Handling Human Resource Issues in Chinese Culture

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Institution

According to Hofstede’s model, there are several dimensions of viewing culture. These include individualism-collectivism, power-distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity-feminism, and long-term orientation. These dimensions define the cultural behaviors among different human groups. Culture gives one a feeling of belonging, which consequently influences one’s behavior. Moreover, culture determines one’s means of handling issues and interacting with other people (Soares, Farhangmehr, and Shoham, 2007). In cases where one mingles with people originating from a different culture, he or she will highly maintain their original cultural behavior. Such are cases that occur on international business platforms where people from differing cultures interact. However, it is crucial for people to maintain their culture but at the same time, respect other’s ethnicity. In such situations, it is notable that cultural groups handle issues in differing ways. For example, a Chinese human resource management handles issues that relate to their division in a different way from that of the United States.

In reference to the Hofstede’s model, it is clear that the Chinese human resource management is categorized as high in power distance, unlike that of the United States. Chinese culture leans more towards hierarchy than the United States. In the Chinese culture, hierarchy is an important factor to uphold and respect, even at the places of work. Consequently, it influences the manner in which the human resource department handles issues that sprout among its workers. The management is given ultimate authority over the workers, and any decision made is unquestionable. Culture plays a huge role in this since the subordinates follow authority without much of a problem. On the other hand, within the United States, culture elaborates otherwise in comparison to that of China (Zhang and Edwards, 2003). In America, the culture is low in power distance. Thus, hierarchy is not viewed from an authoritative angle but a structural angle. Workers in the United States display the expected respect to their management. Subsequently, the management treats their workers with due respect and do not stumble over them with authority.

In accordance to Hofstede’s framework, China’s culture is high in long-term orientation, which is yet another dimension separating different ethnic behaviors. Human resource departments within China believe in taking extensive time in fostering desired virtues. These virtues are encouraged with an aim of improving the worker’s production. Consequently, companies are able to reap from the high production levels of their workers. Hence, human resource management exposes their new employees to extensive training. This way, the human resource management keeps the new employees informed on all that is needed for them to work efficiently. Orientation in the United States does not take up much time as that within China. Thus, human management in the United States is low on long-term orientation since employees keep acquiring new and necessary information as they continue to work (Stone and Stone-Romero, 2008).

Individualism-collective is another dimension that Hofstede elaborates in his framework. It is low among Chinese human resource departments when dealing with employee related issues. This dimension explains the behavior among people within a cultural group. Hofstede explained that there are two relationships among cultural groups. A cultural group can either be individualistic or collectivistic. Individualistic cultures constitute of people taking care of themselves and members belonging to their families. On the contrary, collectivistic cultures focus on taking care of everyone regardless of their family roots. There is low individualism within the Chinese culture unlike in the United States, where it is highly upheld. The culture among Chinese companies encourages collectivism among employees rather than individualistic cultural behaviors. All employees are expected to act and behave in similar ways with the interest of the company being their foremost priority whilst at work. Thus, when an issue related to an individual’s behavior and affects the company’s productivity arises, the human resource management will handle it from a collectivist angle. They put the company’s interest first prior to that of the individual workers. This can be categorized as a harsh way of handling matters since people have feelings and rights that need to be respected. Such cases often end up with the employees being on the losing end since their reasons are not as significant as the company’s (Joynt and Warner, 2002).

In the United States, individualism is highly encouraged among employees within companies. The human resource is meticulous enough to accord their employees the expected respect. Thus, they put their employee’s personal needs such as comfort and health provisions into consideration. This shows that they care about their employees’ wellbeing and are ready to support and listen to them when matters concerning their productivity arise. Hence, they take their employees through fair processes as they try to comprehend the matters that stirred up the issue at hand.

Indeed, both the Chinese and the United States human resource managements have their different ways of dealing with issues arising among their workers. However, China is making drastic changes aimed at adopting the western way of executing things in the human resource departments. As such, they highly encourage individualism and shun collectivism among employees in China. Although it brings about change in the Chinese culture, it is careful enough to improve means of handling issues among employees.

References

Joynt, P. & Warner, M. (2002). Managing across cultures: Issues and perspectives. London: Cengage Learning EMEA.

Soares, A. N., Farhangmehr, M. & Shoham, A. (2007). Hofstede’s dimensions of culture in international marketing studies. Journal of Business Research, 60: 227-284.

Stone, D. & Stone-Romero, E. (2008). The influence of culture on human resource management processes and practices. New York, NY: Psychology Press.

Zhang, M. & Edwards, E. (2003). HRM practice and the influence of “the Country of Origin” in Chinese MNC’s operating in the UK. Retrieved on September 1 2013 from http://www.ilo.org/public/english/iira/documents/congresses/world_13/track_3_zhang.pdf