Cultural Diversity in International Hospitality Management Essay

Diversity in cordial reception laborOne of the biggest impacts of globalization for those managing companies and organization is dealing with a more(prenominal) cultur entirelyy divers(a) pool of employees (Lim and Noriega, 2007). Lim and Noriega (2007) further argue that in a world where over 50% of worlds atomic number 18 own and manoeuvreled by TNCs and MNCs they argon bound to deal with workforces from diametric heathen backgrounds ascrib able to their cross boundary operations, their attempt to seduce talent from various part of globe, and at times governments pressure for greater diversity at study (Stanley, 2008). Stanley (2008) n superstar that, the same rule of thumb applies to the cordial reception industry, which has seen a passel in workforce diversity. Lim and Noriega (2007) advocate that rapid growth in the hospitality industry in areas such as East and Southeast Asia (e.g. mainland mainland mainland China) have got presented the hospitality MNCs such a s Hilton and Sheraton with the much unavoidablenessed space to grow.Stanleys (2008) study of international hotel mountain ranges in Asia continent reveals that Hilton is planning to supplement an other 300 split upes to its existing 50 branches in the region. According to a report by Xinhua (2008) some international hospitality organizations showed readiness to rap into the Chinese market in the face of the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Such battleful battle for market share in this flourishing region has already made its mark on the labour market where on that point is a tight rival among these companies to attract the talented employees (Doherty et al, 2007). Doherty et al, (2007) argue that the real competition in the labour market is to absorb the kind of directors that are able to deal with employees from a different ethnic background.Thus, the weighty task for these MNCs is to attract the type of attention talent (often expatriates) who are able to deal with multi heathe n work environments while these managers receive the right king of support from the soul office to overcome the type of problems these environments pose due to cultural differences (Zhang, 2010). The change magnitude importance of dealing with cultural differences, especially in instruction direct has resulted in creation of a vast body of literature on this subject. One of the earliestworks on this subject were presented by Hofstede (1980) who introduced a imageual framework that is based on 5 dimensions of causality maintain, laissez faire vs. collectivism, masculinity vs. femininity, hesitation avoidance, and long end point vs. short term taste (Hostede, 1980).Other theories of civilization are real by scholars such as Klutchhohn and Strodtbeck (1961) who introduced the cultural orientation framework and Hall (1971) who develop the cultural mounts plan. In the this paper the main betoken of the author is to compare and contrast these triad cultural concepts on th e basis of their advantages, disadvantages and suitability to the centering of Chinese employees in the background of hospitality industry. However, firstly this author is going to fork out a brief introduction on purification and its various definitions as advantageously as debating why it is important to visit enculturation and cultural differences. What is culture?Culture has been studied and analysed from various different place, which tend to provide varying, tho yet at times similar definitions of this term. For instance, Keesing (1974) defines culture as systems (of lovingly transmitted behaviour patterns) that serve to relate human communities to their ecological settings. These ways of biography of communities include technologies and modes of economic organization, settlement patterns, modes of social classing and policy-making organization, religious beliefs and practices, and so on (pp. 5). Binford (1968) provides the following definitionCulture is all thos e subject matter whose forms are not under direct genetic control . . . which serve to adjust psyches and gatherings within their ecological communities (p. 323). Based on these recitation culture cease be defined as a group of behaviours and beliefs associated to a certain group that may reside in a certain geographical location. However, what make culture and cultural studies important is the perceived differences among between cultures and the implication of these differences for the world commerce. Solomon and Schell (2009) argue that today its not uncommon to manage business functions in other countries with direct account relationships to functional teams in numerous countries its also not odd to interact with colleagues at place who have a variety ofbackgrounds and diverse personal personal manners, all of which respond to different management techniques (pp. 111).Morris (2011) also notes that ca utilize cultural differences is an important aspect of managing diver se pools of employees and asserts that a (manager) who interprets employees from different cultural groups without cognizance of cultural norms understructure miss or misread important signals in their communication. Thus, so far it is established that cultural awareness is an organic and important part of management the following sections will aim to review the previously mentioned cultural theories in the mount of hospitality management of external or expatriate managers in China. Hofstedes five dimensionsHofstedes (1980) five dimensions was produced on the back of many interviews and observations, and as evident from the patronage it is based on five dimensions (mentioned earlier) and assumes that cultures vary from one another on the basis of these five aspects. In trying to relate the five dimensions concept to the hospitality industry there are difficulties and confusions as the concept was developed on the back of interviews of employees who mainly worked in a similar i ndustry (Newman, 1996). However, in trying to relate this concept to management of the Chinese hospitality companies managers can hugely benefit from the five dimensions whether it is about information how to run away and manage, be active, resolve problems and etc. (Rogers, Hart and Miike, 2002). As it can be seen from the put over below, countries do vary in the way they act to inequalities in distribution of power. As a result, the construct of the organizations vary depending on this very incident (Miroshnik, 2001).Based on this observation, one of the major problems that a hospitality manager would face in China is getting the manager subordinate distance right. In other scripts, while in Western organizations and companies the management style is rather flat and two way communication is encouraged, in China the hierarchical management style is very dominant and the communications carry are normally top-down (Tuttle et al, 2009). Therefore, a manager who is used to a m ore democratic style of management is now faced with the worldly concern of a wok place that does not support or consider this management model. One way of course would be to attempt tochange the culture and introduce a new management style into a multi-national hotel chains (e.g. Hilton) operations in China however, as it can be seen from the past experiences cultural shifts are not as easy and unstable as one may like them to be (Choi et al, 2004).Thus, the easier and more impelling approach in the short to medium term is to understand and hide the local culture. For instance, a orthogonal or expatriate manager who is managing a multinational hospitality firm in China needs to understand the fact that China is a masculine and incorporated familiarity where uncertainty is largely avoided and people have a very long term orientation in life and work and historically advocated great power distance (Li, 2008).A glance at the table above shows that in a society like China low i ndividualism that is infixed in the culture implies that individuals are more concerned about the agreement at work, for which they are willing to suppress their emotions, and the achievement of the group and respecting the traditions is an integral part of their work ethics. The most important aspect of this dimension ought to be that part of Chinese culture that emphasizes on working for the intrinsic reinforcement.Although this trait is slowly diminishing in China as a result of globalization and emergence of a global culture (Tuttle et al, 2009) the old generation still upholds these values. Thus, managers should be mindful of this mind-set when it comes to devising strategies to motivate the employees. An interesting aspect of Hostedes (1980) five dimensions is the masculinity vs. femininity issues. A deficiency of reasonableness of this factor can cause problems for managers and discontent among employees.Jacob (2005) postulates that in masculine societies tasks are deve loped and assigned base on their nature. In other words, tasks are either masculine or feminine and managers need to have a good appreciation of this fact before savoury in developing tasks and responsibilities. From a personal perspective this author can confirm that in China still there is a great course of emphasis on masculinity and femininity and assigning a feminine task to a man can be considered offensive. This is especially dead on target in case of hospitality industry where tasks such as keep are considered to be predominantly feminine tasks. pagan orientationThis concept was developed by Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck (1961) and was one of the first comparative cultural studies to touch sensation at cultures from a multi-dimensional perspective (Hills, 2002). This concept has been recognised and acknowledged for its psychological study of human values (Russo, 2000 and Hofstede, 2001) and its approach to value as an blanket(prenominal) attribute that goes beyond the posi tive and negative of the attitudinal studies (Hills, 2002). Authors such as Segal et al, (1999) and metalworker and Bond (1998) argue that this concept is not relevant to management as the authors did not specify the implication of this study for business management. Nonetheless, this author finds dimensions two (persons relationship to others people) and Six (the conception of space) relevant to management and to hospitality industry.These two dimensions are highly similar with that of Hofstedes individualism vs. collectivism. Therefore, an understanding of this dimension would equip managers to deal with the predicaments that may arise from dealing with those who execute under different value systems. For instance, in this case understanding that individual relationship with others in the organization is based on hierarchy and collective effort can be hugely advantageous. This is especially useful in task development where managers would focus more on cooperative (collective) a s remote to competitive (individual) tasks.Halls high vs. low context cultureThis concept refers to the degree of formality that is applied in communications between members of society (Guffey, 2009). According to Solomon (2011) in high context societies a great deal of communication is non-verbal and the culture itself explains the situation as opposed to words. As such, in a high context society the selection of words one utters are very important and metaphorical statements are frequently used. Furthermore, in a high context society there is huge emphasis on distinguishing the insider from outsider for instance, in China the word Guanxi particularisedally refers to this issue (Xin and Pearce, 1996). Grainger (2002) argues that in a high context society such as China, ones understanding and respect of the superiors puzzle is the key to developing good relationships and creating opportunities.The sameprinciple applies to foreign or expatriate managers who are running hospitality or any other type of businesses in China. In an article titled Gifts, Favours and Banquets the art of social relationships in China Yang (1994) reveals the secrets of developing meaningful and successful business relationships in Middle Kingdom and provides invaluable advice on how to engage in with officials and businessmen in a way accepted and understood in Chinese culture. Grainger (2002) provides a case study of the Roaring Dragon Hotel in sou-west China and reveals how after the merger of the hotel with a European hospitality group some of the employees who were finding it difficult to work with the Western Manager use their Guanxi with the a Chinese senior manager to be transferred to a branch run by a local.Grainger (2002) further adds that many foreign managers in hospitality industry fail to secure good deals as they lack the expertise and right links to do so. There is no self-renunciation about the fact that in China favours are performed frequently, but alone at the right price and to the right persons. The very concept of Guanxi is a euphemism for favouritism and subtle bribery (Yang, 1994). However, to a foreign manager the dilemma is how to go about asking for favours without exposing themselves or those who are able to provide the right opportunities (Park and Luo, 2001). Such situations perfectly highlight the importance of understanding different culture (Chinese in this instance) and finding ways of accommodating for the needs and requirements of that specific culture.In an article published in New York Times (2009) Selignon argues that many foreign managers do not understand the importance of building Guanxi not only with local authorities and business owners, but also with the employees. She goes on explaining that majority of Western managers follow the same practices that they would do back home and fail to understand the importance of building relationships with their subordinates. In Chinese context employee and manager relationshi p goes beyond the office hours and interactions expand to house visits, dinner party gatherings and etc. (Yang, 1994). Therefore, to most hospitality managers deployed in China success or failure is a matter of understanding or failing to understand these differences.Understanding customers from their cultural perspectiveKandampully et al, (2001) postulate that hospitality managers in China arepredominantly dealing and catering for the Chinese customer, although the number of foreign customers in China is on the rise, which only adds to the diversity of the cultural differences that should be understood and accommodated. This point is confirmed by Reisinger and Turner (1997) who assert that greater cross-cultural awareness, understanding, and acceptance of cultural differences is needed by tourism practitioners (pp. 1). However, in a strictly Chinese context it is upon the foreign manager to lucre insight into the needs and wants of the Chinese customers in order to meet or exceed their expectations.Park and Luo (2001) argue that to a foreign manager of a hospitality firm the main point of contact with the cultural requirements of the customers are the local employees. Thus, in order to understand the market and its requirements managers must be able to get finished the first hurdle which is to get through the management issues they will face with their employees. Reisinger and Turner (1997) assert that managers of services firms deployed to foreign countries have to deal with the perpetual dilemma of learning, understanding and adapting to what can outgo be described as untested waters their failure or success solely depends on their ability to overcome the cultural one by one through continuous learning and adaptation. final resultCultures as value systems that permeate human beings lives and determine how they behave, act and react are increasingly gaining in importance and over the past fewer decades a large body of literature has been developed to aid the mercantile world in dealing with the ordeals of dealing with cultural differences and difficulties that arise from these cultural incongruities. This paper tried to highlight how an understanding of cultural differences can hornswoggle a crucial role in helping foreign hospitality managers deployed in China to make a successful cultural enactment across cultures. In the course of this paper it was discussed that culture as self-generated manuals of behavioural patterns play a significant role in how many interactions develop and flourish into meaningful relationships. Moreover, it was highlighted, through provision of real life examples, how a lack of understanding of cultural differences can limit or block the success of foreign managers in China.As a means of substantiating this argument thispaper looked at three different concepts (i.e. Hofstedes five dimentions, Klutchohn and Strodtbecks cultural orientation and Halls cultural context) each one of which was studied and analysed in terms of its relevance to the context of management (hospitality specifically). In conclusion, this paper reveals that while the two concepts of Five Dimensions (Hofstede) and Cultural Context (Hall) carry greater fit and are more applicable to management issues than cultural orientation concept (Klutchohn and Strodtbeck). Nonetheless, overall impact of such concepts and cultural intelligence on facilitating successful cultural transition for managers cannot be over emphasized.As it was noted in this study in-depth cultural learning and transition not only allows managers to be more effective in managing their human resources, it will also allow them to negotiate access to break out opportunities for greater development and profitability. Therefore, understanding cultures and finding ways of bridging the cultural fissure is an essential when it comes to managing across cultures. In this way a manager would be able to improve his/her efficiency through understanding the host culture as well as reducing the risk of misunderstandings and possible disagreements that can otherwise be avoided.ReferencesGrainger, S., (2002) Guanxi Neglect at the Roaring Dragon in South-west China The Demise of an worldwide Management Contract, minutes of the 15th Annual Conference of the Association for Chinese Economics Studies Australia (ACESA) Guffey, bloody shame Ellen (2009). Essentials of occupancy intercourse. South-Western/ Cengage Learning Hills, M. D. (2002). Kluckhohn and Strodtbecks Values Orientation Theory. Online Readings in psychology and Culture, Unit 4. Retrieved from http//scholarworks.gvsu.edu/orpc/vol4/iss4/3 1/11/2012 Hofstede, G. (1980). Cultures Consequences International differences in work related values. Beverly Hill, CA, Sage. Kluckhohn, F. R. & Strodtbeck, F. L. (1961). Variations in value orientations. Evanston, IL Row, Peterson.Luo, Y. 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