Human Resource management seems to be an integral part of the success of any company. As a matter of fact, the vast majority of prolific companies accomplish stated goals because of the hard work of the HR department. They contribute to the creation of a safe working environment, cultivate friendly relationships between the workers, and aim to meet the company’s objectives. Arik Air is the largest airline company in Africa that has some peculiarities concerning the work of the employees. It worth stating that the company encourages foreign people to work for them by paying more to foreigners than residents of Africa (“Report: Nigeria 2013” 306).
Such an attitude towards the native workers affects the working process in a negative way. The major aim of the paper is to provide an in-depth analysis of the work of the Arik Air under the American company and to examine the HR plan for the improvement and progress of the organization.
The reason the Nigerian company is interested in encouraging foreign pilots to work for them is that the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology was closed. The number of passengers carried by the company increases every year, however, it should be stressed that the number of pilots diminishes. That is, the company is ready to pay foreign pilots more than local ones. Nigeria is a country of the Third World, and the question arises why highly professional pilots prefer to go to Nigeria if they can get a job in any other country. The striking reason was that the candidates lied while filling the applications regarding their experience and skills. The vast majority was not professional and lacked needed knowledge. The candidates aimed to go to Nigeria to learn from the practice.
The cultural differences should be taken into account while creating the HR plan for the Nigerian company under the American company. The cultural peculiarities should be examined from the following dimensions, namely power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, long-term orientation, and indulgence. The index of the power distance shows how society views the division of powers and the fact that people are not equal. In Nigeria, the ratio is high (80), it means that people accept the hierarchical structure of the organization (“What about Nigeria?” par. 2). In the United States, the index is lower (40), and people view the situation differently (“What about the USA?” par. 3). Everyone is unique, and this is the reason for the inequality.
The next issue to take into account is the individualist and collectivist societies. Nigeria with a score of 30 is considered collectivistic, whereas the United States with a score of 91 means that individualistic approach is the priority (“What about the USA?” par. 4). Being in the group and be loyal is the paramount feature of the Nigerian culture. Shame and fear to lose the reputation are the guiding power in a collectivistic society. People in America are not so dependent on the group; they can easily move to another state in the case of a better job opportunity or getting more experience. The employees should rely on themselves and not seek help from the authorities.
The index of masculinity is almost the same in the United States and Nigeria, 62 and 60 respectively. The score indicates the level of competition in the organizations. The low score indicates that the society is more centered on caring about other people and living standards. The low score indicates that the quality of life is a success. In countries, where the Masculine score is high people live to work. The system is reflected in all spheres of life, starting from the school. Being a winner is the primary goal. Higher social status and success in the workplace receive priority.
Uncertainty avoidance displays the attitude of society towards the future. There are two options, to let everything go and observe the future happening or try to control and influence it. The uncertainty usually comes along with the anxiety. Nigeria has a middle index of 55; it does not show a transparent attitude. The United States with a low score of 46 proves that people in the country are open to new technologies, improvement, ideas, and desire to change something without fear.
Long-term orientation describes the willingness of society to save the past while facing some difficulties in the future and present (Fajana et al. 58). Nigeria with a low index of 13 is pragmatic, and people look for fast results. Almost the same situation is in the United States with a score of 26.
The dimension of the indulgence deals with the intention of the community to raise children who can control emotion and desires. The index in Nigeria is high (84 scores) it means that people value free time and tend to be optimistic. In the United States the index is lower (68), it describes the readiness of the employees to work hard. However, it also deals with the issue of drugs, as the level of drug consumption in America is higher than in most of the developed countries.
The HR strategies regarding the work with Nigerian companies should be directed to meet certain objectives. The essential keys concerning the work of the HR department are the following, namely talent management, unstoppable improvement, using knowledge as the tool to achieve progress, systems of rewards, and maintaining the prolific working environment with positive relationships between the workers (Steers, Nardon, and Sanchez-Runde 76).
I do not profess to be an expert regarding the subject, but I am strongly convinced that a geocentric approach should be implemented in the working process to collaborate effectively with the Arik Air. The approach is not focused on either two countries; the main idea is to take everything that works best in each country and to create a product that will satisfy the customers with similar tastes. Guided by this approach, the company will benefit and have all the chances to become the world’s leading. The world is on the way to the globalization process, and that is, the companies should address the geocentric approach that reflects the needs of the modern world.
While hiring the employees, the company should take into account that the staff should be highly professional. The first issue is that American parent company would face is that the Nigerian University was closed and there not so many competent pilots (Falola 140). The way out is to create programs for Nigerian students who aim to become specialists to study abroad. This solution will have beneficial consequences. First of all, people will feel appreciated and respectful, and secondly, they will get an opportunity to compete with foreign applicants in the job market.
In conclusion, it should be pointed out that in the case of combining the Arik Air with the American company all the cultural differenced should be considered in order to achieve a successful outcome. The difference between the countries is evident, and that is, the managers should use the geocentric approach to work effectively and respect the interests of both sides. Nigerian students should be given an opportunity to study, and it will improve the situation on the market.
Works Cited
Fajana, Sola, Oluwakemi Owoyemi, Tunde Elegbede, and Mariam Gbajumo-Sheriff. “Human Resource Management Practices in Nigeria.” Journal of Management and Strategy 2.2 (2011): 57-62. Web.
Falola, Toyin. Nigeria. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2015. Print.
Report: Nigeria 2013. Oxford: Oxford Business Group, 2013. Print.
Steers, Richard, Luciana Nardon, and Carlos Sanchez-Runde. Management across Cultures: Developing Global Competencies. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2013. Print.
What about Nigeria? Web.
What about the USA? Web.