With globalization, many multinational corporations (NC) establish the branch or subsidiary companies in other countries for the reasons of labor cost, sources, technology or market requirement, the daily work of the multinational corporation is divided Into different tasks that are assigned to and carried out by globally distributed organizational units and groups. Macs are characterized by geographical, cultural, and linguistic fragmentation, previous research and corporate practice shows that effect from these internal boundaries can not be ignored Kowtows and Roth, 2003).
As one part of the NC, The Indian call center Is wholly a product of globalization and developments In communication technology, And It Is a good example to demonstrate those demands, challenges and contradictions when managing across culture. Firstly, challenges are often associated with Conflicts, this paper would analysis the challenges from using one common business language in linguistic differences background and building strategic culture and value system after considering about the The host country culture.
But in fact, many multinational firms set subsidiaries in Africa, Asia or other countries where the local people do not use English in. For example, India has 17 major languages with around 22,000 dialects, Just over half the Indian in call center workforce is bilingual tit Hindi the first language, and most of the Indian employees who use English have a serious accent problem. In addition, there is another challenge about how to transfer the corporation’s core values and culture from the headquarter across different culture hinders and build a NC strategy culture.
A strong and clear corporate values and culture system is necessary, it supports adaptation and develops organization’s employee performance by motivating employees toward a shared goal and objective; and finally shaping and channeling multimillionaire’s to that specific direction should be at the top of operational and functional strategies. A clear organizational value system can reduce uncertainty, role ambiguity, and conflict, allow for the accurate prediction of other’s behavior, and make successful interpersonal interactions more likely (Meaning et al. 1989). Academics and practitioners argue that the performance of an organization is dependent on the degree to which the values of the culture are widely shared. During this film the working principle and organizational culture has been highlight in the call center which act as one service part of the multinational company, Call enters are all about punctuality and deadline, but Indian time is often stretchable in their lifestyle.
Indian also lacks Awareness of service and any tradition of customer service, but The employees in this industry are required to provide high quality service to customers through the use of voice-based emotional labor, and focus on speed and efficiency in each of these interactions, they need care customers and have to solve their problems (Poster, 2007). There are many steps needs to be take to meet the challenges when managing across culture, one essential demand is selecting employees and training them effectively.
To prevent clash with local mores, the most expeditious approach in organization must be attractive to those graduates who will prove “loyal” and “functional. ” A NC looks for locals who have the ability to fit company culture after intensive orientation. Once they have assimilated company ways, these indigenous employees can bridge the gap between corporate culture and country culture, this has to be consensus on a hire.
If Conflicted employees stay with the organization, their contribution may be limited; they may also spread attitudes, opinions and behaviors that are unhelpful to the organization. In the film, NC eliminated some Applicants with extreme anti-American sentiment (Begley and Boyd, 2003). Although numerous employers consider that training is nothing more than a waste of financial resources and believe that there are enough experienced employees available on the labor market that do not require further training at work ( Kanji and Bankable, 2007 ).
The benefits of employee training have already been widely recorded in the literature (Invaded, 2007). In India, organizational training is exceptionally viewed as a social advantage to the point that employees find it challenging to even insider transferring any new acquired skills in training to their working environments These can be seem from the Indian Northeast training institution ( Hydrotherapy and Stewart, 2003 ). Training can not only perpetuate corporate culture but also protect its interface with national culture.
Specifically, it can facilitate domestic employees’ sensitivity to other cultures and make employees be familiar with their customers worldwide. Systematic training effort could also be useful for local employees in relationship building and help them better understand and appreciate why their expatriate superiors behaved and made decisions the way they did, and thereby help improve work interactions through reduction of waste and inefficiencies incident to miscommunication and misunderstanding (Manatee and Nelson, 2004).
Prior studies about training among multinational companies tend to focus on training and development of expatriates and international management teams especially on cross cultural and language training. It is also critical to focused on the training and development of host country nationals who working at the subsidiaries of Macs (Connie et al. 2007). Taking the Indian call center as an example, One indispensable part within training is language learning.
Post-recruitment raining involves 4-8 weeks of in-house voice or accent training including exposure to Hollywood movies, US, UK or Australian national publicity films depending on customer base. Because customer interactions rely on language skills including quite specific voice intonations or accents, they also require more complex processes embedded within the cultural and social norms including a comprehension of culturally specific colloquialisms and expressions.
But the company should realize the cultural synergy and naturalization. It is not practical to try and get staffs to speak in an accent which is not match, they accent which neutralizing with first language. Besides, employees need to build a Multicultural consciousness and deepen the understanding of other countries. The content of the training including Idioms, courtesy title, meanings about gestures and places of interest et al. Furthermore leadership and management capability with The effectiveness and flexibility seems needed.
Leaders been put on an important position, because most NC subsidiaries are begun with a expatriate leader and a team of expatriates, followed by progressive incorporation of local employees, who are acculturated through extensive colonization processes by which they learn the behaviors, values, beliefs and social knowledge needed to perform their new roles, corporate business leaders will have more influence on the attitudes and beliefs of employees (Van et al. , 2004).
To meet these challenges, managers or coaches must be trained and educated to build a deep understanding about culture diversity when hold their Meany’s core value, and develop flexibility, understanding, and acceptance strategies when working in foreign locations or multinational organizations. In the meanwhile. They need excellent implementing competence about visioning, inspiring, stimulating, coaching and team building under the strong awareness of cultural diversity.
Of course, Effective employment and training also call for a strong human resources managerial competency. To conclusion, the development of the multinational company is faced with many challenges and contradictions, the influence of culture on it are complicated and aired. Tradition, language, value and other differences needs to be discussed in depth and detail. Of course, in view of the different host countries and industries, the emphasis may be different.
Both firms and employees need to further the multicultural consciousness. Under the premise of respecting and not offending the The host country culture,let is vital to use different methods such as training and the strong leadership to implement the strategic culture and value system, to Harmonic organizational relationships and enhance competitiveness in the world.
