Cross-cultures in an Organization

America is always known for its welcome attitude to people of the other nations. Its natural approach though welcoming has become inadequate now. This is gaining stance as an issue with an increase in international trading which is bringing more business executives to the country. These business professions exhibit severe cases of culture shocks at the corporate and individual levels. Research was conducted to understand their experiences and attitudes towards the American business culture. Most of the foreign business professionals were based at Atlanta and other cities from the south-east. They were CFO’s, CEO’s, directors, analysts, engineers, managers. More than 50% of them were European with a minimum of 26 countries represented at the study.

The financial cost of is mostly two to four times the salary of the transferee. Relocation at cross- border levels is steep. Employers provide little assistance to integrate them into their business community. Most of these professionals enjoy a certain degree of self-esteem back home and by relocating to a foreign land, physical needs become their priority, thus pulling them downwards. The biggest hurdle is language- understanding American English, even for the native English speakers. The business conversation here is mostly riddled with clichés, slang, expressions from sports like baseball (not played in other parts of the world). Slam dunk, end run, homerun, full court press, curveball are a few that confuse the foreigners. At work the American colleagues are oblivious to this fact. This is a cause of great discontentment to many.

The other main frustrations include basic needs like opening a bank account, buying a car or home, purchase of insurance, connecting utilities, traveling long distance to work and the need to establish credit, with most dealers asking for a 4 year U.S. credit history. Obtaining credit is an issue and they are forced to pay cash often. They end up taking a year to adapt and there is loss in productivity of the individual mainly due to the confusion and isolation caused during this period. Adding to this, the American employees exhibit a lack of cross-culture awareness and skills to draw on the diverse global talents.

The U.S. tax and health discrimination laws are complex and with no knowledge base of the above, this turns to be a nightmare. The biggest discomfort at work is to reconcile to business informality whereas the reality is a strict deference to titles and designations. Freedom of speech is restricted due to a lack of job security or unemployment.

These foreigners pass through the following stages of adjustment:

- They encounter barriers at work and discover the frustrations of their family members

- They look for resources and people to overcome these causes of differences

- They make the necessary adjustments to adapt and blend with their business community

This gestation period is long and affects the efficiency of these professionals.
The following suggestions may ease this transition:

- Capitalize on similarities

- Provide support in terms of basic needs like housing and schooling and a community orientation

- Explain employee benefits and laws in detail

- Assign a mentor during the transition stage

- Offer training and cross-culture coaching by hosting events for the American and Non-American employees

With an expansion in mergers and acquisitions happening the global way, it is vital to prevent the differences due to cultures creating a disharmony in the marriage. Think Global and Act Local remains the mantra of International Trade.