As the global economy continues to evolve, the challenge of developing an efficient and synergistic cross-cultural workforce is of growing importance. Diversity in the workplace is optimally achieved through effectively identifying and attracting diverse talent, training that talent to maximize its contributions to the business, and retaining that workforce through effective management and compensation. Therefore, it is a top priority for multinational corporations to develop a strong intercultural competence in their management and apply this competence to the human resource framework.
Managing diversity
This chart illustrates the three steps necessary to manage a diverse workforce: Attracting a Diverse Workforce, Training a Diverse Workforce, and Retaining a Diverse Workforce.
Attracting a Diverse Workforce
Attracting a diverse workforce requires a corporate structure supportive of varying backgrounds and predispositions, as well as the internal resources and knowledge necessary to effectively identify with a variety of cultures. When defining the roles and responsibilities of a given position in the company, a human resources department must actively consider what they mean for the individual filling that position. Understanding what motivates and attracts a diverse workforce in this regard is critical in order to entice the appropriate talent pool.
Once the role is effectively and accurately defined by the company, there are a large number of resources specifically designed to identify diverse talent. Using technological advances such as search engines, job posting boards, and social networks is an excellent way to find people worth approaching to fill that role. Headhunters and corporate scouting initiatives are also an important attribute of a well-designed diversity-recruitment initiative.
Training a Diverse Workforce
Following the process involved in identifying talent, the managers and human resource representatives are then tasked with training various new hires from a number of different backgrounds and cultural predispositions. Diversity training is heavily dependent on identifying an individual's cultural norms and values. This understanding must be applied in constructing effective teams and adaptable mentalities that will remain highly compatible with a complex global workplace. Not only should new hires be trained to understand and adapt to diversity, but managers should also be made aware of these cultural trends and be trained to effectively manage them.
Retaining a Diverse Workforce
Finally, retaining diverse employees is critical to the success of an international human resource department. This is particularly relevant to a global workforce, as the costs associated with recruiting and training diverse talent are high. Training new employees is one of the largest sources of selling, general, and administrative (SG&A) costs that businesses encounter. Capitalizing on this investment comes in the form of employee retention and effective incentive programs to maintain employee satisfaction.
From a general standpoint, retaining diverse employees begins with constructing a workplace conducive to variance in ethnic backgrounds and values. A homogeneous workplace environment will only cater to the dominant group, and this type of workplace will likely result in lower retention rates for diverse talent. Incorporating and localizing the workplace to best cater to the needs of minorities is therefore of central importance to managers intent on effectively filling the needs of diverse talent.
Combining these three strategies—attracting diverse talent, training a diverse workforce, and achieving high levels of retention—stands to capture substantial value for multinational organizations. Keeping this human resources framework in mind for constructing a multicultural workplace is a critical element to the success of businesses in a rapidly globalizing market.