Introduction
The systematic planning of actions that are applied to the collection of information and subsequent analysis of data in a logical manner that help in the realization of the purpose of a given study is called a study design. Examples of study designs include descriptive, cross-sectional, experimental, and explorative researches. Research methodology refers to the principles and processes that are applied to collect data that can be utilized in decision making, in business and social setting. In any form of a research study, researchers use research design to help them in accomplishing their study efficiently.
According to Bronfenbrenner and Evans (2000), a research design refers to a blueprint in which a given study is based. It acts as a road map to help in controlling factors that may cause particular interference especially on the final results of a particular study. However, Kothari (2005) defined research design as a plan that researchers use to show how the research is conducted. Addition, the research design shows when the study was conducted, as well as the sources and methods of collecting and analyzing data. The fact that there are extensive selections of research methodologies makes it quite challenging for researchers to select the best research design for any given study. Kothari (2005) showed that the choice of research design is a very significant part of any research process since it plays a significant role in determining the course and success of the study to be undertaken. As such, there is a need to adopt a research design that will be very instrumental in answering the research questions adequately and satisfactorily.
In this case, the research study investigates the aspect of talent management within culturally diverse organizations, and the subsequent challenges. A choice of research design that will help the research in analyzing the concept of talent management in organizations that embrace cultural diversity is preferred. This study will make use of a qualitative approach with the primary focus being on the inductive aspect of qualitative research design. This section of the paper will present the rationale for the research design that was adopted. The rationale will cover the research aims, objectives, as well as the research questions that are necessary for guiding the researcher in obtaining the necessary data concerning talent management in the chosen organizations.
Aims of Research
Talent management in culturally diverse organizations is a critical issue that affects different companies due to lack of enough research in this area. As such, there is a need for a study that critically analyzes the issue of talent management in organizations, citing out any challenges facing organizations, as well as how to deal with such challenges. The aim of this research study thus is to provide an overview of talent management in culturally diverse organizations.
Objectives of the study
The research on talent management within culturally diverse organizations has both primary and specific objectives.
Primary Objective
The primary objective of this study is to establish whether different organizations embrace cultural diversity in talent management.
Specific Objectives
The specific objectives of the research include:
- To find out how cultural diversity is represented among different organizations
- To find out the level of diversity in different organizations
- To find out why different organizations have a culturally diverse set of employees
- To establish opinions of different human resource management personnel regarding the presence of cultural diversity and how it affects the talent management practices that are present within given organizations
- To find out whether there are any challenges that organizations face and how the management addresses talent management challenges in a culturally diverse organization
- To establish opinions of different organizations on diverse cultures and implementation of talent management processes
- To establish the ways in which cultural diversity is integrated into different companies’ talent management practices
- To find out the outcome of taking into consideration cultural diversity in a company’s talent management practices
Research Questions
Research questions in any study are used to guide the study in coming up with solutions for any problems arising in a given setting. Thus, to address all the concerns, it is important to come up with research questions that are designed to help in eliminating a particular problem. The variability of the solutions to the problem at hand is the fundamental factor in deciding the answer to pick. In the case of the talent management, a few studies have been carried out to find out how different organizations embrace diverse talents. However, not many studies outline the aspect of talent management in multicultural organizations. Solutions to the problem should be presented in a way that improves the quality of information about the subject under investigation. Thus, research questions can be considered suitable tools used by management and research to investigate the reasons for a given scenario, which affects some people.
Research questions provide a description of the actions to take in rectifying the problem and the advantages and disadvantages of the choice of action. The choice of action should provide solutions to eliminate any future chances of the problem reoccurring and ensuring the best results from the situation. Therefore, this research will be based on some research questions, to investigate talent management in different organizations. The following questions build on the research conducted by Hofhuis, Van Der Zee and Otten (2012) which focused on how companies view cultural diversity and management. The primary focus on these research questions is to determine how the companies view talent management, cultural diversity, and how they address the challenges of talent management in culturally diverse organizations. Each question will be followed by a justification for its use in the study and how it relates to the concept of talent management in multicultural organizations.
Questions to be used
How is cultural diversity represented among different organizations?
This open-ended question starts the interview by examining whether the organization in question embraces cultural diversity and, if so, how does the company view its presence within the organization (Hofhuis, Van Der Zee, & Otten 2012).
What is the level of diversity in different organizations?
This is a closed question, which enables the researcher to determine the level of diversity within the given organizations. This question further analyses whether or not greater levels of diversity affect the management strategy utilized (Hofhuis, Van Der Zee, & Otten 2012).
Why do different organizations have a culturally diverse set of employees?
This open-ended question will help the researcher to determine the reasons of the concerned companies to embrace cultural diversity within its operations. Through this question, the researcher will be able to determine whether the presence of a culturally diverse workforce was an intentional aspect of the company’s operations or was unintentional and merely came about as a direct result of expansion and coincidence (Gelens, Dries, Hofmans & Pepermans 2013).
What are the opinions of different human resource management personnel regarding the presence of cultural diversity and how does it affect the talent management practices that are present within the organizations?
This is an open-ended question, which focuses on how the organization being examined views the concept of cultural diversity and how it affects their talent management practices. It seeks to examine the challenges encountered, the positive or negative effects, and helps to determine where the company falls under: parochial, synergistic, or ethnocentric (Hofhuis, Van Der Zee, & Otten 2012).
Are there are any drawbacks that companies go through and how does the leaders manage their employees to overcome such situations?
This question considers the strategies that the concerned company implements in order to determine what methods, aside from the parochial, synergist or ethnocentric orientations, the company utilizes in order to address aspects related to motivation, retention, employee engagement, etc. This section helps to answer the core question of this research paper (Hofhuis, Van Der Zee, & Otten 2012).
What are the opinions of different organizations on diverse cultures and implementation of talent management processes?
This question focuses on the issues presented in the culture and organizational culture section of the literature review where it was revealed that there are issues when it comes to talent management compatibility. Some talent management strategies are not compatible with others and, as such, through this question the study will examine how human resource departments help to address this issue (Hofhuis, Van Der Zee, & Otten 2012).
What are the ways in which cultural diversity is integrated into different companies’ talent management practices?
This is an open-ended question, which focuses on how companies integrate cultural diversity and talent management. This question helps to clarify what practices are currently in place and how they are implemented (Hofhuis, Van Der Zee, & Otten 2012).
Are there any effects of taking into consideration cultural diversity in a company’s talent management practices?
This is an open-ended question, which focuses on the perception of the HR personnel regarding the aforementioned practice (Hofhuis, Van Der Zee, & Otten 2012).
Study Participants
The participants in this study will be HR personnel (preferably managers) who have been a part of their company for a minimum of 2 to 3 years. This selection criterion is based on the fact that new recruits to the company are unlikely to know the full spectrum of strategies that the company implements when it comes to addressing challenges associated with talent management in a multicultural organization.
Philosophical Paradigm
Any research process makes use of the three dimensions including methodology, epistemology, and ontology (And & Coleman 2006). A research paradigm is thus seen as a system that is all-encompassing and incorporates practice and conceptual thinking that a researcher adopts in defining the methods of enquiry that can be used alongside epistemology and research ontology (Kothari 2005). According to Au and Marks (2012), a research paradigm is an integrated collection of reasonable concepts, study variables, as well as challenges that are evident within a selected methodology.
In the view of Kothari (2005), a research paradigm can be generalized as a culture used in research whereby there are certain assumptions, values, and beliefs that different researchers have to follow when conducting any form of research. Evidently, research paradigm refers to a form of pattern, structural affiliation, as well as framework that defines academic assumptions, values, and ideas that guide a given research. Thus, the use of such a concept is suitable especially in a study that aims to analyze a concept that involves human interaction such as in the case of this study.
No new approach to cultural diversity often approaches equilibrium. Instead, such approaches act as a platform to further steps in embracing cultural diversity in organizations (Cartledge, Singh, & Gibson 2008). Considering the fact that many organizational functions are global as a result of contemporary civilization, there is a continuous growth in the management and organizational setting that involves all aspects of humanity including culture. For this reason, there is a need for an in-depth understanding of the role of cultural diversity in organizations. According to Broome et al. (2002), the choice of research paradigms reflects the views of a particular research as far as world, and knowledge-creating beliefs are concerned.
According to Denk (2010), both qualitative and quantitative paradigms are founded on ontological, epistemological, axiological, rhetorical, and methodological assumptions. In this case, the ontological assumptions are based on the nature of relationship between the researcher and the subject under study (talent management in culturally diverse organizations). For the case of axiological assumptions, the qualitative research can be seen as value-laden (Kothari 2005). On the other hand, the qualitative research assumes an inductive methodological process. Thus, the research study to analyze talent management in culturally diverse organizations will make use of interpretivism paradigm since the research aims to collect information from individual human resource managers.
Research Design Overview
Research design includes the procedures and methodology that a researcher employs in conducting a given research (Denk 2005). Even though the methods may be different with respect to the field of study chosen, there are different aspects of research inquiry that determine the best method to use when carrying out a research in any field. Considering that researches are carried out to prove given hypotheses, research design plays a significant role in the test of research hypotheses. As such, a research design determines the type of study, the questions to use for the research, the hypotheses, the variables (dependent and independent), as well as the methods of collecting and analyzing data from the study (Clemmensen 2012). There are several ways of classifying designs for any study including descriptive, experimental, reviews, correlational, and analytic among others.
The research on talent management within culturally diverse organizations will focus on the overview of diversity of culture to embrace talents within different organizations. Through the analysis of the chosen organizations, the research will evaluate the role of culture in talent management and how often organizations adopt different cultures in their management as a way of managing talents. The study thus, will make use of qualitative data from selected companies that will fall under the section criterion for the research.
Selection of Methodology
Methodology involves all the approaches that are applied in the collection of data for a given study. It also includes the approaches applied in analyzing data. According to Denk (2010), study methodology is the systematic planning of the course of action during the process of collecting necessary information for any study. It includes the subsequent analysis of data in a logical manner that helps in the realization of the purpose of research. Study methodology entails the use of different research designs to inform the process of collecting data (Bronfenbrenner & Evans 2000). Examples of study designs include descriptive, cross-sectional, experimental, and explorative researches.
Kothari (2005) defined research methodology as the process applied to solve a given research problem systematically. According to Kothari (2005), research methodology entails studying the various steps that are adopted by a researcher in problem investigation. Study methodology includes the logic behind the steps that are employed by a researcher (Kothari 2005). Research methods are the techniques put in place by researchers in the process of executing a given study. According to Neumann (2007), research work involves moving from the unknown to the known in order to arrive at a solution to a specific issue under investigation. The process requires drawing of data to be used in determining any correlations between research variables. Based on such understanding, research methods can be categorized into different groups. The first group includes methods and techniques that are used to collect data. The second research method entails the techniques for analyzing statistics that are used to establish the correlations between the unknowns and the collected data. Finally, the third method of data collection entails the process that is used to determine accuracy of the information collected.
According to Denk (2010), the data collected should be dependable and valid. The concept brings in the issue of ethical consideration in the collection of data by the application of credible processes. Therefore, in order to execute any study and ensure that the objectives of the study are explored, and correlations determined, various research methods will be applied in the collection of data and its analysis.
The primary goal of any study is to come up with solutions to a given problem. According to Kothari (2005), it entails the use of scientific procedures to find out the truth, which has not been discovered. Neumann (2007) noted that the primary objective of a research is to gain an understanding of the issue being studied or to gain insights into a particular phenomenon. In the case of the current study, the phenomenon under investigation is talent management within culturally diverse organizations. Therefore, the aim of the research methodology is to provide a platform to discover the phenomena being studied. In addition, study methodology provides the basis to test any assumptions made by the researcher, as well as establish any link between the concerned study subjects. The common variables that are tested in a study include the depended and the independent variables (Kothari 2005).
The choice of the methods of data collection, the methods to use in analyzing the collected data and presentation is a very significant part in any given study. Choosing the right method helps the researcher in carrying out the concerned study effectively. Usually, the selection of the research methodology is guided by the research questions, objectives and the overall intended area of study. In this case, the study aim is to find out how organizations embrace culture in their talent management. The research on talent management will focus on what has been achieved and the relationship that different organizations show concerning talent management and the role of cultural diversity. In addition, through the analysis of the different organizations and their application of cultural diversity in their management, the research will cite the challenges affecting talent management in multicultural organizations, and the ways of integrating culture in the implementation of cultural practices. The research thus will adopt a comprehensive study design.
Descriptive research and statistical research designs are applicable in studies that similar to this. For the case of descriptive design, it is very crucial in assisting to provide answers relating to how research problem has affected a given societal situation. For instance, in order to gauge the effectiveness of the culture to predict talent management in an organization, the tangible effects and reasons behind the effects need to be described. On many occasions, the descriptive study is applied as a precursor for a quantitative one. The descriptive study also gives indexes to the variables that need to be examined and is preferred since it leads to reliable data, from which inferences and recommendations can be drawn. The research on the talent management within culturally diverse organizations will cover a large geographical area and thus large amount of data will be necessary if the results are to be reliable and valid.
According to Kothari (2005), descriptive studies are appropriate in collection of large amount of data. However, there are obvious shortcomings of the descriptive study. For instance, such a study is mainly depended on instrumentation of measurements and observation. There is thus a need for a study design that will complement the descriptive study and ensure that reliable data is obtained. A descriptive study usually provides a chronology of what has been happening in the concerned study area. Statistical study design can be used to complement the descriptive study. The choice of the statistical study design is often guided by with the study’s scope especially in a study where samples are to be indentified from the target population. However, in this case, the study the qualitative approach was chosen. The research methodology entails different types of research that depend on the purpose of the study. The common ones include the empirical research, conceptual, qualitative, quantitative, fundamental, applied, analytical, as well as the descriptive study.
Choice of Research Subject
The study to examine the challenges in talent management within culturally diverse organizations was chosen due to its growing importance in the present day. This significance was elaborated in the introduction section of the literature review (Hedricks, Robie, & Harnisher 2008). Talent management in culturally diverse organizations is a current issue that requires investigation to ascertain the level of cultural diversity, and the practices that different organizations employ in their talent management.
As showed in the literature review, the expansion of organizations into diverse, global, as well as regional markets necessitates the creation of a diversified employee demographic (Kapoor & Sherif 2012). This can be attributed to the fact that as organizations transit from a mono-cultural entity into a multicultural enterprise, there is a need to grow a workforce that is diverse. A multicultural workforce is often able to help the organization in the realization of its set goals and objectives. Such a change is brought about by the desire to hire local talent in the new market. Utilizing local talents is important whenever a company is expanding its operations, as well as in understanding the peculiarity and cultural norms in particular communities (Julian & Austin 2008). Without such a transition in place, an organization is often at the risk of failure. For example, it becomes hard to achieve the necessary market penetration because of ill-conceived marketing and sales initiatives that fail to understand the variations inherent in the new market into which the organization is expanding.
Thus, the concept of racial and cultural diversity has become the norm in the present day globalized operations (Lee 2009). This issue came to the researcher’s attention following the realization that with the current expansion of companies into multiple countries, as well as the development of technical teams in different global regions and cultures a heterogeneous cultural environment is created. Such a situation results in the need to examine what processes are currently in place. This is done to address challenges in talent management especially in dealing with multiple cultures in the workplace (Mallol, Holtom, & Lee 2007).
Qualitative and Quantitative Methods
There are various data collection methods. The mode of data collection to be applied in the study will include mining of data from multiple databases. Therefore, the study will make use of secondary sources of data. According to Kothari (2005), numerous factors determine the method that a researcher uses to collect data for any given study. Some of these factors include the study approach, area targeted by the research, and the individuals carrying out the study. Most approaches applied in a study include the quantitative and qualitative approach. The quantitative approach involves gathering of empirical data that can be subjected to numerical manipulation (Denk 2010). In the current study, the research will use the qualitative approach. This will help to provide a comprehensive understanding of cultural diversity and its influence on different organizations.
There are several studies already conducted about talent management in culturally diverse organizations. Most of these studies applied the quantitative approach in which empirical data was collected and analyzed. For instance, Ibraiz and Randall (2012) in their study on global talent management applied the quantitative approach. Others, such as Lee and Chon (2000), and Gilbert and Ivancevich (2000), used mixed methods of research in which both primary and secondary data collection methods were used. However, the current study will make use of the qualitative approach. This is in line with the argument by Neumann (2007) that research should be focused on a given aspect. The types of data collection methods to be used in the study will include both secondary and primary sources of data collection. The secondary data will be collected from databases (data streams) that contain information on talent management in culturally diverse organizations. Only credible databases will be used in the study. This will ensure that only reliable data will be collected for the study. In addition, the selection of the data to be applied to the study will be limited to culturally diverse organizations. The use of credible data streams and the focus on given aspects of companies will ensure reliability and credibility of the data used for the study. Denk (2010) argued that the effectiveness of secondary data might be hindered by a low level of reliability and validity. Data will be sourced from external sources and thus, a review of diverse reports relating to talent management and the role of cultural diversity in human resource management will be conducted.
Based on the desire to examine the opinions of the research subjects in a more in-depth manner, interviews are to be used. Interviews are preferred since the researcher is after a more descriptive, explanatory and exploratory means of examining how different HR personnel address talent management challenges in multicultural organizations (Reilly 2015). Interviews are preferred whenever there is a need to collect in-depth information on any subject. In this case, the subject under study is the challenges that affect multicultural organizations as far as talent management is concerned. According to Denzin and Lincoln (2008), interviews are useful research instruments that can be applied in the collection of information to gain insights into attitudes and perceptions. They also used to explore personal differences, experiences, and outcomes. The use of interviews is significant for this study since they will enable the collection of in-depth information regarding the effects of cultural diversity in organizations, as well as the challenges of talent management in culturally diverse organizations. A literature review will be used to compare the study outcome in the findings and analysis section of this study. However, before the actual study, it is often necessary to brief the participants of the study on the aims and objectives of the study. This is necessary since it gives the respondents an insight into what is expected of them, as well as allowing them to be free while answering the interview questions.
Quantitative Methods
Researchers make use of quantitative research methods when considering the use of numerical data in any study. The quantitative research approach is applied to produce the required statistical data. It is also employed to generate information that can be used for transformation of applicable statistics. Quantitative analysis is usually used to quantify opinions, behaviours, attitudes and variables that are definable. This helps to generate outcomes from a population that has many samples. The quantitative approach encompasses structured methods of data collection. Thus, quantitative studies comprise of systematic observations, surveys and interviews that are applied to gather data.
Quantitative research approach takes into consideration the analysis of data in an attempt to generate data that can be used for rigorous analysis. In such analysis, the approach makes use of other strategies such as experimenting and stimulating the research subjects. The inferential approach, on the other hand, is used whereby a set of data is needed from a given sample, and thus used in making inferences of any features or even the relationships among the samples used. The experimental approach refers to a quantitative research approach that takes great control of the research setting by maneuvering study subjects under investigation. On the other hand, the stimulation method involves fixing a temporary environment that can be used for the generation of relevant information, as well as data for the subjects under study. After the setting up of the necessary environment, a mathematical model is vital in the stimulation approach because it is used as a representation of a dynamic process.
Qualitative Research
A qualitative research approach is a form of exploratory research, which is used in gaining an insight of a given problem in any setting. In addition, qualitative research is used where the research intends to understand motivations, opinions, and reasons for a particular subject under investigation. Thus, qualitative research can be utilized in the provision of insights about any given research problem and the development of hypotheses and ideas. Thus, it is evident that the qualitative research is appropriate studying trends in opinions and thoughts. In addition, it helps the researcher have deeper understanding of the problem under investigation due to its descriptive nature. This explains why the qualitative research was chosen for this research.
The primary aim of the research is to investigate talent management within culturally diverse organizations. As such, the qualitative research is suitable for this study in that there is a need a study that offers insights and opinions of human resource personnel regarding the concert embracing culture in an organization, the challenges, and the ways that can be adopted by concerned organizations to effectively integrate cultural diversity in organizational talent management. Qualitative research would thus provide the necessary deeper understanding of the cultural diversity in organizations as opposed to quantitative research that only aims at quantifying collected data. In qualitative research design, there is often a variation of data collection methods with the key focus on semi-structured, as well as unstructured techniques. Thus, qualitative research uses data collection methods such as observation/participation, individual interviews, and group discussions among other related approaches. However, the sample size used in qualitative research is often small as compared to the use of a large sample in quantitative studies. The respondents to participate in a study are selected to fulfil a certain quota. Thus, the choice of qualitative research in this case was suitable considering that the researcher was required to choose the number and types of companies to use in the analysis of the study on talent management within culturally diverse organizations.
Additionally, this type of research approach will be used in this study primarily because qualitative approach allows the researcher to get closer to the respondents in order to examine their views on the subject more directly (Uren 2007). Since this study concerns itself more with human interactions and perceptions regarding present day processes and how they are applied, a qualitative approach was deemed as more appropriate as compared to quantitative analysis. This can be attributed to the fact that there is a need to evaluate how each human resource manager views challenges in talent management especially in a multicultural workforce and the different situational factors that influence their decisions behind the type of solution implemented. Such type of data collection would be suitable if approached from a first person point of view as compared to the statistical approach and simulations used in quantitative methodology (Ready & Conger 2007). Further, research has indicated that studies that involve human interactions to achieve the set goals are best carried out through a more engaging approach such as the qualitative research. In this case, the study focuses on the analysis of talent management practices in culturally diverse organizations and requires more human interactions (i.e. between the HR department and the different cultural groups involved) and, as such, extensive methods of deliberation are needed to answer the generated research questions for the study (Reilly 2015).
Research Frame
There has been a growing concern to manage talents in different organizations given that many organizations are expanding to international markets. For this reason, the study entirely focuses on the challenges that multicultural organizations face during talent management. Since this study focuses primarily on the challenges of talent management in multicultural organizations, the selection criterion will not cover small to medium sized enterprises. Such a selection criterion can be attributed to the fact that the small and medium-sized enterprises do not exude a high rate of multiculturalism within their operations as compared to the large companies. Kapoor and Sherif ( 2012) showed that the small and medium-sized enterprises face regional isolation, lack sufficient international expansion, and are in charge of a limited consumer base. Considering all these factors, large companies are thus more suitable for the needs of this study as compared to their smaller counterparts. The selection of the companies will be based on local availability and their size with Fortune 500 companies taking top priority. If such companies are not available, relatively large enterprises will suffice.
Data Analysis Techniques and presentation
The data collected from the study will be analyzed efficiently to increase its relevance to the target subject of talent management in culturally diverse organizations. There are several methods of data analysis such as the use of Microsoft Excel, ANOVA, as well as the SPSS. By using these tools, the researcher can be in a position to undertake effective data analysis by incorporating diverse statistical analysis concepts such as percentages, standard deviation, variation, and correlation. Furthermore, these data analysis tools can improve the effectiveness with which the findings of the study are presented using graphs, charts, and tables. Subsequently, such an approach of data analysis can be helpful to the researcher in the interpretation of the collected data effectively and efficiently. However, the primary method of data analysis in the case of this study involves an individual review by the researcher to examine the gathered data. The individual review will examine the collected data from the HR managers that were interviewed and compare it to the data obtained from the literature review to determine if there are any similarities. Analysis of the literature review and the chosen companies will be imperative to draw inferences.
Ethical Issues
Ethical issues in research refer to the outlook, actions, as well as strategies that determine the course of action and the ways in which a researcher approaches different research scenarios. Ethical issues in research restrict the actions of any researcher who gets involved in a study in any area involving people. Such issues concern what is proper or improper during research. As such, ethical issues in research can be seen as the code of conduct of the researcher when carrying out a given study. Usually, the subjects under study, as well as the discipline under which the study falls can determine the research ethics. There are some reasons why this study has to put into consideration the adoption of research ethics. To begin with, adhering to research ethics will help the research to achieve its objectives and aims including being keen to eliminate mistakes, and gain the necessary facts. Additionally, following the right ethical standards, in this case, will help in the promotion of values that determine the level of collaboration that the researcher gets from the study participants.
Considering that the research will involve human beings, it is necessary to adopt ethics. Some of the ethical issues to observe during the research include avoiding harm to participants, giving them freedom of participation, confidentiality of information, avoiding plagiarism, and informing them if any results will be recorded or printed. The research will try as much as possible to avoid any unethical behavior while in contact with the respondents.
Validity and Reliability
It is important for any research to use tools that are consistent in terms of results. The reliability of the research will be achieved through the use of credible databases and agencies. They will ensure that data collected is consistent and reflects the outcomes of the cultural diversity practices employed in the different organizations included in the research study.
On the other hand, validity is used in the measurement of the degree to which a research instrument collects the data that is required for a particular study (Kothari 2005). The data to be collected, in this case, will be concerned with the talent management in organizations that embrace cultural diversity. As such, considering such a uniformity of subject, it will be possible to achieve the degree of external validity. Hence, the results obtained could be used as representative results for other organizations in such a category.
Proposed Benefits to Users and Participants of the research proposed
Working, living and connecting with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds all over the globe has received a lot of concerns nowadays (Cottrill 2012). This can be seen in the urge of businesses to expand and embrace cultural diversity in their operations. Such expansion has brought about a rise in the number of competitors in the market. As a result, organizations are turning to talent management with the focus on cultural diversity as the only solution to deal with challenges emanating from an organization’s progress and expansion to other regions (Downs 2012). In addition, the rising need to create systems that have the ability to deal with talents’ shortage makes the achievement of various tasks and duties within different organization quite difficult (Flynn 2015).
Thus, this research acts an eye-opener to different organizations on the aspect of talent management and adoption of cultural diversity in their operations. The findings from the research will help organizations that embrace cultural diversity, as well as those that do not to understand the role of cultural diversity in talent management. In addition, the participants of this research will benefit from the recommendations from the findings of the study. Through the analysis of talent management in culturally diverse organizations, the study will outline some challenges affecting talent management.
Considering that different cultures have been cited to have different rules and perspectives on how particular matters should be resolved, the research will help the targeted organizations in understanding how to approach issues related to adoption of diverse culture in talent management. Through the understanding of the role of diverse culture in management and organizational setting, organizations will be in a position to deal with any challenges that arise from talent management in culturally diverse settings. The primary challenge associated with culturally diverse organizations can be seen in the competition of different cultures and ideologies that are present, resulting in problems when it comes to managing such a diverse group of individuals. Despite the fact that different employees work together in the same environment, they still maintain their distinct cultural identities that influence the manner in which they view the motivating factors and engagement strategies used by HR departments. Thus, the research will provide suitable strategies and practices necessary to deal with cultural diversity in management and organizational setting.
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