USA & CANADA
Gabrielle De Pourtalès
Philippine Jungmann
SUMMARY
 INTRODUCTION
 I/. CONTEXTS : POLITICS, ECONOMICS, CULTURAL
 II/. Managing the Human Resources
 CONCLUSION
INTRODUCTION
 Economically interwined :
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Close geographical location
Strong trade relations
Commun socio-economic and historical backgrounds
Similar organizational characteristics
 Numerous distinct differences in HRM functions and
relationships between employees
 Many transformations in both countries because of
the globalization
I/. Global environment - Economy
 US economy is the largest in the world :
 25 to 35 % of the world market
 A leading industrial power with highly diversified and
technologically advanced production systems
 Canada is a competitive free market economy :
 Dependent on international trade and investments
 + 10% of the world’s demand for grain
 US & Canada : safe places for foreign investors beause of
the stable and safe business environment : both provide
good examples of managing accross cultures.
I/. Global environment -Politics
 Both enjoy stable political systems and are federal
democracies
 Differences in their approach to government and
political agendas
 Canada has a constitutional monarchy and a
parliamentary democracy.
 US has a constitution-based federal system
 Dominated by two major political strands, the Republicans
and the Democrats.
I/. Global environment -Culture
US & Canada :
 Multicultural societies
 Most of the population are foreigners
 Small power distance
 Individualism
 Masculinism (US more)
 Low uncertainty avoidance (US is lower)
 Influenced by protestant work ethics and the
commitment and dedication of skilled
I/. Global environment -Culture
“ American culture is deal-focused,
informal, monochromic and
moderately expressive » Gesteland,
1996
American tend to do business
immediately and like to express their
business concerns explicitly.
II/. MANAGING HUMAN RESOURCES
CONTEXTS :
 Both are knowledge-based, diverse and relatively stable due
to the international competition and technological
developments.
 Market sector in constant changes :
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Unemployment
educated workforce
Older and healthier Workforce : 67% of 15-64 years old
Flexible working practices
Diversity : women’s and immigrant’s labour
A rise in public and services sectors
II/. MANAGING HUMAN RESOURCES
ORIGINS :
 Modern practices were borned in the US and West Europe
 Taylorism, Mc Donald’s operations manual, American dream
 Optimistic, humanistic and superficially simple
 Industrial developments, polictial and socio-economic
changes caused changes in HRM in terms of :
 Strategic awareness,
 Trade union avoidances,
 Legally binding employee-employer agreements,
 Management of diversity.
II/. MANAGING HUMAN RESOURCES
« Many responses by employers to
these changes were traditional :
layoffs dramatically reduced
employment in many industries,
and the use of part-time and
casual workers rose substantially »
Thompson, 1998
II/. MANAGING HUMAN RESOURCES
RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION :
 Several ways like poaching, headhunting, e-information ...
 A preference to hire already trained employees and to
attract a skilled and talented workforce
 Vocational education
 Equal opportunities laws controlled by the EOEC
II/. MANAGING HUMAN RESSOURCES
Reward and Remuneration :
 performance appraisal used in order to determine the appropriate
reward for each employee
 the level of pay depends on whether the organization is unionized or
non-unionized.
 Canada :
 minimum wage policy in all provinces but the rate can differ
 NWT at $8.25 per hour and Nunavut at $10.00 per hour.
 US :
 FLSA regulates the pay and hours of employees.
 Minimum wage varies between states
 Federal minimum wage rate was 7.25$ per hour in 2009
II/. MANAGING HUMAN RESSOURCES
Employee relations Trade union :
 Differents approachs to employee relations
 signs of convergence as a result of the increasing presence of US
multinational companies in Canada.
 labour relations in Canada were very similar to those in the US
 Trade unions became more accepted, better organized, and
stronger in Canada than in the US
II/. MANAGING HUMAN RESSOURCES
Employee relations : Trade Unions
 Canada :
tradition of union recognition and collective bargaining.
the most stable system
first trade unions were formed by craftsmen about the 1870s
the labour movement has become more organized and grown further
apart from its US counterparts over the last 20 years
 union density has declined more gradually
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 US :
 US employers prefer not to deal with trade unions
 first trade union were « the craft unions » around the 1880s
 trade unions in the US have been weakerand less organized
II/. MANAGING HUMAN RESSOURCES
Employee relations : Collective bargaining
 collective bargaining agrements are legally binding
 adopt a cooperative
 Canada :
 the process of collective bargaining is decentralized
 US :
 the national labour relations board has responsability for
making sure that labour-management negotiations are
conducted according the existing employment laws
 trade union have opted for cooperative approach to meet
their demands
CONCLUSION
American and Canadian have differents
maneers to managing their own employees,
do not have the same organizations
organisms like trade unions but still have a
lot in commun and have to keep on their
interwined practices to involve at the same
time of the market and the economy
changes.