HRMT615 Week 2 Discussion

Businesses that run global operations must align their operations to conform to the
different cultural requirements that impact their operations. Cultural adaptations refer to the
degree to which an organization aligns its activities to align to cultural requirements in every
location. Different aspects define culture, including language, beliefs, values, norms, rituals, and
symbols. When organizations understand the culture, they structure their communication to
ensure cultural conformity and avoid stereotyping.
Human capital problems that arise when organizations do not acknowledge cultural
differences
One of the challenges that arise is communication breakdown. Communication is a very
personalized process. Several factors, such as language, determine effective communication.
Cultural awareness involves knowing which language to use in communication. Secondly,
communication cannot be effective if the message is not understood. However, culture
determines the accuracy with which the receiver interprets the communication message (Daim et
al.,2012).
Another challenge that can arise is an increase in interpersonal conflicts. Different
cultures have different norms that guide how individuals communicate with each other. For
example, handshakes in Vietnam are only allowed between people of the same age group or
rank. In other cultures, handshakes are expected, and avoiding another person’s handshake
appears disrespectful. As such, cultural awareness is critical to ensure that staff interpersonal
relations are guided by the culture to avoid risks of interpersonal conflicts.

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How can leadership styles affect global organizational culture?

Different leadership styles affect global organizations’ cultures in different ways.
Influential leaders demonstrate organizational culture by being role models; followers draw
inspiration and take examples from the people who lead them (Schraeder et al., 2005). When
leaders demonstrate cultural awareness, employees are likely to follow in the same footsteps.
Secondly, influential leaders support communication. Democratic leaders allow
employees to air their views openly and express their opinions without prejudice. Employees can
communicate with the organization and each other, fostering cohesion. Proactive leaders also
work on employee feedback to improve the organization’s work environment for employees to
work comfortably.
Proactive leaders also empower employees and support their growth. They do this by
ensuring that employees have resources and support and are in the right mindset to perform
optimally for the organization.

Describe a human capital management goal that Shawn can recommend to change the
global organizational culture of AGC.

The human capital management goals should be aligned around the organization’s
challenges. One challenge identified is employee motivation and retention. A human capital
management goal is empowering employees through motivation strategies in all locations within
one year. AGC can implement job enrichment, employee rewards, and job rotation. Job
enrichment is improving the quality of work to improve employee skills. Job rotation includes
assigning employees other roles within the same organization. This increases employee skill

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variety. Job rotation enables the employee to become all-rounded and ready for organizational
change. Employee rewards can be implemented through remuneration, recognition, and training.
Motivation through remuneration can be implemented through increased salaries, recognition,
and rewards through bonuses and training. Training is a form of reward that increases employee
competencies (Asim, 2021). Besides employee motivation, training can help with other
challenges AGC is experiencing, such as cross-cultural communication and employee
performance (Asim, 2021). If these goals are implemented, they can increase employee retention.
SMART goals need to be measurable. After implementation, this goal can be measured through
employee turnover statistics, quarterly or annually.

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References
Asim, M. (2013). Impact of motivation on employee performance with effect of training:
Specific to education sector of Pakistan. International journal of scientific and research
publications, 3(9), 1-9.
Daim, T. U., Ha, A., Reutiman, S., Hughes, B., Pathak, U., Bynum, W., & Bhatla, A. (2012).
Exploring the communication breakdown in global virtual teams. International Journal
of Project Management, 30(2), 199-212.
Schraeder, M., Tears, R. S., & Jordan, M. H. (2005). Organizational culture in public sector
organizations: Promoting change through training and leading by example. Leadership &
Organization Development Journal.