Benchmark-Assessment and Influence of Culture
Scholar-practitioners, as leaders, must unite different groups of people to be successful. They
must support the vision, mission, and goals of the organization, and they must understand the
needs of different groups to meet those needs and improve motivation. Leaders must also
understand the social and organizational cultures of the organization to identify and address any
cultural gaps that could influence the change process. In this assignment, you will address the
assessment and influence of culture as it relates to the development of a diverse global group of
employees.
General Requirements:
Use the following information to ensure successful completion of the assignment:
- Review the article by Cater, Lang, and Szabo (2013).
- You are required to use APA style for this writing assignment.
- This assignment requires a minimum of 10 scholarly research sources (please select at
least 10 sources from the following list) related to this topic, and at least one in-text
citation from each source referenced to be included.
- Include an abstract, introduction, and conclusion section in your paper.
Directions:
Write a paper of 1,000 – 1,250 words that addresses the assessment and influence of culture as it
relates to the development of a diverse global group of employees. Include the following in your
paper:
- A research-supported discussion of available cultural assessment tools. How might
these tools be applied to assess the organizational culture and identify cultural gaps
within the group? (Benchmarks C3.5: Select and apply tools to assess organizational
cultures.).
- A research-supported discussion of how the social culture of this group will likely
influence workplace outcomes and group productivity.
- A research-supported discussion of how the social culture and diversity of the
individuals on the team will influence the greater organizational culture. (Benchmarks
C3.1: Recognize the influence of social culture and diversity on organizational
culture.).Available Scholarly Research Sources
(please use at minimum 10 sources from this listing)
Andreson, M., & Bergdolt, F. (2017). A systematic literature review on the definitions of global
mindset and cultural intelligence — Merging two different research streams. The
International Journal of Human Resource Management, 28(1), 170-195.
doi:10.1080/09585192.2016.1243568
Butler, L., Chen, A. M. H., Borja-Hart, N., Arif, S., Armbruster, A. L., Petry, N., & Riley, A. C.
(2020). Assessment of a multi-institution integration of cultural competency activities.
Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning. doi:10.1016/j.cptl.2020.01.007
Čater, T., Lang, R., & Szabo, E. (2013). Values and leadership expectations of future managers:
Theoretical basis and methodological approach of the GLOBE Student project. Journal of
East European Management Studies, 18(4), 442–462. doi:10.5771/0949-6181-2013-4-
442
Di Stefano, G., Scrima, F., & Parry, E. (2019). The effect of organizational culture on deviant
behaviors in the workplace. The International Journal of Human Resource Management,
30(17), 2482–2503. doi:10.1080/09585192.2017.1326393
Duchek, S., Raetze, S., & Scheuch, I. (2019). The role of diversity in organizational resilience: A
theoretical framework. Business Research, 1-37. doi:10.1007/s40685-019-0084-8
Feldman, S. S., Buchalter, S., Zink, D., Slovensky, D. J., & Hayes, L. W. (2019). Training
leaders for a culture of quality and safety. Leadership in Health Services, 32(2), 251–263.
doi:10.1108/lhs-09-2018-0041
Grunberg, N. E., Barry, E. S., Callahan, C. W., Kleber, H. G., McManigle, J. E., & Schoomaker,
- B. (2018). A conceptual framework for leader and leadership education and development. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 22(5), 644–650.
doi:10.1080/13603124.2018.1492026
Jeong, Y., Kim, E., Kim, M., & Zhang, J. J. (2019). Exploring relationships among
organizational culture, empowerment, and organizational citizenship behavior in the
South Korean professional sport industry. Sustainability, 11(19), 5412.
doi:10.3390/su11195412
Kossek, E. E., Huang, J. L., Piszczek, M. M., Fleenor, J. W., & Ruderman, M. (2015). Rating
expatriate leader effectiveness in multisource feedback systems: Cultural distance and
hierarchical effects. Human Resource Management, 56(1), 151–172.
doi:10.1002/hrm.21763
Matsumoto, D., & Hwang, H. C. (2013). Assessing cross-cultural competence. Journal of Cross
Cultural Psychology, 44(6), 849–873. doi:10.1177/0022022113492891
Mazibuko, J. V., & Govender, K. K. (2017). Exploring workplace diversity and organisational
effectiveness: A South African exploratory case study. SA Journal of Human Resource
Management, 1(2). doi:10.4102/sajhrm.v15i0.865
Ozgen, C., Nijkamp, P., & Poot, J. (2017). The elusive effects of workplace diversity on
innovation. Papers in Regional Science, 96(Supplement), 29-49. doi:10.1111/pirs.12176
Tarba, S. Y., Ahammad, M. F., Junni, P., Stokes, P., & Morag, O. (2017). The impact of
organizational culture differences, synergy potential, and autonomy granted to the
acquired high-tech firms on the M&A performance. Group & Organization Management,
44(3), 483–520. doi:10.1177/1059601117703267
Tasheva, S., & Hillman, A. J. (2019). Integrating diversity at different levels: Multilevel human
capital, social capital, and demographic diversity and their implications for team effectiveness. Academy of Management Review, 44(4), 746–765.
doi:10.5465/amr.2015.0396
Wu, B., Shumilina, K., Khan, I. U., Abdullah, A. A. A., … Khan, K. N. (2019). Integral goal and
cross-cultural team synergy as determinants of international business. OAJRC Social
Science, 1(2). doi:10.26855/oajrcss.2019.02.001
Influence of Culture
Abstract
Leadership is an important factor in determining organizational success because leaders influence the behavior of their subordinates and guide them towards accomplishing the organizational goals. In the current era of globalization, it is common to have a diverse workforce in an organization, with employees coming from different parts of the world. Thus, for an organization to be successful, leaders must manage global diversity effectively. The current paper examines various cultural evaluation tools employed in assessing the individuals’ perspectives on working with individuals from other cultural backgrounds. Some of the culture assessment tools discussed include Clinical Cultural Competency Questionnaire (CCCQ), Cross-Cultural Sensitivity Scale (CCSS), Behavioral Assessment Scale for Intercultural Communication (BASIC), and Intercultural Adjustment Potential Scale (ICAPS). Examination of these tools reveals that they are important in helping a leader to establish a team of competent employees who embrace workplace diversity.
Keywords: Leadership, Subordinates, Diversity, Organizational Performance, Culture Assessment Tool, Organizational Culture.
Influence of Culture
Introduction
Following the industrial revolution, the world economy started to develop at an incredible pace, and this development resulted in a challenge of how to efficiently organize institutions (Andreson & Bergdolt, 2017). Consequently, leadership has been considered an important aspect of an organization, where leaders have a duty to guide their followers towards the achievement of set goals and objectives. Individuals have different leadership styles that determine the behavior of their subordinates. The manner in which people behave in an organization defines the culture of that organization. Organizational culture, as defined by GLOBE, is a system of values, beliefs, and traditions formed throughout the history of an organization (Čater, Lang & Szabo, 2013). In the modern world, organizational culture has become a complex phenomenon, with most companies having a diverse workforce, often referred to as the global team (Grunberg et al., 2018; Jeong et al., 2019). It is common to find employees from different countries with different languages, beliefs, customs, and religions working in the same institution. Thus, if managers stick with traditional or conservative leadership styles, it may become difficult to manage a diverse workforce.
Tools Applied to Assess the Organizational Culture
Clinical Cultural Competency Questionnaire (CCCQ)
To manage a global team of employees effectively, leaders require applying different cultural assessment tools (Butler et al., 2020). One of the frequently used assessment tools is referred to as CCCQ, which examines physicians’ attitudes, skills, comfort levels, and knowledge associated with the delivery of culturally competent care to patients of diverse populations. The entire process involves self-assessment using six domains, including skills, comfort with situations/encounters, knowledge, attitudes, demographics, and education and training (Butler et al., 2020; Feldman et al., 2019). This assessment improves employees’ perceptions of their cultural competency skills, knowledge, and capacity to handle situations and encounters.
Cross-Cultural Sensitivity Scale (CCSS)
Another cultural assessment tool is CCSS, which involves measuring the intercultural sensitivity level of an individual and their ability to distinguish and survive in a group of people of diverse cultures (Matsumoto & Hwang, 2013). The tool measures an individual’s attitudes towards people with a different culture than theirs and their racial values and attitudes. The result of the assessment gives the assessor a clear picture of how a particular individual perceives other cultures and whether they can work in a culturally diverse team.
Behavioral Assessment Scale for Intercultural Communication (BASIC)
The BASIC tool was developed to assess communication behaviors during cross-cultural interactions (Matsumoto & Hwang, 2013). BASIC uses seven dimensions, including the display of respect, which is the ability to show positive regard for another person. Interaction posture is the second dimension, which defines the ability of a person to respond to other people in a vivid, non-judgmental, and non-evaluating manner. The third dimension is the orientation to knowledge, which refers to the terms used by an individual to express themselves to others. The fourth dimension is empathy, which is the ability to put oneself in another’s shoes (Matsumoto & Hwang, 2013). The fifth dimension is the role behavior, which entails the initiation of ideas associated with the team’s problem as well as behaviors related to mediating and harmonizing team members. Interaction management is the sixth dimension used for governing contributions to meet the desires and needs of team members. Lastly, tolerance for ambiguity defines an individual’ ability to react to new and equivocal situations with comfort (Matsumoto & Hwang, 2013). If a person performs well in most of these dimensions, they are likely to interact with people from other cultures comfortably.
Intercultural Adjustment Potential Scale (ICAPS)
ICAPS is a model used to validly and reliably examine four crucial psychological skills related to a positive intercultural adjustment and adaptation (Matsumoto & Hwang, 2013). The psychological skills examined include openness, emotion regulation, critical thinking, and flexibility. These skills are key predictors of adjustment to working or living in a different cultural environment. If a person scores high in these four skills, they can be said to have the ability to easily adjust to a new and different culture (Matsumoto & Hwang, 2013).
Impact of Global Group of Employees on Organizational Performance
A diverse culture in the workplace can significantly improve organization performance in different aspects (Di Stefano, Scrima & Parry, 2019). A company composed of a diverse workforce finds venturing into the international market easier. Although cultural diversity may have negative effects on organizational performance, if well managed it can lead to increased productivity because of improved innovation (Ozgen, Nijkamp & Poot, 2017). Companies can be more innovative due to new ideas and processes being brought into the organization by employees from different cultural backgrounds. Encouraging diversity in an organization is important because it can help a company to attract top talent from any part of the world. A company with talented and skilled workers is expected to perform excellently (Duchek, Raetze & Scheuch, 2019). Promoting equality in the workplace plays a crucial role in encouraging employees from different backgrounds to feel confident in their ability. A team with higher morale has highly productive employees, which improves the overall performance of an organization (Mazibuko & Govender, 2017). In addition, a variety of talents, skills, and experiences among the team members means that workers can learn from one another. However, if poorly managed, cultural diversity can be a source of poor organizational performance (Tarba et al., 2017).
Impact of Global Group of Employees on Organizational Culture
A global team of employees creates a need to change an organization’s culture and adopt the cultures that enable employees to open to perspectives of different backgrounds (Kossek et al., 2015). A team with individuals from diverse backgrounds forces organizations to adopt inclusive organizational cultures. An inclusive culture is an environment that allows individuals with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and mindsets to work together effectively to attain organizational goals based on effective principles. The culture of inclusivity ensures that different voices are heard and respected, different perspectives, approaches, and viewpoints are appreciated and workers are encouraged to make meaningful and unique contributions (Tasheva & Hillman, 2019). Thus, organizations must shift from their old cultures and adopt new ones that accommodate people from different parts of the world with different cultures, values, and perspectives if they anticipate succeeding in the current globalized world. An inclusive culture helps organizations to utilize talents better because in a competitive international market. A global group of employees necessitates companies to adopt diversity as a crucial part of their strategic plan of the organization (Wu et al., 2019). In addition, this culture should entail linking diversity to organizational performance. By understanding that a highly diverse and inclusive working environment translates to improved productivity, leaders can strive to integrate diversity in their organizational culture.
Conclusion
Leaders have a huge role to play in managing global diversity in their organization. Various tools such as CCCQ, CCSS, BASIC, and ICAPS can be used by leaders to create teams of individuals who are open to working with people from different cultural backgrounds. A well-managed global team of employees has a positive impact on organizational performance. In addition, a global team of employees will impact the organizational culture because leaders will be forced to adopt a culture that will accommodate all workers irrespective of their country of origin and cultural background.
References
Andreson, M., & Bergdolt, F. (2017). A systematic literature review on the definitions of global
mindset and cultural intelligence — Merging two different research streams. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 28(1), 170-195. doi:10.1080/09585192.2016.1243568
Butler, L., Chen, A. M. H., Borja-Hart, N., Arif, S., Armbruster, A. L., Petry, N., & Riley, A. C.
(2020). Assessment of a multi-institution integration of cultural competency activities. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning. doi:10.1016/j.cptl.2020.01.007
Čater, T., Lang, R., & Szabo, E. (2013). Values and leadership expectations of future managers: Theoretical basis and methodological approach of the GLOBE Student project. Journal of East European Management Studies, 18(4), 442–462. doi:10.5771/0949-6181-2013-4-442
Di Stefano, G., Scrima, F., & Parry, E. (2019). The effect of organizational culture on deviant behaviors in the workplace. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 30(17), 2482–2503. doi:10.1080/09585192.2017.1326393
Duchek, S., Raetze, S., & Scheuch, I. (2019). The role of diversity in organizational resilience: A theoretical framework. Business Research, 1-37. doi:10.1007/s40685-019-0084-8
Feldman, S. S., Buchalter, S., Zink, D., Slovensky, D. J., & Hayes, L. W. (2019). Training leaders for a culture of quality and safety. Leadership in Health Services, 32(2), 251–263. doi:10.1108/lhs-09-2018-0041
Grunberg, N. E., Barry, E. S., Callahan, C. W., Kleber, H. G., McManigle, J. E., & Schoomaker, E. B. (2018). A conceptual framework for leader and leadership education and development. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 22(5), 644–650. doi:10.1080/13603124.2018.1492026
Jeong, Y., Kim, E., Kim, M., & Zhang, J. J. (2019). Exploring relationships among organizational culture, empowerment, and organizational citizenship behavior in the South Korean professional sport industry. Sustainability, 11(19), 5412. doi:10.3390/su11195412
Kossek, E. E., Huang, J. L., Piszczek, M. M., Fleenor, J. W., & Ruderman, M. (2015). Rating expatriate leader effectiveness in multisource feedback systems: Cultural distance and hierarchical effects. Human Resource Management, 56(1), 151–172. doi:10.1002/hrm.21763
Matsumoto, D., & Hwang, H. C. (2013). Assessing cross-cultural competence. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 44(6), 849–873. doi:10.1177/0022022113492891
Mazibuko, J. V., & Govender, K. K. (2017). Exploring workplace diversity and organisational effectiveness: A South African exploratory case study. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 1(2). doi:10.4102/sajhrm.v15i0.865
Ozgen, C., Nijkamp, P., & Poot, J. (2017). The elusive effects of workplace diversity on innovation. Papers in Regional Science, 96(Supplement), 29-49. doi:10.1111/pirs.12176
Tarba, S. Y., Ahammad, M. F., Junni, P., Stokes, P., & Morag, O. (2017). The impact of organizational culture differences, synergy potential, and autonomy granted to the acquired high-tech firms on the M&A performance. Group & Organization Management, 44(3), 483–520. doi:10.1177/1059601117703267
Tasheva, S., & Hillman, A. J. (2019). Integrating diversity at different levels: Multilevel human capital, social capital, and demographic diversity and their implications for team effectiveness. Academy of Management Review, 44(4), 746–765.doi:10.5465/amr.2015.0396
Wu, B., Shumilina, K., Khan, I. U., Abdullah, A. A. A., … Khan, K. N. (2019). Integral goal and cross-cultural team synergy as determinants of international business. OAJRC Social Science, 1(2). doi:10.26855/oajrcss.2019.02.001
