RESEARCH PROPOSAL

A critical evaluation of the strategies human resource management

A Case study on Tata Consultancy Services, UK
Bervin Babu 01-Jun-11

Contents
Contents...................................................................................................................................... 2 Proposed Working Title..............................................................................................................3 Introduction................................................................................................................................ 3 Background Information and Research Rationale...................................................................... 4 Aim and Objectives of the Research ...................................................................................... 5 LITERATURE REVIEW........................................................................................................... 5 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY............................................................................................... 8 6.1 Research design................................................................................................................ 8 6.2 Research instruments........................................................................................................ 9 6.3 Sampling technique.......................................................................................................... 9 6.4 Sample size....................................................................................................................... 9 Method of data collection....................................................................................................... 9 6.6 Data analysis................................................................................................................... 10 6.7 Resource Requirements.................................................................................................. 10 7. Reference ............................................................................................................................. 11 Time Scale ............................................................................................................................... 13

Proposed Working Title A critical evaluation of the strategies human resource management teams can adopt for effective cross-cultural training? A Case study on Tata Consultancy Services, UK Introduction In todays global marketplace, every company interacts with people and organizations from many different backgrounds and cultures. In the current world, management of Human Resources has to deal with a variety of new issues (Jackson & Mathis, 2008). As a result of this HR management will continue to be more globalized. As organizations grow more and become worldwide in their operations, the HR department has to deal with many new responsibilities. While in the past, the main focus of the function was dealing with recruitment and selection, development and training of the employees, the advent of globalization brings with it new functionalities. One of the new duties which have thus risen is cross-cultural training and it is a requirement for those employees who are working in foreign countries. As a result of this, there are a set of plans which are followed in order for the HR department to give the employees this training and it is an important part of development of the employee as well. So, an organization need to change its philosophies and plans so that it can create a culture that is shared throughout and the employees bond across all barriers. This study is done for the purpose of analysis and evaluation followed by a discussion on the techniques utilized by HR management in organizations for the purpose of cross-cultural training within Tata Consultancy Services. TCS being a worldwide spanning organization has operations in various parts of the world and interacts on a daily basis with clientele from all around the world. With the increases in both outsourcing and acquisitions and mergers on a global scale, interaction between employees from various parts of the world is a necessity and this training is an essential requirement to create good interaction. People from different parts of the world have different attitudes towards this training. Chinese and Americans for example have vastly different attitudes towards this (Wang, 2000). The IT sector development is spanning the entire world and organizations like TCS have branches in various parts of the globe. The training is a requirement for the employees and managers to bridge the gap between cultures on overseas assignments as well as giving them the requisite language skills and making the cultural shock which might occur much less stressful. It also has the aim of increasing their

abilities and helping them be more efficient in dealing with people from a variety of different backgrounds. The workers who have undergone cross-cultural training can adapt and cooperate more efficiently with people from different backgrounds (Eschbach, Parker and Stoeberl, 2001). For the purpose of creation of better interactions among staff between the various groups and branches within an organization, cross-cultural training is given to help them adapt better and be more efficient in their dealings with people from a variety of cultures. It is necessary for an organization to possess a clearly defined number of methods which should be provided by means of training to the staff who are representing the organization in foreign lands (May, Puffer, McCarthy, 2005). The particulars of the training vary from organization to organization and is dependent on their particular needs.

Background Information and Research Rationale This research is done within TCS for the purpose of evaluating the various techniques which may be utilized by HR management in order to conduct an efficient cross-cultural training. TCS is an organization providing information technology services to consumers on a global scale, possessing a workforce of 114,000 all over the world and they also possess strategies for outsourcing that are global in nature. As a result of this, it is essential that they follow a policy for HR that is very effective. A cross section of areas needs to be covered by the provided training for the purpose of maintaining maximum levels of competency among the staff. This research shall look into the various strategies that they follow to meet their needs in cross-cultural training. The organization has a very effective training module to help the workforce to: Cope with the various circumstances that may arise from working in the different environments.

Comprehend the environment and the client in order to service them efficiently. Understand the clients processes and particulars to deal with them better. Increase efficiency and effectiveness in dealing with the clients to increase retention among clients.

According to Lefkowitz (2006), the number of firms who provide training to promote crosscultural understanding and ethics is on the increase. The process of training cannot be simplified and it should be able to take care of the needs of the staff as well as that of the organization. Cross-cultural programs for training cannot be predefined (Moran et. Al., 2007). The training should be able to give the employees the required skills to understand and interact better with the various different cultures. The key aim of such training is to minimize the issues faced by an employee in different environments and increase their productivity.

Aim and Objectives of the Research Aim Evaluation of the various strategies which can be used by HR to give cross-cultural training effectively. Objectives Look at what methods may be used by organizations within the United Kingdom for development of strategies which would be efficient for cross-cultural training of their staff.

Understand the main advantages for the firms which may be achieved from the training.

Development of frameworks for management of employees across cultures for the various MNCs in the UK.

Evaluation of the relationship between development of employees and cross cultural training if any.

LITERATURE REVIEW

In any given organization, HR management is their prime asset (Kleynhans, 2006). For any firm to function, the staff is a necessity and because of this, the function of HR management which used to be of low value is now of prime importance for the efficient functioning of a company (Griffin, 2007). The main function of HRM was thought to be just scheduling parties or recreation for the employees till about a 20-30 years ago. Currently, this has

undergone a vast change and has become a prime ingredient which makes a big contribution towards improvement in the productivity of the staff (Decenzo, 2009). The approach towards HR management has gone from a defensive one to one that is very proactive (Deb, 2006). A lot of changes are being caused due to globalization and companies have evolved a variety of strategies to effectively manage them. In order to most effectively use the talent of the staff, newer types of management are constantly being created by HR management. For the purpose of meeting with the future requirements, it is necessary to look at human resource management from a worldwide perspective and in a context that is much wider (Price, 2007). HRM is constituted by the main functions of recruitment, selection, training and management. Of these, the most critical function is management. Management is not restricted to merely training, legality, and payroll but has far more to it. Employees with capabilities of innovation and productivity and the ability to work in an environment that is very flexible are essential for any company (Mathis & Jackson, 2008). In order to properly manage an organization, it is necessary to manage apart from the technical and economic functions, the various cultures that the organization deals with. For HRM to be effective on a global basis, the key point becomes culture. Countries differ from each other in a variety of ways including their languages, customs, laws, and beliefs, which all come under culture. The number of organizations who span across many different countries is increasing steadily. As a result of this, there is a requirement for staff to work on various stations overseas and these present many new obstacles for the HR management both specific and generalized. There has been a lot of research into cross-cultural training (Primecz, Romani, Sackmann, 2009). There exist a variety of forums on the internet for researchers in the field to interact. They concentrate mainly on the methods utilized for efficiently conducting business in a variety of different countries all over the world in order to help them perform better. The various policies which are followed for management of HR by MNCs affect both the careers of the employees as well as their morale, in the most part owing to the fact that a lot of employees in these organizations are from different countries. As a result of this expatriates will have different expectations as opposed to local employees. An organization should thus device strategies in a manner to suit both parties (Dowling et.al 2008). Thus it may be said that the HR policies utilized by an organization will determine their success on an international scale (Vance & Paik 2006). A key challenge in most MNCs is the management of expatriates. So for HR management on an international scale, this is one of the most important aspects. Within any given firm, the 6

expatriates incur the most cost and examination of their performance is of great difficulty. This is a major issue for mobility on an international scale and the issue does have a significant effect on the organizational viewpoint on expatriates. The main aim of most researchers in this area is to figure out a median between the demands of the environment and the distinctive requirements of staff during an assignment to a foreign country (Sparrow, 2007). As a result of decentralization as well as downsizing, efficiency in managing expatriates has decreased. Another cause for this could also be the huge increase in the number of expatriates. This condition necessitates techniques for: -

Connecting HR strategy globally with management of expatriates. Looking at the MNC mobility position strategically as well as the result this has on the staff.

Differences in cultures have had a major effect on corporate governance (Shonhiwa, 2008). The obstacles brought about between cultures is one of the key problems which companies need to take care of when they grow international. There is a very high level of competition among MNCs on the human capital. As a result of this, the staff in these organizations are required to work in many foreign countries on a variety of jobs and these can be demanding for the staff as it takes them beyond their normal zone of comfort. There could also be problems from language barriers as well as difficulty in coping with the new culture. The functions within HR that are most critical for increasing the effectiveness of staff across cultures are training and development and selection. It was after the end of the second world war that management across cultures started with organizations taking a greater interest in managing their employees in foreign countries more effectively (Behrens, 2009). Cross-cultural management may be said to be the process of developing and applying information on different cultures amongst people from different backgrounds for managing them internationally (Mead, 2005). As a result of this, behavior of companies both inside and across countries and cultures can be explained by this (Adler & Gundersen 2008). For the purpose of becoming an expatriate worker, an employee is required to have certain skills to improve their effectiveness. Skills in managing across cultures would enable employees to overcome any cultural obstacles that may arise when working in a foreign country or a global environment.

When a company operates internationally, it will come up against a variety of cultural problems. The problems encompass the culture, communication problems, adaptability problems, and differences in ethics across cultures throughout different regions in the world. For the purpose of cross-cultural management, training is provided to the staff dependent on their own background. The materials and techniques used for the training need to be revised and adapted according to the background and knowledge of the employees concerned (Chrisler & McCreary 2009). There is also the issue in many organizations where the gender of the employees is not taken into consideration. An example would be sending a female employee to an Arab country. The culture within those countries could come as quite a cultural shock as well as creating problems for them to function there effectively. There is also an accusation that women do not have options to work internationally thus creating challenges which are dependent on the gender in many organizations (Moral & Abbott 2009). Companies must look into and make a comprehensive study of the issues before they expand beyond borders (Mcfarlin & Sweeney, 2008). There should be a detailed analysis on the various factors involved and weigh carefully the advantages and disadvantages while considering the strengths and weaknesses. Not taking into consideration issues relating to people could cause a great deal of problems in the future.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY According to Walliman (2005), a search for information on a particular subject by means that are both systematic and scientific is called as a research. The methodology of research may be said to be the collection of information about a topic in a systematic manner followed by analysis. Analyzing the information that is collated needs certain methodologies which utilize a series of steps. The chief components in the process of research are design, size of the sample, information collation methods, methods of sampling, analysis techniques etc.

6.1 Research design It is a strategy that could be utilized for the purpose of mapping, which is built upon a technique of sampling. The design is the process of research conceptualization. It provides a clear idea as to the research and its process as well as the way it should be done. TCS Technologies in the UK is the organization which has been chosen for doing the research. There will be a number of aims set to direct the process. By the process of utilizing questionnaires and survey of existing literature, the various issues that can arise which are

relevant to cross-cultural training shall be pinpointed. The sample for this research project would be the staff within the organization that has already undergone the training. The questionnaires are provided to those staff and their responses are then received and then subject to an analysis by utilizing various methods for attaining the result. Dependent on those results, both recommendations will be given which will match with the aim of the research. 6.2 Research instruments A tool utilized for the purpose of gathering the primary data is called as a research instrument. For the purpose of this research, the tool utilized is a structured questionnaire within which are the key questions which deal with management across cultures. 6.3 Sampling technique The people to be utilized for the purpose of this research are identified by utilizing simple random sampling. This is a form of sampling in which all the people within the population have the same chance of being selected to be within the sample (Krishnaswamy et al. 2009). 6.4 Sample size The number of people selected for the study is known as the sample size. The size for any particular research is dictated by the hypothesis and questions which are included in the research. In this study, the size of the sample is 50. So the structured questionnaire is sent to 50 employees and the responses which are then received in return are then examined.

Method of data collection Primary data The information that is collected for the first time explicitly for the purpose of conducting the research is called primary data. The primary data that is utilized in this particular research is by means of a structured questionnaire and the information that is gained through the questionnaire comprises the primary data for this research. Research instrument The tool which is utilized for the purpose of collection of the information is called as the research instrument. This particular research was conducted by utilization of a structured questionnaire which was distributed among the sample which was selected for the purpose of this research. Secondary Data

Information that already exists is referred to as secondary data. Included among secondary data are the internet, magazines and journals, studies etc. For this particular research, information pertaining to the organization as well as existing literature which deals with the topic at hand was collated and utilized for the secondary data. This information is included in the literature review of this research.

6.6 Data analysis Data collection The collated data was utilized to create a master table which was then divided into sub-tables for the purpose of analysis. Data analysis Data which was put into the table underwent analysis by utilization of methods of percentage analysis as well as chi-square methodology. This was done to extract the results for the purpose of this research. The Chi-square test is a tool which is utilized for the purpose of attaining a result out of the information that is collected by utilization of Chi-square distribution tables. There are two different hypothesis utilized in the Chi-square test. The test is utilized for the purpose of comparison between two different variables and for the purpose of understanding any relationship that exists between the two. The variables which are used are referred to as independent and dependent variables. The test utilizes calculations with the help of the following formula.

Where, 2 = Pearson's cumulative test statistic, Oi = observed frequency; Ei = expected (theoretical) frequency, n = the number of cells in the table. 6.7 Resource Requirements There were primary and secondary sources which were used for collation of information for this particular research. The primary information for this study is by means of a structured questionnaire distributed to the samples and the responses gained through their replies to the

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questions comprise the primary data. Secondary data was collated from a variety of sources including journals, books, studies, websites etc.

7. Reference 1. Adler, Nancy. J & Gundersen, Allison (2008), International Dimensions of organizational behavior, Cengage Learning, Page 13 2. Behrens, Alfredo (2009), Culture and Management in Americas, Stanford University Press, Page 159 3. Cheetham, Graham & Chivers, G.E (2005), Professions, Competence and Informal Learning, Edward Elgar Publishing, Page 87 4. Chrisler, C.J & McCreary, R.D (2009), Handbook of gender research in psychology, Springer, Page 169 5. Deb, Tapomoy (2006), Strategic Approach to Human Resource Management, Atlantic Publishers & Distributors, Page 5 6. Decenzo (2009), Fundamentals of Human Resource Management, Wiley-India, 8th ed., Page 35 7. Dowling, Peter.J, Festing, Marion & Engle, Allen.D (2008), International Human Resource Management: managing people in a multinational context, Thomson Learning, Page 14-17 8. Eschbach, D. M., Parker, G. E., & Stoeberl, P. A. (2001). American Repatriate Employees' Retrospective Assessments of the Effects of Cross-Cultural Training on Their Adaptation to International Assignments. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 12 (2): pp.270-288 9. Fougre, M. & A. Moulettes, (2006), Development and modernity in Hofstedes Culture Consequences. A postcolonial Reading. Working Papers Series, Lund Institute of Economic Research, 2. 10. Griffin, Ricky.W (2007), Fundamentals of Management, Cengage Learning, Page 222223

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11. Jack, G.; Calas, M. Nkomo, S. & Peltonen T. (2008), Critique and international management: an uneasy relationship? Academy of Management Review, 33, 4, 870884. 12. Jonker, Jan & Pennink Bartjan (2010), The Essence of Research Methodology: A Concise Guide for Master and PhD Students in Management Science, Springer, Page 99-100 13. Kleynhans, Ronel (2006), Human Resource Management, Pearson South Africa, Page 6 14. Kothari, C.R (2008),Research Methodology : Methods And Techniques, New Age International, page 1 15. Krishnaswamy, K.N, Sivakmar, Appa Iyer & Mathirajan, M (2009), Management Research Methodology: Integration of Methods and Techniques, Pearson Education India, Page 284 16. Lefkowitz, Bernard (2006), Agents and techniques for child training: Crosscultural codes, pp.191-230 17. Magala, Slawomir (2005), Cross-cultural competence, Routledge, Page 47 18. May, R.C, S.M Puffer, D.J McCarthy, (2005),Transferring Management knowledge to Russia, A culturally-based approach, The Academy of Management Executives,19(2), pp.24-35. 19. Mcfarlin, Dean B. & Sweeney, Paul D (2008), International Management: Strategic Opportunities and Cultural Challenges, Dreamtech Press, page 2 20. Moral, Michel & Abbott, Geoffrey (2009), Routledge Companion to International Business Coaching, Taylor & Francis, Page 223 21. Moran et.al (2007), Managing cultural differences: global leadership strategies for the 21st century, Butterworth-Heinemann, pp.25 22. Price, Alan (2007), Human Resource Management in a Business Context, Thomson Publications,1st Edition, page 11-13

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23. Primecz, H., Romani, L. & Sackmann, S. (2009), Multiple perspectives in CrossCultural Management. International Journal of Cross-Cultural Management, 9, 3, 267-274. 24. Robert L. Mathis, John H. Jackson, (2008), Human resource management, Cengage Learning, pp.24-25 25. Shenkar, Oded & Luo, Yadong (2008), International Business, Wiley-India, page 452456 26. Shonhiwa, Shepherd (2008), The effective cross-cultural manager: a guide for business leaders in Africa, Zebra, Page 112-113 27. Sparrow, Paul (2007), Handbook of International Human Resource Management: Integrating people, process and context, John Wiley and Sons, Page 115 28. Vance, Charles & Paik, Yongsun (2006), Managing a global workforce: Challenges and opportunities in international human resource management, M.E.Sharpe, Page 86 29. Walliman, Nicholas S.R (2005), Your research project: a step-by-step guide for the first-time researcher, SAGE, Page 8 30. Westwood, R. (2006), International Business and management studies as an Orientalist discourse: a postcolonial critique. Critical Perspectives on International Business, 2, 2, 91-113.

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