CULTURAL DIFFERENCES: ONLY FOR GLOBAL COMPANIES?

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Talking about cultural differences is almost vain words until you see the palpable consequences of failed communication . Communication is about getting through your interlocutor. Think Ebola.  

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In general we will agree that the Ebola virus disease (EVD) is not quite understood yet. In practice, there are trends that counteract common sense. Those can be cultural and/or more or less ideological. The major hurdle is getting needed - in this case vital - communication through, as well as timely talent acuisition. This was so unexpected: workers needed!. 



Transpose EVD and its impacts on society to a much different and less dramatic scale, and you are encountering global dynamics. Sustainability of multinationals relies a great deal on understanding cultural differences and navigating the cultural and legal, global landscape.

UNDERSTANDING ALL FACETS OF CULTURE


Understanding cultures is essential before implementing any program or conducting any HR project, whether you are a multinational company or not. Cultural differences do also exist within a local organization if the workforce is diverse in sizable proportions. It is beneficial to seek insights from leaders, both formal and informal, who know the company in order to get different perspectives. HR should not be a silo and need to make a practice of connecting to its workforce through one chanel or another. Corporate guidelines are useful, but intuition and personal touch will bring you (corporate HR or not) the necessary connection to make your HR initiatives succeed. Success in HR is not to be solely measured by the implementation of HR strategies, but by the positive outcomes from the translation of  strategies into programs.


Without seeking cultural understanding, we cannot win engagement. No organization can afford downplaying cultural differences and their contributions and impact in a global and diverse economy.

The Ebola issue is indeed "a wake-up call to HR" and businesses. More and more HR has to be approached in an integrated fashion: you concurrently need to communicate, understand, and address operational issues, such as in this case health   and safety concerns, along with business needs and goals.

En Synthèse


L' Ebola, cela n'arrive pas qu'aux autres! ....

 Le rôle des RH semble prendre une dimension nouvelle, incontournable. Dans un monde de business ou les frontières sont devenues illimitées, l'approche RH doit être globale et intégrée.


En Synthèse


L' Ebola, cela n'arrive pas qu'aux autres! Le manque de mains et de communication, en passant par la désinformation ou les mauvaises informations,  se fait sentir.

Le rôle des RH semble prendre une dimension nouvelle, incontournable. Dans un monde de business ou les frontières sont devenues illimitées, l'approche RH doit être globale et intégrée.

Globale dans le sens que l'on doit comprendre et s'engager avec des cultures différentes avec toutes les implications et conséquences qui s'ensuivent. Intégrée parce que la limitation des RH à la discipline interne ou la formation, ou encore recrutement, n'est plus suffisante. Les RH de demain, pour ne pas dire d'aujourd'hui, doivent faire face aux problèmes inhérentes à l’évolution globale des entreprises: santé, législation "locale" et outre-mer, cultures locales et culture d'entreprise, et ceci pour faire avancer l'organisation. Sans cette capacité de vision stratégique les RH ne feraient plus le poids.


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