Introduction
• Human resource management (HRM)
• Position and status of HRM
• Scope of HRM
• Significance of HRM at the national level
• Significance of HRM at the firm level
• HRM small firms
• Links between micro-level and macro-level HRM
• Society at large and small firms
• HRM and the competitive advantage of firms and nations
• HRM and a multicultural workforce
• Summary
• References
• Chapter Two: Origins and Scope of National Culture
• Introduction
• What is culture?
• Individual and society
• Family as the cradle of culture
• Role of religion
• History, geography and culture
• Education and culture
• Social hierarchy and social mobility
• Political economic institutions
• Political regime
• Role of the state
• Pressure groups
• Trade unions
• Culture and organisations
• Cultural values and attitudes relaxed to work
• High-context and low-context cultures
• Individualism, collectivism
• Attitude to power
• Attitude to achievement
• Attitudes to conflict and harmony
• Tolerance of ambiguity and uncertainty
• Summary
• References
• Chapter Three: Relevance of National Culture for Organisations
• Introduction
• Home culture versus foreign culture
• Stages of internationalisation
• Major aspects of organisation and national culture
• Strategic decisions and activities
• Interface activities
• Advertising
• Negotiations
• Internal organisational activities
• Summary
• References
• Chapter Four: Influences of National Culture on Organisations
• Introduction
• What is an organisation?
• Organisation structure
• Culture-free and culture-specific aspects of organisation
• Leadership and management styles
• Leadership behaviour
• Organisational culture
• National culture and organisational culture
• Summary
• References
• Part Two: Dealing with and Coping with Different National Cultures
• Chapter Five: Management of Human Resources in a Single Multinational Firm: The Context
• Introduction
• International companies and their environment
• Environmental influences on human resource management
• Legal system
• Political culture
• Industrial relation culture
• National culture
• Level of economic advancement
• Global and regional agreements
• Summary
• References
• Chapter Six: Management of Human Resources in a Single Multinational Firm: Thinking Globally, Acting Locally
• Introduction
• Deciding on appropriate HRM policies and practices
• HRM strategic choices
• Differentiate or integrate
• Stage and form of internationalisation
• Industry and markets served
• Characteristics of staff
• HRM mechanisms to maintain integration yet remain differentiated
• Staff selection and acculturation
• Staff training
• Internationalisation of staff
• Summary
• References
• Chapter Seven: Management of Human Resources in International Alliances and Joint Ventures
• Introduction
• Strategic alliances and their role in the international market
• Performance record of strategic alliances
• Strategic alliances, joint ventures, and national cultures
• HRM in joint ventures
• Tackling difficulties associated with HRM in joint ventures
• Summary
• References
• Chapter Eight: Management of a Multi-Ethnic Workforce in the Same Site
• Introduction
• Origins of workforce cultural diversity
• Diversity management
• Diversity awareness
• Governments and diversity management
• Organisations and diversity management
• Training for cultural awareness
• Adjustments to organisational structure and culture
• Summary
• References
• Chapter Nine: Transferring Management Practices Across Cultures
• Introduction
• Learning from others
• Transferability of management practices
• Transfer by multinationals of their home-grown practices to their subsidiaries
• Learning from foreigners and adopting their "ways of doing things"
• Nations and foreign practices
• Organisations and foreign practices
• Summary
• References
• Concluding remarks

Something as unique as a good book on HRM and it is even covering international/multicultural workforces and its cvhallenges.

Very good, maybe even excellent. My recommendation is to read it, whatever your inclination, as you'll learn something from it (and she's a good writer).