HRM practices/policies to mitigate employees concerns in the inter-cultural cooperation :: AN Empirical and literature study

IRAWATI, Rita, Djamaludin Ancok, Prof.Dr.MA

2005 | Tesis | Magister Manajemen

Culture difference in the workplace has been identified to cause many difficulties in the inter-cultural cooperation, including conflict, misunderstanding, and poor performance. However, culture difference/diversity in the workplace might also benefit the international organization by implementing diversity practices (managing diversity) in the area of Human Resource Management. Thus, it makes sense to expect that HRM practices can be a useful tool to help employees in reducing or mitigating their concerns due to cross-cultural working. In the present thesis, Hofstede’s five dimensions of national culture (power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism-collectivism, masculinity -femininity, and long-versus short-term orientation) are used to explain the potential problems in the cross-cultural interactions. The role of national culture in organizational functioning and its influence on management nowadays has been acknowledged. The knowledge that all people are culturally conditioned provides an awareness that if employee needs are found to differ from one nation to the next, then managem ent practices should also differ along with them. Thus, multinational companies are faced with issues such as how to adapt their HRM practices to the local environment in which the subsidiary is operating. Multinational companies and international organizations in Indonesia should consider local customs and conform to local practices, with regard to cultural differences among the Indonesian people themselves, and between the Indonesian and the expatriates.

Kata Kunci : Manajemen SUmberdaya Manusia,Kebijakan,Perbedaan Kultur, culture difference, managing diversity, HRM policies/practices, Hofstede