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Acquiring
the Culture Edge
By Dr. Karine Schomer, President, CMCT
 In
the global economy and the multicultural IT world, it is good business
strategy to acquire the "culture edge." Nowhere is this more
evident than in the IT sector, where businesses must pursue all dimensions
of competitive advantage if they are to avoid being left behind.
Companies
that neglect cultural realities do so at significant peril. For today’s
IT leaders and managers, whose peers and subordinates are likely to
come from a wide variety of backgrounds, cultural knowledge is a critical
as technical, industry and business knowledge.
South
Asian and North American players in the IT world may be lulled into
a sense of cultural familiarity due to a shared language (English),
historical backgrounds commonly shaped by British-created institutions,
and the dramatic success of many South Asians in the North American
IT sector. They tend, therefore, to underplay the need for mutual orientation,
they avoid singling out differences, and neglect development of expertise
in multicultural management. The stories of what can go wrong are part
of the folklore of the silicon world on both sides of the water.
Understanding
is needed of the concrete issues as well as the underlying mental programming
people bring as their cultural baggage, as well as commitment to developing,
at all levels, a much greater degree of cross-cultural curiosity, knowledge,
forbearance and skills.
The
bad news is that these are not the skills usually stressed in the development
of IT talent and business ventures. The good news is that these skills
can be learned. To acquire the "culture edge," follow the
following strategies:
- Cultivate
a synergistic organizational culture that stresses global and cross-cultural
awareness.
- Supply
cross-cultural and global management training.
- Offer
cultural orientation and cross-cultural team skills development.
- Encourage
diversity-friendly HR policies.
- Assess,
on an ongoing basis, your multicultural workplace climate.
You will
be amply repaid in reduced stress, smoother operations, employee commitment,
less wasted effort and long-term business success in the new global
economy.
© 1999 Karine Schomer. All Rights Reserved.
Originally
published in Siliconindia,1999.
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229 Carmel Avenue . El Cerrito, CA
94530, USA . Tel: 510/525-9222
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