Recruiting in a Multicultural Environment
- Part II – April 2009
FAs we illustrated in the first article on this topic, the issues
are extremely complex with no single right way to address
the many aspects that come to play. There are conflicts and
challenges with new Canadians integrating into the dominant
Anglo-European Canadian culture which require some
understanding on the part of both managers and employees.
The objective of this article is to identify some of those challenges.
Individuals coming to Canada from around of the globe bringing with them a wealth of both cultural and business knowledge. New Canadians try to integrate into the dominate Canadian culture, however there are conflicting aspects at play. To begin with, during business hours they are expected to behave in one way, in line with Canadian corporate and cultural expectations, but when they go home to their family at the end of the day they revert to their home culture. This can be confusing at best and dysfunctional in the worse cases. One thing employers can and should do is try to understand key aspect of the various cultures that they are employing to help their organizations grow. This may include communication customs, dominant religious or cultural values and beliefs as well as important cultural formalities.
Given the globalization of commerce and how interdependent all countries are in regard to goods and services, it is imperative, as business people, that we develop our “Multicultural Competence”. We must develop employee programs that address values, expectations and communication styles of other cultures in order to tap into the talent pool of knowledge that exists in our work force. As companies, if we do not do this, then our fate as an organization is given – failure. The maintenance of profitability and existence of an organization will increasingly depend on a managers/owners ability to become proficient in utilizing cross-cultural skill. This ability to assess cultural differences and to design and implement programs relevant to various cultures is crucial to corporate growth and success.
The Anglo-European dominant culture in Canada is extremely invisible to individuals that are second or third generation Canadians. These norms are reinforced by individuals and organizations that surround them. In order for all companies to survive in the future, given the globalization of goods and services and the increase in labour mobility worldwide, we must all develop – Multicultural Competency. That is, managers must learn to appreciate the differences between their own culture and the heritage of new Canadians. For some this may start with understanding the important characteristics of their own culture because individuals of all cultures tend to internalize and become unaware of their own norms. That is, as business people it is in our best interest to develop this understanding of the differences in expectations, values, goals and communication styles that cause cultural differences. It is not just adequate enough to employ these individuals in minor corporate positions but to utilize their skills and business knowledge at the most senior levels in all organizations.
The important question is – what is your “Multicultural Competency” level?
If your organization is interested in developing various programs both the Federal and Provincial governments have programs that will aid in this endeavour.
We invite your ideas and comments to William WDerhak@Derhak.com,
or call (416) 675-7600 ext. 208.