A New Approach to Cross-Cultural People Management: People are People

Description

When managing cross-culturally in a polarized world, recognizing similarities between people and establishing common ground can be key to success. This book argues that despite differences in language, political systems, income levels, and other factors, people are people. There is no doubt that cultural differences should be understood and appreciated, not only because this is the right thing to do in a multicultural world, but because failure to understand these differences when doing business can result in costly mistakes. But when managing people, what matters most is showing respect and interest – because what motivates (and de-motivates) is the same regardless of cultural background. This book explains and illustrates eight themes in which people are very similar across cultures, including trust, fairness, integrity, and, though often overlooked in an organizational context, the reasons why people work. Business leaders, human resource professionals, organizational consultants, and students in these fields will appreciate this fresh perspective on people management, and the mini-cases and interviews with senior executives provide inspiring real-world examples. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Chapter 1 People Really Are People What Motivates People Across Cultures? What De-Motivates People Across Cultures? How Do You Create Trust Between Two People From the Same Or Different Cultures? How Important Is It to Show Respect for People in Different Cultures? How Do You Demonstrate Fairness in the Way You Deal With People? Do People See Honesty/integrity the Same Across Cultures, Or Are There Differences? Is Being Forward-Looking Or Planning Ahead Important in a Culture Or Not? What Are the Reasons That People Work? Conclusions References Chapter 2 What Motivates People? Praise Money/compensation Sense of Purpose Recognition Job Stability Interesting, Challenging Work Opportunity for Development Autonomy Fun Keeping People in a Post-Covid World Conclusions References Chapter 3 What De-Motivates People? Criticism for Mistakes Or for Doing a Bad Job Overwork/underpayment Lack of Purpose Or Disorganization Ignoring Achievements and Also Ignoring Poor Performance Uncertainty Lack of Opportunity for Development My Boss Is a Jerk – Poor Management Style Red Tape and Unnecessary Rules; Lack of Empowerment Poor Communication Summing Up Note References Chapter 4 Trust How Do You Create Trust Between People? Demonstrate Your Own Trust Be Honest; Admit Mistakes Be Transparent in Decision-Making Give Them Opportunity to Work Without Supervision – Demonstrate Trust Meals and Entertainment Together; Spending Time Together Make People Feel Like Contributors; Give Them the Opportunity to Learn Communicate Effectively and Be Consistent; Listen! Take Responsibility for Failures Build Trust Gradually Stress Is Lower in High-Trust Organizations Building Business Relationships Requires Trust: How Do You Get There? Notes References Chapter 5 Respect and Self-Esteem Respect Personal (‘owed’) Respect Performance (‘earned’) Respect Respect for Position Respect Following Social Norms Self-esteem Creating an Environment to Increase Employee Self-Esteem Conclusions Note References Chapter 6 Fairness Three Broad Areas of Fairness in Business Process/procedural Fairness Outcome Fairness Approach Or Goal Fairness Implementation of a Fair Evaluation Process Views of Fairness Across Countries Conclusions Notes References Chapter 7 How Important Is Integrity in Business? Introduction How Do You Define Integrity? Integrity in Business White Lies About the Business White Lies About People Ethics in Decision-Making Does Honesty Pay? What About Corruption? Do People From Different Cultures See Corruption Differently? Conclusions References Chapter 8 Planning, Looking Forward Introduction Is Forward-Looking Behavior Important to Your Organization? How Do People Demonstrate Forward-Looking Behavior in an Organization? How Can a Leader Increase the Forward-Looking Behavior of Employees? Is Planning Ahead Important for People in Your Organization? How? Why? Is Forward-Looking Behavior Stymied By Uncontrollable Conditions? Can You Measure Forward-Looking Behavior? How Far Forward Should You Look? Conclusions Note References Chapter 9 Why Do People Work? How Important Is Meeting Basic Needs? Are People Working to Maximize Their Incomes? Is the ‘Work/life Balance’ Really an Issue in Your Organization? Why Do People Work? Did this Change During and After the Covid-19 Pandemic? Work Attitudes of Millennials Do People Around the World Care About Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? Conclusions References Chapter 10 Conclusions Introduction Review of Findings Additional Areas for Executives and Managers to Consider for Improving Organizational Performance Note Index