Integrative Managerial Issues
Abstract
Management is a multidisciplinary concept. Integrative issues such as diversity and inclusion, globalization, ethics, and social responsibility comprise the holistic overview of administration. This research outlines the integrative managerial issues impacting firms today, the need to be vigilant of such problems, and the existing gaps in covering these concepts. Specific case studies such as Diversity and Inclusion at BlackRock Corporation and globalization, ethics, and social responsibility at Google have been analyzed. An informed conclusion has been outlined and appropriate recommendations provided. The highlights of this research are useful to business managers at various capacities.
Introduction
In contemporary society, managers are now paying attention to managerial issues that seemed negligible in the past. In various communities, companies form miniature societies and build a corporate culture (Tran, 2017, p.1). Organizational culture is subject to influence by various internal and external factors. The impact of such elements and society’s expectations play a hand in decision making at managerial levels. With globalization taking root, companies are being forced to deal with focal and auxiliary factors impacting operations (Ghemawat and Altman, 2019). For instance, diversity at the workplace now considers factors such as age, gender, race and ethnicity, disability, religion, and sexual orientation, most of which firms turned a blind eye on in the past. Ethical behavior is subject to codes of ethics and ethical leadership and training.
Similarly, global findings that influence organizational behavior range from assertiveness, future orientation, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, in-group collectivism, and performance to the human direction. All these factors form the corporate culture created from diverse backgrounds (Tran, 2017, p.2). Multinational corporations must face the reality of integrative issues to avoid being strong-armed by globalization trends.
Methodology
This research has employed several methods to obtain comprehensive qualitative data concerned with integrative managerial issues. Most of the information has been obtained from the Springer International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility and the Harvard Business School Review because they relate to the purpose of the study. The review conducted by Harvard business pertains to diversity and inclusion strategies as applied at BlackRock Corporation. At the same time, the Springer journal outlines a reflection of culture, leadership, and management used in Google Company. Useful information has also been obtained from various websites containing related searches such as management blogs. The analysis, conclusion, and recommendations have been detailed from the essential findings and suggestions of the Harvard and Springer case studies.
Literature Review
In 2013, chairman and CEO, Laurence Fink requested a report on diversity and inclusion efforts at BlackRock and benchmark analysis of the account against the best inclusive cultures globally. The report highlighted the firm’s history in terms of diversity and inclusion and, amongst other findings, demonstrated the need for more reconciliation between differences in culture and structure (Groysberg and Connolly, 2015, p.1). As much as BlackRock has made initiatives to embrace diversity and inclusion, there was no support structure. Although the firm prides itself on innovation and availing whatever they believe their customers need, having a client-centric mindset is critical but not everything needed for success. Alleviating people’s anxieties concerning compensation, teamwork, and responsibilities is essential for success (Groysberg and Connolly, 2015, p.6). Since 2013, BlackRock has made diversity and inclusion a significant part of its corporate social responsibility. The company concerns itself with the talent moving through the firm and how people differ in various aspects (Groysberg and Connolly, 2015, p.8). The Harvard outline concludes by asserting a need for more inclusion efforts in the talent pipeline and leadership roles.
The Springer analysis bases its study on the Harvard Study on reconciling management, and employees also termed Project Oxygen (Tran, 2017, p.3). The research highlights that although cultures represent people’s ideals and lifestyles, they are not identical. For instance, outsiders experience difficulty in understanding Google’s diverse culture because they are not part of the company’s corporate culture. Culture is formed and reinforced through time (Tran, 2017, p.9). However, adapting to a diverse culture is challenging for managers and stakeholders who are deeply rooted in cultural groups, which creates the need for Google managers to evaluate integrative managerial issues. Making a connection with all stakeholders has been a necessary element for Google’s best managers (Tran, 2017, p.11). Globalization has forced cultures and subcultures together as instruments of business achievement and smooth operations. Culture management allows businesses to keep up with diverse and complicated environments, competition in market economies, and globalization trends. While organizational culture represents how things are done in a firm, the ethical culture depicts how things are done concerning ethics. Managers and firms have social responsibilities to societies, the environment, and sustainability goals.
Discussion
Problem Statement
Technological evolution and globalization have created a difference in the running of corporations. Firms are now dealing with integrative concepts such as ethics, diversity, and social responsibility, which have other sub-branches (Tran, 2017, p.1). An idea such as social responsibility has underlying factors working for and against social growth and similar concepts such as social obligation and responsiveness. Managers are struggling to answer questions such as how globalization is impacting their businesses. How do societies influence corporate and managerial decisions? Should firms use organic or inorganic approaches to increase diversity (Groysberg and Connolly, 2015, p.21)? How do firms synchronize global frameworks for inclusion and localize them to suit miniature organizational cultures? What factors contribute to ethical or unethical conduct in firms, and what does corporate social responsibility mean for the long-term success of a company?
Analysis
Integrative managerial issues are no longer rhetoric but a reality. Although globalization’s momentum runs against significant headwinds, market integration is not entirely limited to absolute terms. For instance, globalization inflows in the US are on the rise yet still fall beneath managers’ perceptions creating a striking juxtaposition (Ghemawat and Altman, 2019). Going global highlights challenges and opportunities because succeeding across borders is more complicated than achieving milestones locally. Structure, leadership, and culture are the pillars of success in firms such as BlackRock and Google. If companies can excel in integrative issues, globalization can work in their favor instead of creating barriers (Ghemawat and Altman, 2019). Although trends in business practice cannot be anticipated and predicted with certainty over the years, integrative managerial issues must matter to organizations.
Managerial capabilities must include managing inclusively and within diverse teams. Multinational corporations need diversity and inclusion strategies and metrics to evaluate their progress and benchmark against the best corporate cultures (Groysberg and Connolly, 2015, p.1). BlackRock identified a similar need when its clients started asking about the firm’s inclusion strategies, and they increasingly acquired more clients outside the United States. Global firms employ a diverse workforce who must work with increasingly different clients creating a need to understand the context and challenges of such clients. Additionally, better decisions regarding corporate culture are made when varying opinions are brought forth (Groysberg and Connolly, 2015, p.12). For instance, training employees on topics such as implicit and unconscious bias improves relations in firms and helps prevent conflict or in resolution actions. Talking about ethical practice has become necessary because the moral context of a firm drives it towards either positive or negative tendencies (Tran, 2017, p.7-8). Notably, firms also have a social responsibility to the broader community beyond the needs of stakeholders.
Solution
Managers of multinational corporations need to prioritize integrative issues that have become a significant part of modern business practice. Despite the complexities surrounding globalization trends, winning managers must accept and embrace the complicated method instead of picking purely global or local strategies for their business environments (Ghemawat and Altman, 2019). For instance, BlackRock has recognized that creating opportunities to support its diverse workforce is as important as focusing on the best services. Similarly, Google appreciates that globalization, ethics, social responsibility, and leadership are essential instruments of success at the firm (Tran, 2017). Firms need inorganic approaches that do not leave integration to chance and time and instead create opportunities for fulfilling these strategies (Groysberg and Connolly, 2015, p.21). Managers should address integrative issues as they appear in real time. The most common set of diverse cultures is found in the workplace, and organizations must recognize and accommodate problems emerging as part of cultural intelligence programs.
Conclusion
Culture is an instrument of a group, and as Peter Drucker says, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Managers need a clear and strategic vision in creating a corporate culture that is no longer defined by just beliefs and values. Although cultures appear similar from a holistic view, there are distinctive discrepancies that differentiate one culture from another. All stakeholders ascribe to a cultural group, but once at the workplace, they adapt to a subculture that serves a neutralization agent. Leadership impacts and influences organizational culture, in which integrative managerial issues have become significant. Dominant and existing organizational subcultures and leadership are vital parts of business success. As real issues, managers should pay attention to them and incorporate culture and organizational goals. Embracing all the complexities of managerial aspects enable employees to maximize capabilities and promote performance. Multinational corporations require complex corporate structures with substantial aggregation, adaptive, and integrative strategies.
Recommendations
The analysis highlights the significance of integrative managerial issues in contemporary society. The research depicts further existing gaps and challenges perpetuated by inadequate strategies, unawareness, and denial of the need to address these concepts. From the qualitative analysis of used sources and additional research and the conclusion drawn, this paper offers several recommendations to better deal with integrative managerial issues. The proposals should suffice to ensure firms remain afloat and thriving.
- As globalization threats keep mounting, managers should avoid responding to all short-run developments (Ghemawat and Altman, 2019). Instead, leaders should invest in the long-term paths to sufficient advantages over competitors by rebalancing time-tested international strategies of aggregation and arbitrage.
- Companies should find, develop, and implement reasonable strategies to keep up with complicated and diverse environments, competition, and globalization.
- Managers need to continually offer resources and programs that support ethical conduct by understanding the nature and reasons for organizational values and rules (Tran, 2017, p.7).
- Managers should adopt corporate social responsibility imperatives beyond social, legal, and economic obligations that make the entire community better.
- Diversity and inclusion across various aspects should be inherent in organizational objectives.
References
Ghemawat, P. and Altman, S.A., (2019). The state of globalization in 2019, and what it means
for strategists. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2019/02/the-state-of-globalization-in-2019-and-what-it-means-for-strategists
Groysberg, B., & Connolly, K. (2015). BlackRock: Diversity as a Driver for Success. Harvard
Business Review, 415-047.
Tran, S. K. (2017). GOOGLE: a reflection of culture, leader, and management. International
Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility, 2(1), 10.