Integrating diversity management initiatives with strategic human resource management

Managing diversity is usually viewed in broad conceptual terms as recognising and valuing differences among people; it is directed towards achieving organisational outcomes and reflects management practices adopted to improve the effectiveness of people management in organisations (Kramar 2001; Erwee, Palamara & Maguire 2000). The purpose of the chapter is to examine the debate on how diversity management initiatives can be integrated with strategic human resource management (SHRM), and how SHRM is linked to organisational strategy. Part of this debate considers to what extent processes associated with managing diversity are an integral part of the strategic vision of management. However, there is no consensus on how a corporate strategic plan influences or is influenced by SHRM, and how the latter integrates diversity management as a key component. The first section of the chapter addresses the controversy about organisations as linear, steady state entities or as dynamic, complex and fluid entities. This controversy fuels debate in the subsequent sections about the impact that such paradigms have on approaches to SHRM. The discussion on SHRM in this chapter will explore its links to corporate strategy as well as to diversity management. Subsequent sections propose that managing diversity should address sensitive topics such as gender, race and ethnicity. Finally, attention is given to whether an integrative approach to SHRM can be achieved and how to overcome the obstacles to making this a reality

Culture and concept design : a study of international teams

This paper explores the relationship between culture and performance in concept design. Economic globalisation has meant that the management of global teams has become of strategic importance in product development. Cultural diversity is a key factor in such teams, and this work seeks to better understand the effect this can have on two key aspects of the concept design process: concept generation and concept selection. To this end, a group of 32 students from 17 countries all over the world were divided into culturally diverse teams and asked to perform a short design exercise. A version of the Gallery Method allowed two kinds of activity to be monitored – the individual development of concepts and the collective filtering and selection of them. The effect of culture on these processes was the focus of the work. Using Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, the output from the sessions were reviewed according to national boundaries. The results indicate that individualism and masculinity had the most discernable effect on concept generation and concept selection respectively

Crew Resource Management (CRM) and Cultural Differences Among Cockpit Crew - the Case of Turkey

The globalization of the aviation industry necessitated many international airlines to recruit cockpit and cabin crews from different countries with different national cultures. As airlines are becoming more multicultural, cultural issues, as well as language and communication issues among flight crew, become more and more important. The cultural differences among the cockpit crew seem to become a big challenge for Crew Resource Management (CRM). CRM is defined as the effective utilization and management of all resources, including information, equipment and people to achieve safe and efficient flight operations. Many studies have shown that cultural differences among pilots may strongly affect the basic concepts and fundamentals of CRM. The aim of this study was to investigate cultural differences among pilots flying in the Turkish aviation industry. In addition, it aimed to investigate the differences in CRM perception of pilots and their attitude toward flying in a multinational cockpit. A survey was conducted to 375 Turkish and foreign pilots flying in Turkish airline companies. The findings revealed that there were significant cultural differences between foreign and Turkish pilot flying in the Turkish aviation industry. In addition, significant sub-cultural differences were found among pilots with different training backgrounds and with different titles. Moreover, significant differences in CRM perception of the pilots and in pilots’ attitude towards a multinational cockpit were identified. These findings may provide a guideline to airlines with multi-cultural flight crew for implementing customized CRM programs to minimize the effect of these issues on safety. It may also help airlines to be aware of the differences in pilots’ attitudes toward a multinational cockpit and operational challenges that cockpit crew may experience due to language diversity in the cockpit

Virtual Teams: The Impact of Varying Levels of Virtuality on Project Team Performance

Although virtual teams have existed for over two decades, in recent years the Covid-19 pandemic led to a wider adoption and transition to virtual teamwork by most organizations. Virtuality is operationalized as the proportion of work done remotely or virtually on a project. This research studies the moderating effects of virtuality in project teams on communication frequency, leadership effectiveness, and project team performance. Using the theoretical frameworks of Adaptive Structuration Theory and Transformational Leadership Theory, a survey was carried out that informed this cross-sectional study. Respondents were project team members and managers who were involved in AEC (Architecture, Engineering and Construction) and Finance/IT projects before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. This study showed that the inverted-u relationship between communication frequency and project performance was preserved in only low virtuality teams, while the shape of the curve was different for high virtuality teams. AEC project performance was also found to be more sensitive to communication frequency, as these projects exhibited inverted-u relationship with performance compared to Finance/IT projects which was more linear. Regardless of the levels of virtuality in project teams, transformational leadership leads to significantly better performance in both types of projects. This study contributes to the body of literature in project management and information systems by measuring one of several dimensions of virtuality in the proposed model and provides insights for project managers in industry to better lead their virtual project teams

Analysis of Cross-Cultural Training Efforts, Competencies and Implications, and how Cross-Cultural Competency Affects the Success of Construction Projects on Air Force Installations Overseas

US Air Force (AF) Civil Engineer (CE) Officers stationed at overseas bases lead and manage construction and engineering efforts for projects totaling billions of dollars annually. Budget overruns in the Department of Defense (DoD) and specifically the AF, have been under stringent investigation by government officials in recent years. 92% of CE Officers overseas work with local nationals (LN) and the host nation weekly or daily, but most receive less than 2 hours of formal cross-cultural training prior to arrival overseas. Host nation partners include foreign military, local contractors, LN workforce and local government agencies. Based on a previous Delphi study, 60% of officers received some sort of cultural training, the majority of which was administered via Computer Based Training (CBT) or on the job training (OJT). Of those that received training, 40% felt it was inadequate to prepare them for their job duties. This second iteration, two survey study aims to better understand where cross cultural competence (3C) gaps lie for AF CE Officers. The first study is given to CE Officers with recent overseas experience and the second given to host nation partners at overseas bases. This research investigates the negative impacts on construction project success in overseas base locations due to a lack in 3C. The study also includes a thorough investigation of current practices and available resources. The goal is to inform the AF Language, Regional Expertise and Culture (LREC) training implementation process, an initiative set out by the AF Chief of Staff in 2012. The implications of this study will not only help better prepare CE Officers, and the alike, to perform duties overseas, but also promote a healthy environment when working with host nation partners around the world furthering the AF mission