Labor Unions Differences could Affect Company Operations - Essay Example

The human resource function is affected by diverse factors in different countries. In this respect, the issues faced by the labor unions in the Western world are completely different from those faced by the labor Unions in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. The major factor that accounts for these differences is the culture of the nation and the culture of a people. In this respect, for a manufacturing entity seeking to establish a workforce diversified from USA to UK, Japan and France, while placing them under one US management, is prone to experiencing these HR challenges. Thus, this discussion seeks to establish the main challenges that the labor unions may pose to the single management of the manufacturing entity, and how each of these challenges can be mitigated. Discussion The power distance is one of the cultural factors that would cause a major misunderstanding and misconception between the laborers from the different nations. Power distance refers to the disparity that exists between those holding the highest positions of authority in a country and those at the low positions of authority (WHATISHUMANRESOURCE-COM, n.p.). Power distance in a country like the USA and the UK is small, compared to the power difference in countries like Japan and France. This being the case, while it would be easier for the workers in nations such as the UK and the USA to interact openly with the managers and discuss issues affecting them, the works in nations such as Japan and France may not go to the management to discuss their matters. What this simply means is that; while it would be easier to resolve the labor issues in countries like the UK and USA through direct management involvement, it may be a bit of a challenge to address such issues in countries like France and Japan, which will most often result to labor union actions, as opposed to direct involvement with the management (Marinaş and Condruz-Băcescu, 872). The subordinates in countries like Japan and France always perceive the superiors in a different light and for that reason may not seek to engage with them directly. Therefore, the management might experience more labor union problems in countries like Japan and France, as opposed to the USA and the UK. In this respect, it would be more appropriate for the management to adapt a more autocratic management system in a country like Japan, while adapting a more open and participatory management style in countries like the USA, UK and France, to avoid the possible labor and labor union problems associated with the power distance factor. Individualism is another factor that affects HR functions in different countries, based on the culture of such countries. Individualism refers to the culture of preference of doing things individually and singly, as opposed to group participation (WHATISHUMANRESOURCE-COM, n.p.). The tendency of the people to either work together as a group or to work individually is a factor that the management must consider, owing to the fact that it affects the nature of the management that is most appropriate for the organization. For example, the culture of work in Asia-Japan is non-individualistic, where individuals will rarely work on their own in different projects, but rather have developed and prefer the culture of group cooperation. On the other hand, the culture of work in countries like the USA is different, where workers in such countries score highly in individualism working culture, as opposed to the group-oriented working culture (Marinaş and Condruz-Băcescu, 877). In this respect, it is certain that the management of the multinational manufacturing entity is likely to face more labor and labor union problems from countries like Japan, where the culture of group-oriented working is emphasized, as opposed to the USA, UK and France, where the working is more individualistic. This is because, it would be easier to mobilize the workers and rally them behind a certain labor union actions in a country like Japan where the working culture is already group-oriented, as opposed to mobilizing workers in countries like the USA and the UK, where workers are more individualistic in their opinions regarding different aspects of their work and the work environment. While individualistic working culture interprets the work and the conditions of work according to the individual worker’s terms, the group-oriented working culture applies the ‘devils advocacy’ approach, where the interest of one individual represents the interests of all (Bambe, 22). The devils advocacy approach can be more threatening to the management than the individualistic culture, owing to the fact that dealing with a group has always been difficult compared to dealing with individuals. Thus, structuring a group-oriented work environment in Japan, while structuring individualistic work environment in the USA, UK and France will enable the management of the multinational manufacturing entity avoid the challenges associated with this factor. The masculinity/femininity cultural dimension is yet another factor that has a bearing on the work environment and the work culture of different nations. The masculinity and femininity cultural dimension refers to the manner in which the masculine or the feminine traits are valued within a given country (WHATISHUMANRESOURCE-COM, n.p.). For example, in regions such as Asia, the masculinity characteristic is given more preference over the femininity characteristic. This simply means that a male will be perceived as more desirable in a position of authority in countries within Asia for example Japan, as opposed to a woman holding the same position of authority (Bambe, 21). Despite the fact that a woman may be qualified, experienced and even well able to expedite the different duties associated with a management position, she will always be viewed from a perspective of less capability compared to a situation where a man is holding the same position of authority in Japan. On the other hand, the masculinity and femininity cultural dimensions are not very projected in the western culture, such that a woman will be appreciated and equally respected while holding a position of authority just like if it was a man holding the same position. The masculinity/femininity cultural dimension is an important factor in defining the appropriateness of deploying women expatriates as managers in different countries (Marinaş and Condruz-Băcescu, 879). Therefore sending male expatriate managers to Japan, while positioning the female expatriate managers to UK, USA and France will help the manufacturing multinational avoid the potential labor and labor unions challenges associated wit this factor. Uncertainty avoidance is the last factor that affects the human resource function based on the differences in the cultures of the countries. Uncertainty avoidance refers to the nature of the structured or the unstructured work environment, with low uncertainty environment being structured with rigid rules, while the high uncertainty environment has less workplace rules and regulations, and a high individual autonomy (WHATISHUMANRESOURCE-COM, n.p.). Countries like Japan prefer a well structured workplace where rules and regulations are well defined. On the other hand, the western countries such as UK, USA and France prefer an unstructured workplace where individual autonomy is enhanced (Bambe, 27). Understanding the uncertainty avoidance culture of a country is important, since it helps in defining the nature of the workplace structure that needs to be established. Thus, to overcome the challenges associated with this factor, structuring the workplace in Japan under an elaborate structure while operating the workplaces in USA, UK and France under unstructured or less structured management systems will help the management overcome the labor and the labor union challenges. Works Cited Bambe, Lansbury, N. International and comparative employment relations. Globalization and the developed market economies,(4th ed.). London: Sage Publications, 2004. Print. European Countries: Great Britain and Germany.” Review of International Comparative Management 11, 5 (2010): 870-880. Print. Marinaş, Cristian and Condruz-Băcescu, Monica. “Comparative Analysis of Labor Relations in Different WHATISHUMANRESOURCE-COM. “Factors Affecting Global HR Management”. Web. March 13, 2015. 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