Company and Individual Cultural Differences: Where are you going?
The cultural differences between organizations and professionals can be a challenge that either turns into opportunity or a huge problem.
In the globalized world in which more and more companies become more equal, standardizing the designations of their professionals to be international. The approximation of cultures in the business environment, also originated by globalization, shows new advantages and challenges to the global business fabric.
The advantages of a multicultural team can be transformed into an efficient and productive way of performing tasks or solving problems in the business environment.
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The challenge is to adjust Culture to Organizational / Business Culture.
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Therefore, it is necessary to understand the Cultural values of the Employee and how their values and their way of acting can coincide with the Culture of the Organization.
In addition, it is necessary to understand the value and/or the perception of the work for the collaborator, the work doesn’t always have the same meaning for the individuals. For some people, work may be a duty; to others, a mission; and for others it may be a form of glorification/self-realization…
It is possible to verify, in some cases, differences in the management of people between the West and East.
In the Netherlands, for example, companies have a space reserved for religion – called gebedsruimte, so that at various moments in the work day, employees can reflect and pray.
The previous example demonstrates the importance of a careful understanding of cultural and religious differences, so that we can know how and where we can (and must) manage, as well as enjoy differences, overcome challenges, and motivate and involve employees in the organization.
The fact that the Dutch Society tends to be individualistic, and Portuguese society is tendentially cooperative, conditions the behavior and even the way of thinking of the individual.
Therefore, in order to bring the company closer to the cultural characteristics of its employees, it is also necessary to understand the cultural origins of its employees, so that when a company wants to take advantage of cultural diversity, it can do so by adjusting culture to its organizational culture.
Thus, as companies study the profile of a candidate to recruit them, they should also study the candidate’s cultural background in order to adjust or become more flexible.
Differences, when well managed and known, are translated into advantages. Language courses, for example, is already an indicator of the company’s own work in integrating its international collaborators.
Who should adjust to whom? Should the employee adjust to the workplace? Or should the company adjust to its employees?
Possibly, both parties, that is, if the interest and the values are close and keep the essence of each part.
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Note: If I invite vegetarian friends to dine at my house, the menu can never include meat (even if I am not a vegetarian).
