Challenges in management in a multicultural environment Cultural specifics participate in the creation of the life philosophy of individuals, at the same time they are transferred to their working environment and create the peculiarities of corporate cultures. The difference in environments thus creates pressure on international companies to constantly adapt management strategies implemented in different and changing cultural conditions. (Berkel 2001) The experience of managers and a number of professional articles point to several difficulties in the implementation of the activities of multinational companies, depending on the country and national culture. Multicultural management is thus a challenge for implementing the same process in a multinational company in specific ways in individual countries of operation based on their national differences. This means, for the implementation of the goals of a multinational company at the national level, differences in people's management styles, communication styles, differences in people's resistance to change and, ultimately, their motivation. (Cummings 2005) The contribution is devoted to the influence of national cultures on the management of organizations. In the first part, one of the scientific approaches to the impact of differences in national cultures on the operation of companies is presented, the second part is based on the reflection of the usability of the presented knowledge for organizations providing social services.

When studying scientific concepts of international management and differences in the behavior of managers and employees, we find frequent references to the four dimensions of culture from Geert Hofsted. The researches of this Dutch sociologist investigating organizational and national cultures are based on the data of researches of employees of IBM branches in 50 countries. Statistical analyzes of employee responses revealed different problem-solving approaches from country to country in four areas: relations to authorities, to individuals and groups, concepts of masculinity and femininity, and in ways of resolving ambiguities. The mentioned areas represent cultural dimensions, which were later supplemented by a fifth area of ​​long-term orientation. The dimension in this context is understood as an aspect of culture and can be measured in relation to another culture. (Hofstede 2005) Hofstede named the basic areas as:

  • Individualism

  • individualism versus collectivism. This dimension reflects the fact to what extent people in a given culture act as independent individuals or as members of social groups. In collectivist cultures, people's opinions are governed by their respective group, in which harmony and consensus are important. In these communities, the family plays a strong role with strong ties between relatives. In individualistic cultures, personal freedom and independent decision-making are a significant value. Bonds are more flexible and fulfilling tasks takes precedence over relationships.- Power distance

  • relation to authority - power distance. In societies where the boundaries between social classes are firm and respected, organizations tend to be hierarchical and authorities are respected. Children are raised to respect their elders, parents and teachers. On the contrary, in societies preferring a small distance to power, emphasis is placed on equal opportunities for all. Social status is not important, organizations have looser structures, and it is not uncommon to contradict one's superior. Children are brought up to be able to take care of themselves as soon as possible.- Uncertainty avoidance – high versus low levels of uncertainty avoidance. The dimension focuses on companies' handling of uncertainty, responses to uncertainty and danger. Cultures with a high value of this index have a need to prevent and prevent situations that cause uncertainty. Such companies need to create strict rules, control mechanisms and firm standards. Society here is rather conservative, distrustful of innovation. On the other hand, countries with a low index value are much more competitive. Conflict is accepted here as a normal part of life and is generally accepted. People accept change more easily and are willing to take risks.- Macsulinity
  • masculinity versus femininity. The so-called masculine cultures are oriented towards performance and success, people's behavior is more straightforward. The education of girls and boys is different, girls should be gentle and sensitive, boys assertive and ambitious. Feminine cultures are focused on interpersonal relationships, care for the quality of life. Conflicts are resolved more often by compromise and negotiation. Girls and boys are brought up the same.- Within Hofsted's research, a fifth dimension was identified, namely long-term or short-term orientation in life. The dimension of long-term orientation does not appear in all the countries studied in his research, as it was only used during the research work. In order to graphically demonstrate the dimensions (Fig. 1), we select three culturally different countries (USA, Germany and South Korea), which also operate their subsidiaries in Slovakia. Slovakia is not included in the comparison, as it is presented only with estimated values ​​in Hofsted's research.

Fig. 1: Comparison of cultural dimensions of three selected countries, own processed data according to www.geert-hofstede.com

The personal experience of implementing the corporate culture of a South Korean company establishing a subsidiary factory in Slovakia brings valuable insights from the clash of cultures in the dimension of individualism (the individualism index of Slovaks is estimated to be approximately the middle value between the USA and South Korea). The request of the top management was to adapt the company culture with the umbrella idea "We are family", within the given context translated into Slovak "We are one family". Slovak employees had a big problem with this idea, which mainly consisted in transferring the understanding of the family, which for them was not transferable to working conditions. Undoubtedly, the idea of ​​the management was positively intended and even positively tested for the employees in their home conditions. After discussions with the Slovak management of the company, the "We are one" culture was finally adapted, loosely translated as "We create unity".

Impulses for the management of organizations providing social services

The social services sector in Slovakia does not yet achieve such a significant cross-cultural confrontation compared to the corporate sector, as in multinational companies there is a much more intensive implementation of the corporate cultures of parent companies and more frequent personnel changes of foreign managers. Based on the observation of the social sector in Slovakia, we will try to summarize in a few notes, following three of Hofsted's five dimensions, the influence of cultural differences on changes in the cultures of Slovak social service providers.

  • In society, the observable growing trend of individualism can mean, in a positive sense, for example, an increased reluctance of individuals to accept generally accepted values ​​without their own reflection and testing. A gradual change in the dimension of individualism can be observed in employees who are increasingly sensitive to the culture of the organization in which they work. In order to increase the loyalty of employees and their motivation, workshops are organized in companies with the possibility of discussing questions regarding the direction and values ​​of the employer. For organizations with social services, similar workshops are necessary for regular reflection of their own values ​​and visions, where, in the form of planned meetings, employer representatives and employees are allowed to set aside time to name the organization's own culture and its direction.
  • As part of the exchange of experiences with other educators, we evaluate changes in students' approach to authorities in the cultural dimension of power distance. For a long time, the lecturer has been respected in a lower degree than in the past from the position of his authority, and he needs to win the respect of his partners through a professional approach. In addition, in lectures for future social workers, it is possible to observe the transfer of attitudes towards superiors/authorities from the corporate sector in many of them. These two factors create in social services employees' expectations of presentation of a clear organizational structure from the employer and compliance/non-mixing of the competences of workers in the organization.
  • More and more realized project activity in the social field causes changes in Hofsted's fifth dimension by teaching long-term planning. In addition to the fact that European projects are very demanding in terms of administration, they force their future implementers to process on paper the management of activities down to the smallest detail right from the start. We consider the field of project planning in the social field as one of the most important changes in organizational cultural dimensions, because it is a benefit and a challenge for the creation of long-term strategies for the sustainability, efficiency and quality of social services.

Conclusion

As for companies, and for the management of organizations operating in the social sector, it is possible to state that not all organizational leadership models developed in one country are valid and ready for application without prior reflection in another country with a different culture. Naming the individual dimensions specified based on the investigation of cultural differences helps us not only in comparing the behavior of people from other countries, but also in identifying the possibilities of further development of management within one country.

Author: Mgr. Jozef Žuffa, PhD. List of bibliographic references:

Berkel, K; Lochner, D. Führung: Ziele vereinbahren und Coachen. Weinheim und Basel: Beltz, 2001. 191 p. ISBN 3-407-36021-5. Cummings, T, G; Worley, C. G. Organization Development and Change. Eight Edition. Thomson, South-Western Publishing. 2005. 694 p. ISBN 10: 0-324-42138-9. Hofstede, G; Hofstede, G, J. Cultures and Organizations, Software of the Mind. Geert Hofstede BV. 2005. 437 p. ISBN 0-07-143959-5. www.geert-hofstede.com, 21.03.2011.