Guillermo Trevino
EHRD 607- Dr. Gary Mclean
Case Study 1
Key Issues:
The recruiting policy allowed hiring individuals with diverse professional
and ethnic backgrounds but did not align employees them with the
organization’s teaching culture.
The hiring of single women for local positions resulted in low retention
rates due to Japanese genre cultural expectations (marriage and motherhood)
and inconsistent management practices.
The selection criteria for Japanese personnel did not require fluency in the
English language, which limited their understanding of the main service
provided by Delta Language Systems (teaching English as a second
language).
The organization chart offered limited opportunities for local and foreign
employees to move up on the professional development ladder, which
dwindled their performance.
The organization’s processes did not motivate individuals to perform their
duties and to engage in a continuous improvement activities.
The organization did not take advantage of the personnel with management
and teaching experience in closing the communication gap between these
two groups.
The lack of cultural understanding by local and foreign employees allowed
the usage of personal assumptions which harmed/limited their daily
interaction.
The schedule of training activities did not provide any support at the
beginning of the acclimation process of foreign employees to the local
culture.
The training setup for local and foreign employees did not allow the
integration of both groups as part of the organization.
The employee rewarding policy favored foreign employees and neglected
the performance of local personnel which had a greater load of
responsibilities.
Managerial training was solely focused on enhancing sales performance.
The limitations of this training then were carried to other curricular
development, administrative and marketing management activities.
The management rotation policy limited the amount of engagement
between management and instructors in terms of fulfilling the organization’s
mission statement.
Possible Solutions:
The company culture and work ethical values should be emphasized during
the recruiting process as well as the new employee orientation.
Trevino/ Case Study 2
The hiring of males for leading management positions could increase
retention rates due to local social norms (men are household providers) and
could also enhance the consistency on management practices.
The selection criteria for local personnel should include fluency in the
English language as well as a clear understanding of the culture in which it
operates (English speaker countries).
The creation of a personal management plan where employees develop a
short-term career path could enhance their contribution to the overall
performance of the organization (Bernes & Magnusson, 1999).
The performance assessment at the organizational, process, and individual
level could help to determine which local systems, human factors, or
information negatively affects employees’ performance (Swanson, 1995).
The utilization of personnel with experience in different operational areas
of the organization in the identification of effective practices, guidelines, and
policies could close the communication gap between managers and
instructors.
The implementation of intercultural training for Japanese and foreign
employees could help both groups to improve their interpersonal relations
and promote empathy which could translate into more effective work
performance (Chien & McLean, 2011).
The offering of continuous activities to support the cultural transition for
foreign employees could increase their motivation and work performance
(Marquardt, Berger, & Loan, 2004).
The implementation of team building activities between local and foreign
employees could help to set organization priorities, enhance familiarity with
roles/responsibilities and with cultural norms as well as to develop
interpersonal relationships (Burke, 2011).
The establishment of a balance reward system that provides incentives both
for local and foreign employees could positively influence the interaction
between both groups and their individual efficiency (Burke, 2011).
The development of action learning programs that offer employees the
possibility to enhance their problem solving skills and improve their overall
learning process by analyzing real organizational problems could help with
the overall work efficiency (Burke, 2011).
The formulation of a clear rotation policy regarding the purpose of the
program (e.g. professional development or business strategy) and the
eligibility terms could help to have a controlled system that allows the
fulfillment of the organization’s mission via consistency in management
practices (Fiester, 2008).
Trevino/ Case Study 3
References:
Bernes, K. B., & Magnusson, K. C. (1999). Career Paths and
Organizational Development: Expanding Alliances.
Burke, W. W. (2011). Organization change : theory and practice (3rd ed.).
Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE Publications.
Chien, T.-C., & McLean, G. N. (2011). Intercultural Training for US
Business Expatriates in Taiwan. Journal of European Industrial
Training, 35(9), 858-873.
Fiester, M., Collis, A. & Cossack, N. (2008, August 01). Job rotation, total
rewards, measuring value. Retrieved from
http://www.shrm.org/Publications/hrmagazine/EditorialContent/Pages
/0808hrsolutions.aspx
Marquardt, M. J., Berger, N. O., & Loan, P. (2004). HRD in the age of
globalization : a
practical guide to workplace learning in the third millennium. New
York: Basic Books.