Cultural pluralist Approach
In a pluralist culture, groups not only live side by side, but they also consider the qualities of other groups to be characteristics that should be assimilated into the dominant culture as a result of their coexistence. There are high expectations of integration rather than assimilation regarding participation in heterogeneous societies, contrary to popular belief (Bernstein, 2015). Whenever the larger society acknowledges cultural groups within the framework of a pluralist culture, the existence of such institutions and practices is possible, and they may at times need legal protection. For a new or minority culture to be accepted, it may be necessary to remove characteristics of the new or minority culture that are incompatible with the norms or values of the prevailing culture. This is known as the pluralistic cultural approach.
Different approaches to cultural practices in order to cope with circumstances that are culturally pluralistic approaches.
Different approaches to dealing with varied cultural settings have emerged due to the variety of cultural practices.
Networks of interpersonal ties with a wide range of connections.
Because of a company’s organizational culture, workers’ overall happiness and performance increase. This is because organizational culture fosters the development of social interactions among employees (Miller, 1994). Social connections aid in the development of positive relationships among members of an organization and the achievement of the organization’s overall goals and objectives by facilitating the exchange of information. Social connections aid in the development of positive relationships among members of an organization as well as the achievement of the organization’s overall goals and objectives by facilitating the development of positive relationships among members of an organization According to a study, workers who have strong social links at their place of employment are more likely to have high levels of trust, contentment, loyalty, and engagement than other employees. According to a study, increased positive social relationships in the workplace are connected with a decrease in work-related disease, stress, and depression. When it comes to building a solid corporate culture that will enhance productivity, having the ability to foster open communication is an excellent beginning point. An organization’s capacity can stay focused and determined to contribute to the organization’s overall brilliance.
Exchanging knowledge on cultural concerns is also encouraged.
According to the American Psychological Association, employees who grow up surrounded by the racial, cultural, and ethnic characteristics of their elders develop a more sensitive sensitivity to prejudice, bigotry, and intolerance toward their colleagues who come from a diversity of cultures and ethnicities. Educating themselves on other cultures through reading literature and participating in in-depth discussions can assist employees in developing cross-cultural competency in cultures other than their national boundaries and gaining the insights necessary to recognize and accept the interconnectedness of all people on the planet. Your employees will benefit from being exposed to a diverse range of ethnically focused literature, which will prepare them to perform more effectively in a heterogeneous society (Cummings, 2004).
Company expectations and standards, as well as the level of employee participation, are taken into consideration.
Open and honest communication among workers is essential for employers in companies with solid cultures to ensure that both the workforce and management appropriately understand the informal norms, expectations, and duties. To get greater awareness of the need for expectations to achieve organizational goals and objectives, this activity should be undertaken according to a specified strategy. According to research, employees who are highly engaged go above and beyond their job responsibilities, resulting in a greater sense of enjoyment and a more profound commitment to supporting the company in achieving its goals and objectives. Employers may achieve higher levels of employee satisfaction by improving the availability of relevant work, including workers in the general advancement and development of the organization, and giving advantages that will improve employees’ overall contentment with both their employees and employers. Improving the availability of meaningful work, including workers in the general advancement and development of the organization, and giving perks that will raise their overall contentment with their employment and employers are all effective ways to promote employee engagement in organizations (Pakdil and Leonard, 2016).
Working with Teams as Workshops.
Employee team workshops in which participants read a variety of reading materials, such as reports, letters, and memorandums, in order to fulfill their responsibilities. Whenever employees are given the option to comment, they write or talk with their colleagues about their opinions on the subject. Working from home allows employees to take control of their reading by picking the materials they want to read, which is just one of the numerous benefits of doing so. The employee must have access to a vast collection of multicultural literature in order to be able to draw inspiration from a varied variety of works of literature. When writing business papers, it is essential to consider and reflect on the diverse cultural backgrounds of the authors’ coworkers and clients. When youngsters investigate these materials, they may learn that most people have views, aims, and aspirations similar to their own, which may surprise them (Del Giudice, Carayannis, and Peruta, 2011).
Team-Building Activities (optional)
When confronted with a challenging issue, people from all walks of life prefer to deal with it independently rather than depending on others for assistance. When individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds see the need to work together both inside and across groups, it is a good development. People from a diverse variety of cultural backgrounds may find it difficult to function effectively in their organizations due to disparities in communication methods. In order to gain the benefits of cultural diversity in the workplace, it is necessary to foster cross-cultural collaboration among employees who come from a range of different cultural backgrounds (Rios, 1998).
Work to promote a collaborative attitude among your staff by creating a work environment that supports cooperation and collaboration. A collaborative workplace differs from a competitive workplace in that it empowers employees by encouraging them to work together to accomplish company-wide goals by using all of their available resources and talents. Those who work in collaborative workplaces are aware of and believe that collaborative activities such as brainstorming and planning for the future are more successful than solo actions such as making decisions and taking action. Contrary to common assumption, the growth of this ecosystem does not occur in the absence of other factors. For company owners and executives to be successful, they must make a concentrated effort to create cooperation among their employees purposefully.
Opportunity to interact and communicate with one another.
Work efficiency and the profitability of joint ventures are both dependent on the capacity to give accurate and timely information to all parties involved. This becomes much more apparent when a project is in jeopardy and requires rapid corrective action. Depending on their cultural background and upbringing, it is possible for people’s reactions to the tragic news, for example, to vary drastically. According to research, Asiatic civilizations are more prone to exaggerate a lousy situation than other cultures, even though it is less common in other cultures. People in different cultures are less likely to be hesitant to share bad news with their friends and family (Wegerif, Mercer, and Dawes, 1999).
In contrast, practical cross-cultural communication consists of much more than just said words during a debate. A delicate and nuanced part of cross-cultural contact, nonverbal communication may lead to misunderstandings or even outright hostility between team members from different cultures, depending on the situation. There may be considerable differences across cultures in terms of some qualities such as the optimal amount of physical space between two people, the ideal moment to establish or maintain eye contact, and hand gestures, for example, It is important to remember that even the most basic gestures, such as a welcome or a handshake, have cultural meanings that should be taken into mind in the workplace. In order to show the differences in handshakes and professional greetings throughout the world, Business Insider has prepared this informative infographic.
Identify and acknowledge the obstacles that individuals from various backgrounds encounter.
Without having to do anything apparent or ‘out there,’ it is possible to encourage cultural diversity without taking any drastic measures. The easiest method is to explore and comprehend the challenges that individuals from various cultures may encounter at their place of work. Employers will benefit from employees who are more informed about their fields since they will be more driven and interested in their jobs. The more one’s knowledge of them, the better one will be able to serve and care for them in the long run (Highlen, 1994). When it comes to multinational organizations, having local knowledge and expertise is a significant asset. It contributes to the development of team cohesiveness, which helps to prevent colleagues from different nations from working in isolation and from inhibiting information exchange. The ability to transcend cultural assumptions that prevent people from collaborating effectively in the first place may be challenging when working with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds. It is possible that employee morale and productivity in the workplace would suffer due to negative cultural stereotypes, which will be expensive to the company. Employee productivity may be negatively affected by the centuries-old hostility between the British and the French, or between the Poles and the Germans, for example, which may sometimes reach the workplace.
Set up a monthly schedule that includes numerous Culture Days each month.
Even though it would be inconvenient to devote one day every month, quarter, or year to learning about a foreign culture, the advantages of doing so would exceed the difficulty. It would also be a wonderful experience. It is good to choose cultures that are indicative of the team members, but it is also helpful to widen one’s horizons and learn about other cultures. Pretend you are in the following situation: A group of people with a shared cultural background is brought together for discussion. If a team has many people from a particular cultural background, it may be appropriate to encourage them to share their knowledge with the rest of the team and provide ideas. It is totally up to the person to decide how to handle the situation and be creative. Maintain a polite demeanor, show real curiosity, and be open-minded about what one can learn (Gregory, 1983). In order to stimulate future engagement in the cultural life of local communities, Culture Days events are held to provide chances for the general public to participate in arts and cultural experiences that are not restricted by financial or other constraints. Culture Days activities are conducted on the first Saturday of the month. Many events are planned to honor National Culture Days throughout the year, which will take place all around the country.
Create a calendar with all of the forthcoming holidays.
If one lives in the United Kingdom, there is no law requiring one to observe British Bank Holidays to the letter just because one is a national citizen of the country. This is true even if one holds citizenship in the country (Schwarzenthal, Schachner, van de Vijver and Juang, 2018). Incorporate significant holiday festivities from various ethnic backgrounds into the company’s holiday program. Chinese New Year, Eid, and Hanukkah are just a few of the various festivities that are accessible, to mention a few examples. Let us take the example of a firm that observes key holidays in different parts of the world. As a result, even if the workers themselves do not celebrate such holidays, they will most likely be motivated to produce their very best job under such circumstances. Individuals who participate in cultural events grow to respect and be open-minded to people from a range of cultural backgrounds due to their participation in such activities. As a means of establishing connections and expanding our education, we must recognize and appreciate our differences and our similarities in interests and beliefs. It is critical to be aware of other people’s viewpoints, widen our own, and immerse ourselves in new experiences and educational opportunities.
References
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Cummings, J., 2004. Work Groups, Structural Diversity, and Knowledge Sharing in a Global Organization. Management Science, [online] 50(3), pp.352-364. Available at: https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/abs/10.1287/mnsc.1030.0134.
Del Giudice, M., Carayannis, E. and Peruta, M., 2011. The Management of Cultural Pluralism to Address the Challenges of the Emerging Markets: Entrepreneurial Experiences in China. Cross-Cultural Knowledge Management, [online] pp.79-91. Available at: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4614-2089-7_7.
Gregory, K., 1983. Native-View Paradigms: Multiple Cultures and Culture Conflicts in Organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly, [online] 28(3), p.359. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2392247.
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Miller, J., 1994. Cultural Diversity in the Morality of Caring: Individually Oriented Versus Duty-Based Interpersonal Moral Codes. Cross-Cultural Research, [online] 28(1), pp.3-39. Available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/106939719402800101.
Pakdil, F. and Leonard, K., 2016. Implementing and sustaining lean processes: the dilemma of societal culture effects. International Journal of Production Research, [online] 55(3), pp.700-717. Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00207543.2016.1200761.
Rios, H., 1998. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, [online] 20(2), pp.123-129. Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1005367613910.
Schwarzenthal, M., Schachner, M., van de Vijver, F. and Juang, L., 2018. Equal but different: Effects of equality/inclusion and cultural pluralism on intergroup outcomes in multiethnic classrooms. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, [online] 24(2), pp.260-271. Available at: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2017-38134-001.
Wegerif, R., Mercer, N. and Dawes, L., 1999. From social interaction to individual reasoning: an empirical investigation of a possible socio-cultural model of cognitive development. Learning and Instruction, [online] 9(6), pp.493-516. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959475299000134.
