Management of an international facility such as plant is a difficult task, which has multiple layers and sides. The manager has to deal with various aspects and contradictions. The fact that the plant is international means that the manager needs to show the skills and abilities to manage multicultural staff. Cross cultural management is based on addressing the needs and requirements of people coming from social groups with different mentalities.
Besides, the plant, just like any other business organization, has its structure and hierarchy, the managing staff and the employees have different goals and points of view. A successful manager of such plant needs to keep in mind all kinds of differences and ways of thinking of the personnel they are in charge of. It takes a lot of critical thinking and flexibility to be able to maintain a balanced and harmonious work of such facility and its employees.
A good manager has to rely on the theory of needs suggested by David McClelland. This is a very useful theory in the spheres of management and organizational behavior. The country I selected for the international plant is Japan.
This is a country with high social organization; this is why the application of management strategies is going to be successful. Japanese workplaces are known for distinct hierarchy in relationships between the superiors and subordinates. The managing staff will require their need for achievement and power fulfilled. The employees in general will experience the need for affiliation; this is why interpersonal relationships and workplace conflict management need to be paid attention to.
It is important to work out a system of rewards for the workers that performed exceptionally well. This will help with the organization of behavior at the workplace and stimulation for further achievements, according to the expectancy theory.
The plant needs to follow a clear scheme determined by specific goals and methods of their achievement. The staff will be more successful at fulfilling their duties if they are aware of exact expectations from their performance. People need to have clear tasks and the managing staff has to present reasonable demands in order to maintain balance at the workplace.
One of the main causes of the conflicts at the workplace is uneven distribution of rewards and resources. The managers of the plant have to divide the resources according to the needs of the staff and based on the personal performances of the workers. In order to organize better collaboration the groups working on the same tasks need to be evaluated according to the individual performances and contributions of their members and their influences on the collective results.
In the process of management of international plant reinforcement theory can be applied through the maintenance of cultural respect and recognition.
Japanese society is known to have a group mentality, these people are good at co-operation and collaboration. This will be the strength in the management of a plant in Japan. Besides, Japanese employees possess such important qualities as dedication and loyalty (Japan Feels the Squeeze n. d.).
Japanese employees are hardworking and devoted, but at the same time there is a certain level of laziness among these employees, this is their cultural peculiarity that will need to be addressed and certain adjustments will have to be made in order to support these people’s culture and keep it in balance with the business. Motivational strategies applied to the management of the plant will be based on the fact that Japanese emplyees enjoy having lazy time at work, watch sports and be relaxed at the workplace from time to time.
Reference List
Japan Feels the Squeeze. The Sunday Times. Web.