Managing Cultural Diversity in the Hospitality Industry - Essay Example

The hospitality industry is the fastest growing industry and globalization has accelerated the process of growth. Due to higher disposable income andincreased longevity, this sector has experienced growth at a fast pace. This sector is thus a major employer but demographic changes have led to shortage of skilled people in the industry. As the governments in the contemporary world recognize the benefits of labour migration to the economy, the immigration policies have been relaxed (Baum, Dutton, Karimi, Kokkaranikal, Devine & Hearns, 2007). The hospitality sector being the highest recruiter, the managers face a challenge of managing the work force diversity as there is a higher level of labour mobility across nations. The managers need to recognize the benefits of a culturally diverse workforce which would help them to handle the challenges that such a workforce presents. Cultural diversity can create innovation and a wider perspective in problem solving. Since the customer base is diverse, a diverse workforce can easily be in tune with the customers. A culturally diverse workforce can enhance the public image of the company, give it a competitive edge and enhance productivity (Devine, Baum, Hearns, & Devine, 2007). While individual differences can foster creativity and innovation, these become the root cause of conflicts and harassment (Baum, 2007). People are not homogenous and the cultural differences cannot be ignored. The managers have to ensure that the needs of the individuals meet the requirements of the organization. The greatest problem that arises due to cultural differences is in communication. The managers need to be aware of the significance of communication which will help them to enhance the intercultural communication. Culture is a system of shared symbols and experiences and the lack of these shared symbols and experiences makes communication across cultures difficult (Celaya & Swift, 2006). An examination of the cultural traits would help the managers to understand behaviour across cultures and decide on the suitable actions to meet these challenges. A ‘fit’ between the national culture and managerial practices significantly impacts the outcome such as employee attitudes and work performance (Testa, 2004). National culture, according to Hofstede, has been defined as the values, beliefs and assumptions learned in early childhood that distinguishes one group of people from another. This influences how the employees from different nationalities perceive and relate to their work environment. This can influence the appraisal by the manager and a positive appraisal will fetch a positive outcome such as satisfaction, comfort and commitment. National culture can impact how the leaders interact with their subordinates and how the subordinates respond. Hofstede’s four dimensions of culture, particularly, power distance and uncertainty avoidance can influence the managers’ perception of behaviour. Managers that come from low power distance cultures are likely to be rated higher by their subordinates in regard to communication, delegation, approachability and team-building. Those with high uncertainty avoidance cultures can be rated as having level of control and communication is affected. The managers need to be aware that cultural diversity can affect the worker’s sense of identity and how they perceive each other (Seymens, 2006). Differences in management style, behavioural characteristics and communication styles can be traced back to cultural effects. Multi-cultural employees in the hospitality sector help to serve the culturally diverse customer groups. Hence it is important that managers understand the need to develop their skills to understand clients’ needs. Being aware of cultural diversity can assist the manager in settling the organizational flexibility and enriching the potential of human resource. This could result in job satisfaction among the diverse workforce and bring out creativity and innovation. Challenges in the hospitality sector include effective communication and avoiding discrimination issues. The workplace and personal needs of the workers from different countries can differ (Baum, Dutton, Karimi, Kokkaranikal, Devine & Hearns, 2007). Managers have to ensure that there is no discrimination, harassment and abuse of the migrant workers. Employers may not provide career progression to international workers. Discrimination avoidance may require training the national workers on why migrant labour is necessary. This could lower the resistance of the national workers in accepting the migrant workers amidst them. The managers should, hence, organize social events involving the migrant workers and the wider community which would help the international workers to settle down faster. Unless they are comfortable in their environment they would not be able to be involved in their work. Effective communication is the greatest challenge in the hospitality sector as both verbal and non-verbal communication can hinder working relationships and productivity (Devine, Baum, Hearns, & Devine, 2007). Most often the two groups have a preconceived idea of each other and base their judgments on such notions. This leads to conflicts. People from different cultures have a different understanding of the interactions of each other and of the different styles of dialogue. The local managers need to understand this concept so that they monitor their own perceptions. At times, when employees come from formal backgrounds or from high power distance nations, speaking up is considered rude. A French waiter in the UK was disciplined for providing ‘slow’ service which was normal in his own country and the managers needs to be aware of such differences in culture. Communication can be enhanced in different ways such as inclusive language, ethical issues, communication behaviour, effective communication processes, cross cultural training and language courses. The managers should also initiate listening and feedback mechanism, and institute a rewards and recognition program (Baum, 2007). The communication dilemma can be overcome through the use of language courses. However, conducting communication classes by distributing manuals is insufficient to involve the employees (Muwara, Sutton & Roberts, 1998). The staff has to be involved to ensure transformation at the workplace. Cross-cultural training may have to extend beyond the language orientation as was done at a Toronto Hotel with four different ethnic groups (Christensen-Hughes, 1992). Apart from training in ESL, the hotel employed translators to assist them in conducting interviews. The recruiters may encounter communication problems even during the interviews apart from problems during training and development or even during performance appraisal of the international workers. The workers were given written translations of their job expectations, the employee handbook and training manuals. Cross cultural management would require intense training. This can help overcome the challenges of discrimination and communication in a cross-cultural setting. This training would be required both for the national workers as well as the international workers. The national workers need to understand the importance of a diverse workforce. They also need to be educated on the cultural dimensions of those from different cultures as it would enable them to understand their counterparts better (Failte Ireland, n.d.). The international workers may require training in English language to cope with the international clients. They would also require cultural awareness training for better integration with the local workforce. In multi-cultural workforce, conflicts arise to feelings of superiority, ignorance, fear, threat of job loss and these result in abuse or harassment. Induction training for the migrant workers would help them to settle down faster in the alien environment. The international workers have had no prior exposure to conferencing and reception, and they do not come in direct contact with the customers (Baum et al, 2007). This is uncertainty avoidance as they feel threatened by the uncertain situations. They are usually confined to back office work or kitchen and housekeeping. This resistance can be overcome through cross-cultural education of the workforce. Educating the local staff would help them to integrate better with the multi-cultural workforce. It would serve to breakdown the employee ignorance and create a culturally rich environment. This however, would be successful if both sides accept the differences in culture (Hearns, Devine & Baum, 2007). Both groups of workers have to be conscious of the differences in their attitudes, behavioural patterns, characteristics and values that can exist in the groups and sub-groups. Thus, while a culturally diverse workforce can bring in creativity and innovation, can help ease the problem of handling a culturally diverse customer base, this brings with certain challenges of which the managers need to be aware of. The challenges can include communication barriers and discrimination issues. The differences in their cultures can cause resistance to acceptance between the national and the international workers. Symbols and experiences differ and this can lead to difference in perception of their own identity and behaviour of others. Hofstede’s four dimensions of culture help to understand the differences and the problems that can arise when people of two groups come from culturally diverse backgrounds. The managers would need to incorporate training in not just the language but in understanding each other’s non-verbal communication as well. The managers may need to equip themselves with facilitators such as translators even during the interview and the orientation stage. The local workers need to be educated on the importance of the migrant workers which would enhance their acceptance level. Once the two groups understand each other’s behavior patterns and the differences in culture, the motivation and consequently the productivity is enhanced. References Baum, T 2007, Cultural Awareness in the Curriculum, retrieved online 02 December 2009, from http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/hlst/documents/projects/round_8/r8_baum_report.pdf Baum, T Dutton, E Karimi, S Kokkaranikal, J Devine, F & Hearns, N 2007, Cultural diversity in hospitality work, Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal. vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 229-239 Celaya, L & Swift, JS 2006, Pre-departure cultural training: US managers in Mexico, Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 230-243 Christensen-Hughes, J 1992, Cultural diversity: the lesson of Torontos hotels, Cornell Hotel & Restaurant Administration Quarterly, vol. 73, pp. 78-87 Devine, F Baum, T Hearns, N & Devine, A 2007, Managing cultural diversity: opportunities and challenges for Northern Ireland hoteliers, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 120-132 Failte Ireland, n.d., Cultural diversity - strategy and implementation plan, retrieved online 02 December 2009 from http://www.failteireland.ie/getdoc/59b0be70-1c68-40ed-baed-30750f035e64/Cultural-Diversity-Strategy.aspx Hearns, N Devine, F & Baum T 2007, The implications of contemporary cultural diversity for the hospitality curriculum, Education + Training, vol. 49, no. 5, pp. 350-363 Mwaura, G Sutton, J & Roberts, D 1998, Corporate and national culture – an irreconcilable dilemma for the hospitality manager? International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 10, no. 6, pp. 212–220 Seymens, OA 2006, The cultural diversity phenomenon in organisations and different approaches for effective cultural diversity management: a literary review, Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 296-315. Testa, MR 2004, Cultural similarity and service leadership: a look at the cruise industry, Managing Service Quality, vol. 14, no. 5, pp. 402-413. Read More