by Matthew J. Geiger

Created on: January 26, 2010

Businesses are composed of various cultures.  Beyond the obvious ethnic and religious differences among employees, the cultures of management and subordinate employees can often conflict.  This may lead to attitudes that influence how a worker or manager views the cultures of these other employees. This type of bigotry on behalf of both management and workers can severely hurt a firm’s business operations, thus looking at each other as individuals is sometimes a better approach to business.

Looking at conflicts between union workers and management, a clear example exists where cultural differences cause serious issues.  On the one side, workers are rebelling against a corporate entity trying to diminish the value of workers’ labor and undermine their lifestyles for the sake of making others wealthier.  On the flip side, management sees ungrateful employees, who want more than what they are worth, and are unwilling to compromise to keep their lifeline, i.e. the company, profitable and alive.

In extreme examples, workers and management see each other as enemies versus essential components of a firm.  If these conflicts go unresolved, both groups start to act irrationally in regards to business operations while the simple goal of punishing each other takes the forefront in negotiations.  These culture wars, thus, undermine the business and only create resentment by both groups.  On the other hand, individuals from each culture can clearly see something in specific managers or workers that they find agreeable.

Like racism and other forms of discrimination, looking at the individual person helps dissolve stereotypes.  If both sides can find representatives capable of doing this, irrational elements in the business environment may suddenly disappear.  The reason is that these individuals are more likely to consider the other individuals’ interests and grievances.  Since cultures are blobs of people, they often become faceless.  When management and workers are able to empathize with the responsibilities and needs of others, they can help improve relationships between both cultures.

Furthermore, the day to day operations of a business depend on individual contributions.  When all levels of employment can connect as individuals then there is a better chance of understanding what all the employees of a firm need in order to achieve success in their individual roles.  As a consequence, a stronger, healthier community exists within the firm and success for everyone is more likely.  In all, taking an individual approach on behalf of management and workers can help everyone involved in a company’s operations fulfill their interests.

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