Employee Counseling Plan - Dealing with Cross-Cultural Differences in the Workplace
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Transcript of Employee Counseling Plan - Dealing with Cross-Cultural Differences in the Workplace
PAFF 6306 Public Personnel ManagementSummer 2016, Module TwoMaster of Public Administration Graduate Program
E. Rey Garcia, MPA CandidateThe University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyAugust 8, 2016Employee Counseling Plan
Dealing with Cross-Cultural Differences in the Workplace
Public Personnel Management Employee Counseling Plan
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Employee Counseling PlanDealing with Cross-Cultural Differences in the Workplace
(Week Seven Assignment)
By: E. Rey Garcia, MPA CandidateMonday, August 8, 2016
**********************
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV)The Graduate College
College of Liberal ArtsPublic Affairs Department
Public Administration
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PAFF 6306: Public Personnel ManagementSummer 2016, Module 2
Facilitator: John Milford
Revision 1.0
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Table of Contents
Abstract7
Summary/Background7
The Scenario 7Resolving Difficult Employee Issues
8Defining the Types of Employee Problems
8Irresolvable Employee-to-Employee Problems
9Emerging Context for Cross-Cultural Problems
9Start and End with Assistance from the Human Resources Office
9Discovering the Real Problem or Issue
9Equity Theory 10Working through Emotionally Charged Issues
10Communicating to Resolve Issues
11Moving Beyond the Issues
11When to Use Human Resources in Troubleshooting Difficult Issues
12Traditional Role of the HR Office in Troubleshooting Difficult Issues
12Using Human Resources to Troubleshoot Difficult Issues in a Culturally Competent Organization 12Setting the Stage for Using Human Resources as an Impartial Mediator
12Using Human Resources as an Early Warning System
12Which Legislation Applies?
13Why did this Legislation Pass?
13
Analysis14
Severity of the Problem14
How many employees caused the problem?14
Is this cultural competence problem where two individuals are misinterpreting the social/work cues? 15
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What is the real problem and how does each individual contribute to the problem?15
How do employees work through emotionally charged issues?15
How can employees communicate to resolve issues?16
How do employees move beyond the issues?16
Final Recommendations17
Five-Step Plan for Resolving Employee Differences18
Implications, Solutions, and Workplace Values20
Organizational Implications20
Employee-Part of the Solution21
Workplace Values21
Resources 22
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Public Personnel Management Employee Counseling Plan
Employee Counseling PlanDealing with Cross-Cultural Difference in the Workplace
E. Rey Garcia, MPA Candidate
AbstractThis scholarly research attempts to address the Human Resource
topic of Employee Counseling and dealing with Cross-Cultural
differences in the workplace. It addresses the subject of race and
gender between two employees from different cultural backgrounds.
The analysis defines the role that the Human Resources department
plays, including the enforcing of policies and legislation as it applies,
it defines the severity of the problem and what measures are taken to
resolve the differences. The concluding recommendations outline the
organizational framework and what implications are taken if the
problem persists, and what techniques are used to allow both
employees to be part of the solution.
Summary/BackgroundThe Scenario
The scenario is between two employees, Raquel and Onuka who work
for the same employer but have cultural differences which makes it
socially awkward for both to have an informal relationship or to
communicate, limiting their work interaction. In this scenario, the
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elements of cross-cultural differences of racial and gender differences
crosses the line when both are assigned to a project together. This
causes tension between both when Raquel asks Onuka for his share of
the work, which causes them to miss their deadline. This grows into a
full-blown office fight where each feels righteous about their decision
and each blames each other. Raquel feels she is being disrespected
because she is a woman and Onuka feels that Raquel does not like
him because he is African.
What is the issue or what is the problem? - The issue is that of
race and gender differences between two employees. The problem is
the disruption of the day-to-day workflow by two employees from
cultural backgrounds who refuse to work together.
What type of employee problem is it? - The type of employee
problems is that of Cross-Cultural differences between the two
employees. According to Google Online Dictionary, “cross culture is
the interaction of people from different backgrounds in the business
world. Cross culture is a vital issue in international business, as the
success of international trade depends upon the smooth interaction of
employees from different cultures and regions.”
Resolving Difficult Employee Issues: In order to resolve cultural
differences between employees, the problem must be defined. The
origin must be used in determining the root of the problem. Related
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legislation must be applied. The Human Resource office should be
involved to play an impartial role. Finally, discover the real
problem/issue, deal with emotional feelings, and communicate and
move beyond the issue.
Defining the Types of Employee Problems – There are two
types of organizational relationships that can be the cause of
cross-cultural problems, employee-to-employee and supervisor-
employee relationships.
Irresolvable Employee-to-Employee Problems – Most
problems can be traced to an incident or attitude that is rooted
to the problem. The most common behavior is employees
mistreating each other.
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Emerging Context for Cross-Cultural Problems – The
passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, is a part of legislation
that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex,
or national origin. The passage of this legislation has opened
work opportunities to minorities and women in the workplace.
Start and End with Assistance from the Human Resource
Office – Anytime that there is a difference between employee
that involves cultural differences, it makes sense to get the
Human Resources office involved. Most employee differences
are dealt with by HR since these problems are bound to the
organization’s policies and appeals process. The HR office
enforces these policies and takes disciplinary action if the
employee(s) does not correct such behavior.
Discovering the Real Problem or Issue – Many employee
differences are related to differences from a multicultural
organization and cross-cultural relationships. A useful
framework for understanding human problems can best be seen
through equity theory, it assumes that employees seek to
maintain an equitable ratio between the inputs they bring to the
relationship and the outcomes they receive from it (Adams,
1965).
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Equity Theory involves two comparisons.
Oneself
Equals
Other
Inputs Inputs
Outcomes Outcomes
If an employee concludes that the comparison is equal, there
are no problems. If the employee senses that someone else is
getting a similar reward for less effort or a greater reward for
similar effort, resulting in a sense of being treated unfairly.
Working through Emotionally Charged Issues – These type
of issues may arise from the debate of societal issues that are
often perceived as sensitive. Examples can range but not limited
to, political party affiliation, religious beliefs, same sex
marriage, and pro-choice rights. Organizational culture needs to
promote openness and to be mindful, listen, be empathetic,
communicate, reinforce employee relationships through
solutions that seek to strengthen the organization. Management
must allow employees to have a voice, and to respect each
other’s boundaries. If the problem is seen as insolvable, the
Human Resource office steps in and remind employees of the
consequences if policies are not followed and laws are not
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obeyed. Policies are there to protect the rights of the employees
and the interests of the organization.
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Communicating to Resolve Issues – Often one must be
reminded what this country is based on, Democracy or a
government by the people. Organizational policies work in a
similar manner and serve as a means of employee awareness
and protection of their rights. Policies serve as instruments of
the law, identifying the consequences before the problem arises.
The organizational culture needs to use democracy as a tool to
promote fairness and equality through policy, training, and
awareness. Employees must be treated with respect through the
adaptation of an organizational norm with zero tolerance for any
form of discrimination.
Moving Beyond the Issues – This step is aimed at managers
and supervisors taking the role of moving beyond and pass the
issue at hand. It is a means of allowing employees to resolve
their differences. The best approach to use is the Problem-
Solution-Results (PSR), such approach has no author to give
credit to. It extends the statement of the problem to include a
possible solution, including results for the solution. Emotional
competencies include awareness, self-control and being more
understanding, and allowing for collaboration as a measure to
be used to resolve the differences. Another method is the
resilient approach, not letting emotions get in the way, and be
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less impulsive and have more control, realistic, empathetic, and
the willingness to take on challenges.
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When to Use Human Resources in Troubleshooting Difficult
Issues:
a. Traditional Role of the HR Office in Troubleshooting
Difficult Issues – This role is perceived to be less focused on
cultural competence. Ensuring the due process for employees.
b. Using Human Resources to Troubleshoot Difficult Issues in a
Culturally Competent Organization – The non-traditional role
requires for more cultural competence. This role sees the HR office
as an informal partner in minimizing and troubleshooting difficult
issues and problems and requires both employees and managers to
participate in culturally competent training.
c. Setting the Stage for Using Human Resources as an
Impartial Mediator – HR serves the purpose of viewing the
employee differences in a neutral less-biased approach, where the
organizational policies are the determining factor for the final
outcome.
d. Using Human Resources as an Early Warning System – The
HR office can use tools like demographics to collect data on
employee effectiveness. It can measure trends and implications to
flag potential issues that may need attention. Through employee
orientations and trainings, communicate to the organization the
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policies and the disciplinary actions for not adhering to these
policies.
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Which Legislation Applies? – The legislation that applies to this
case is the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title II – Injunctive Relief
Against Discrimination in Places of Public Accommodation. This Act
was amended by the Equal Employment Opportunity Act (EEOC) of
1972. Prohibits employers with fifteen or more employees from
discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
(Retrieved from:
http://library.clerk.house.gov/reference-files/PPL_CivilRightsAct_1964.
pdf).
Why did this Legislation Pass? – This legislation was passed to end
segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination,
and is to this day, considered one of the crowning legislative
achievements of the civil rights movement. It was proposed first by
President John F., Kennedy, and survived strong opposition from
southern members of Congress, and was later signed into law by
Lyndon B. Johnson, Kennedy’s successor. (Retrieved from
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-act).
Terms: (by Google Online Dictionary)
Cultural Competence – A set of congruent behaviors,
attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency or
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among professionals and enable that system, agency or those
professions to work effectively in cross-cultural situations.
Cross-Cultural Competence – Refers to the knowledge, skills,
and affect/motivation that enable individuals to adapt effectively
in cross-cultural environments.
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AnalysisThe purpose of this analysis is to emphasize the severity of this
problem in the workplace and what measures employers can take to
educate current employees and new hires on the significance of
adhering to the organizational policies and the legislation that
protects all employees and the interests of the employer. The Human
Resources office must continuously promote cultural competence
through education, knowledge, skill and motivation, which enables
employees to adapt effectively to cross-cultural differences.
Severity of the Problem: If the employer allows cross-cultural
differences based on gender and race to go unnoticed, it creates a
work environment filled with hostility, hindering the day-to-day
workflow and affecting employee motivation and the overall
organizational moral up to the administration. Policies must be
current with the legislation and employees must be trained on the
disciplinary actions that the Human Resources office will take if
employees do not follow to the organizational policies, which are
there to protect both the employees and the organization.
How many employees caused the problem? Both employees,
Raquel and Onuka, were equally to blame for the problem. Perhaps
the problem should have been addressed by the Human Resource 20 E. R. Garcia, MPA Candidate
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office at an early stage. It is obvious that these two employees did not
work well together and for management to try and make them work
on a project together without first addressing the cross-cultural
differences at hand, is ludicrous. The total number involved is two
staff employees, plus one HR staff member and the Department Head
or manager for whom Raquel and Onuka report to, making the total
number of employees involved in the cause of the problem: Four
Employees.
Is this cultural competence problem where two individuals are
misinterpreting the social/work cues? Yes, if two individuals are
not trained on the organization’s views on cultural competence, and
the policies that apply, a misinterpretation of the social/work cues will
exist until it is addressed by management and the HR office.
What is the real problem and how does each individual
contribute to the problem? The real problem is the lack of
employee-to-employee relationship. If an organization does not
promote teamwork, employees lack the knowledge, skill and
motivation to share ideas, common in a team environment. Employees
must see the benefits of shared-knowledge and see it as an
opportunity to learn from one another. By working together,
employees become comfortable working together and learn from one
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another’s diverse cultural backgrounds, allowing for a more tolerant
work environment.
How do employers work through emotionally charged issues?
The following commonalities are methods that managers use to work
through emotionally charged issues. These include:
1) Be mindful that emotional employees will create an emotional
state in the manager.
2) Do not feed the intensity of the emotion by trying to suppress
the emotion.
3) Bleed off the energy by listening dispassionately.
4) Be empathetic and acknowledge that the issue is important to
the employee and that the manager understands that the
employee is upset.
5) Communicate that the employee is a member of a team.
6) Once a common ground is reached, facilitate a discussion to
determine the origin of the problem.
7) Once parameters have been discussed, ask the employee(s) to
help solve the problem. This reinforces a good working
relationship and promotes teamwork. By asking the employee to
be part of the solution reinforces the working relationships,
giving the employee a voice in the solution. The solution should
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strengthen the teamwork of the organization. And most
employees want a positive solution once they have been heard.
8) Employees want to be heard and once the manager has listened,
there is great willingness to move beyond the issue.
9) The manager must willingly treat employee complaints
seriously. How management handles the issue will spread
through the informal and social network.
10) The manager must be ready to involved the Human
Resource office when unable to resolve the issue at the
department level.
How can employers communicate to resolve issues? Employers
can communicate before the problem exists, through orientation,
trainings, group discussions, department meetings, inter-office email
and messaging, and policies and by continuously collecting
demographics information and data from employees to see if the
methods in place for communicating with the employees is effectively
promoting cultural competence and addressing the issues before they
arise.
How do employers move beyond the issues? Employers can move
beyond the issue when a common ground is met between both
employees and their differences have been heard by the manager.
This is when a willingness to move forward and this is the time to
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effectively promote the primary focus is about the organizational
teamwork and the success of the team.
Final RecommendationsTo resolve or minimize cross-culture differences or conflicts between
employees in the workplace starts with developing a plan for
resolving the employee problems. Before developing such a plan, it is
important to point out cultural differences in negotiations that tend to
occur for two main reasons, stereotypical behavior and
misinterpretation of the others’ behaviors.
First, we often rely on stereotypes, which are often pejorative
and can distort the expectations characterized by behavior and
misinterpretations. Rather than relying on stereotypes, the
employer needs to educate the employees to focus on
prototypes, or cultural averages on dimensions of behavior or
values. For example, it is commonly understood that Japanese
negotiators tend to have more silent periods during a
negotiation process. Furthermore, if the negotiator is Japanese
and especially quiet, awareness of cultural porotypes can help
one anticipate and interpret the bargaining behavior.
Second, we tend to misinterpret others’ behaviors, values, and
beliefs by interpreting them through the lens of our own culture.
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Employers need to educate employees on learning about each
other diversified differences and their customs, behaviors, and
the reasons why people exhibit such behaviors, help better
understand and accept the differences which make our culture
rich and unique. (Retrieved from
http://www.pon.harvard.edu/daily/conflict-resolution/a-cross-
cultural-negotiation-example-how-to-overcome-cultural-
barriers/).
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Five-Step Plan for Resolving Employee Differences
According to the American Management Association (AMA), there are
five effective steps to dealing with conflict resolution that employers
should follow when dealing with conflict in the workplace. By
adapting the following steps, organizations address the different
personalities, goals, and opinions from employees, allowing for
efficient conflict resolution. The key is not to prevent it from hindering
employees’ professional career development.
Step 1: Identify the source of the conflict.
Managers and HR staff must gather as much information about the
cause of the conflict. The more information, the easier to resolve it.
Gather information through a series of questions to identify the cause,
for example, “When did the employee first feel upset?” “What is the
relationship between that and this incident?” “How did this incident
begin?”
Both parties must be given and equal chance to share their side of the
story. It will give the manager and HR staff a better understanding of
the situation, as well as demonstrate a non-biased impartiality to the
situation. Employers must listen to each disputant, say, “I see” or “uh
huh” to acknowledge the information and encourage them to continue
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Step 2: Look beyond the incident.
Often, it is not the situation but the perspective on the situation that
causes anger to fester and ultimately leads to a shouting match or
other visible—and disruptive—evidence of a conflict.
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The root cause of the conflict might be a minor problem that occurred
months before, but the level of stress has grown to the point where
the two parties have begun attacking each other personally instead of
addressing the real problem. Asking probing questions will help, for
example, “What do you think happened here?” or “When do you think
the problem between you first arose?”
Step 3: Request solutions.
After getting each party’s viewpoint on the conflict, the next step is to
get each to identify how the situation could be changed. Again,
question the parties to solicit their ideas: “How can you make things
better between you?”
Managers and HR staff have to be active listeners, aware of every
verbal nuance, as well as a good reader of body language.
Just listen. The key is to get the disputants to stop fighting and start
cooperating, and that means steering the discussion away from finger
pointing and toward ways of resolving the conflict.
Step 4: Identify solutions both disputants can support.
Listen for the most acceptable course of action. Point out the merits of
various ideas, not only from each other’s perspective, but in terms of
the benefits to the organization. (For instance, managers and HR staff 28 E. R. Garcia, MPA Candidate
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might point out the need for greater cooperation and collaboration to
effectively address team issues and departmental problems.)
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Step 5: Agreement.
The manager and HR staff needs to get the two parties to shake hands
and agree to one of the alternatives identified in Step 4. Perhaps
consider writing up a signed contract in which actions and time
frames are specified. However, it might be sufficient to meet with the
individuals and have them answer these questions: “What action plans
will you both put in place to prevent conflicts from arising in the
future?” and “What will you do if problems arise in the future?”
(Retrieved from http://www.amanet.org/training/articles/The-Five-
Steps-to-Conflict-Resolution.aspx).
Implications, Solutions and Workplace Values
When dealing with employee problems, the Human Resources office
need to establish policies outlining the implications to the
organization if the policy is not followed. Employee problems should
include solutions by both parties and recognize the workplace values
that motivates the employees to do their job and do it well.
Organizational Implications: By employers and the HR office
not addressing cultural differences, the implications can lead to
employees mistreating each other, disrupting the workflow,
hindering employee professional growth, lack of motivation and
distrust of management. The implications can lead to low
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employee morale and can lead to financial burden caused by
employees not caring for their job to legal implications such as
discrimination law suites.
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Employee – Part of the Solution: By allowing employees to
have a voice and be part of the solution, the manager and HR
office will see a willingness by the employees to move beyond
the issue. As the employees reach a common ground, they feel
they are part of the solution. This increases management’s
credibility and ethical principles, while addressing the
employees’ workplace values.
Workplace Values: The guiding principles that are most
important to an employee about the way that he or she does the
work. These deeply held principles to choose between right and
wrong ways of working, and they help employees make
important decisions and career choices. (Retrieved from
https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/understanding-
workplace-values.htm).
By adapting a plan for addressing employee cross-cultural differences,
both employees and employers will have the peace of mind that
differences will not get in way of production. Employee differences
can be seen as part diverse creative team of employees working,
sharing and learning from one another. All part of a diversified
culturally competent organization.
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Resources
Borrego, E., & Johnson, R. G., III. (2012). Cultural Competence for Public Managers. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
The Five Steps to Conflict Resolution. (n.d.). Retrieved August 08, 2016, from http://www.amanet.org/training/articles/The-Five-Steps-to-Conflict-Resolution.aspx
History.com Staff. (2010). Civil Rights Act. Retrieved August 08, 2016, from http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-act
How to Resolve Cultural Conflict: Overcoming Cultural Barriers at the Negotiation Table - PON - Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School. (2016). Retrieved August 08, 2016, from http://www.pon.harvard.edu/daily/conflict-resolution/a-cross-cultural-negotiation-example-how-to-overcome-cultural-barriers
Klingner, D. E., Nalbandian, J., & Llorens, J. (2010). Public Personnel Management: Social Equity and Diversity Management (6th ed., p. 161). New York: Longman.
Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives Library. (n.d.). Retrieved August 08, 2016, from http://library.clerk.house.gov/reference-files/PPL_CivilRightsAct_1964.pdf
Understanding Workplace Values: Finding the Best Cultural Fit. (n.d.). Retrieved August 08, 2016, from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/understanding-workplace-values.htm
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