Cross-Cultural Gender Issues

Cross-Cultural Gender Issues Presented by: Carla Lee Ana Fujihara Vaidas Sukys Christina Liu Vicky Hoang Brazil Sweden

Tonight’s Agenda • Introduction of Brazil and Sweden • Typical styles of HRM & IHRM in Sweden & Brazil • Introduce companies chosen to analyze • Short skit and analysis • Challenges to global leadership development • Critics of the existing HRM & IHRM • Recommendations • Conclusion

Overview of Brazil • The largest country in South America with a population close to 200 million • Its GDP is $1.38 trillion with $7,600 per capita • The main stereotype of doing business in Brazil stands on 3 factors: • Government • Inflation • Special interests

Brazil’s GDP by Sectors:

Overview of Sweden • 3rd largest country in Northern Europe • Slightly larger than California • Population is ~9 million • 4.5 million in the workforce • Unemployment rate is 5.8% • GDP is $238.3 billion • GDP per capita is $26,800

Sweden’s GDP by Sectors

Typical styles of HRM & IHRM in Brazil • Ethnocentric with mixture of regiocentric and polycentric approaches • Recruitment policies and personnel selection • Training policies • Communication and programs that increases availability of educated female population

Classification by Gender

Typical styles of HRM & IHRM in Sweden • Ethnocentric approach • Coffee-machine selection process • Technical training instead of cross cultural training • No mentoring or counseling program • Not much consideration on performance evaluation • Attractive compensation package • Repatriation program varies from company to company

Introduction of Brazil’s companies chosen to analyze Petrobas: • One of the largest petroleum companies in the world • Has 37,899 employees and most of them are men: 33,211 or 87.6%, women only represents 12.4% Natura: • A local fast-growing cosmetics company • The best company for the female workforce Alpha: • A subsidiary of US company for Chemical and Equipment Industry • Process of selection, training and career promotions according to US standards.

Introduction of Sweden’s companies chosen to analyze Volvo Group: • Has production in 25 countries and operates on more than 130 markets • 76,000 employees around the world • Employees Overall: • Women 16% • Men 84% • Employees in managing positions: • Women 14% • Men 86%

Introduction of Sweden’s companies chosen to analyze Ikea: • Been the world’s largest furniture retailer which specializes in stylish, yet inexpensive Scandinavian designed furniture “at the price so low that the majority of people can afford to buy them.” • Has 201 stores opening in 33 different countries with a turnover of 13,570 million Euros in 2004 • 84,000 employees who operate in 44 different countries

Skit: Process of Selecting a Manager Scenario: • A Swedish subsidiary in Brazil is looking for a candidate to fulfill a managerial position. • 4 candidates are interested in the position. Roles: • Ana - Brazilian female employee • Christina - Swedish female employee • Vicky - Swedish male employee • Vaidas – Brazilian male employee • Carla – Swedish male manager

Analysis of the Skit • Due to the stereotypical roles of a Brazilian woman, Ana was not taken seriously. • Due to the ethnocentric staffing policies of Sweden’s IHRM and also the glass-ceiling Swedish women face, Christina was not chosen for the position even though she was very much qualified. • Ultimately, a Swedish male candidate was chosen based on his gender and because of the ethnocentric staffing policies.

Challenges to Global leadership (Brazil) • Incorporate, utilize and introduce managerial tools considered as world class • Know how to deal with clients, partners, competitors and suppliers of various nationalities, from different cultures and having different interests • Administrate work as a business, producing and creating strategies, policies and specific directives • Perform a standard of leadership called "transformational" or that which produces substantial changes not only in the job, but also in the resulting product of this job, and principally in those people that execute the work.

Challenges to Global leadership (Sweden) • Glass ceiling: expatriate is male-dominant business • Stereotypes: women as caregiver or housewife • Coffee machine selection • Culturally tough locations or regions preclude female expatriate • Government quota enforcement

Critics of the existing HRM & IHRM (Brazil) • Training programs aim for the creation of awareness and a change in people’s behavior • Problem: not proper use and incorporation of diversity and gender into the workforce • Enforcement of laws protecting Human Rights • Problem: remaining strong prejudice and racial discrimination

Critics of the existing HRM & IHRM(Brazil) • One of the leading South American countries with anti-glass ceiling for women • Problem: there’s still a strong inferior mentality against female worker • Brazil is an expatriate friendly country • Problem: lack of technological education and foreign language skills creates an uncomfortable environment

This data suggests a peculiar pattern of social mobility for women in Brazil. Comparisons by Gender http://www.schwartzman.org.br/simon/carnegie/capt3.htm

Critics of Sweden’s Existing HRM • Government encourages firms to employ more women • Problem: made the gender gap even wider in top-level management • Stereotypes of women • Problem: difficult for women to move or be placed in higher level positions -firms tend to hire women in lower level positions

Critics of Sweden’s Existing HRM • Set quota on more equal gender ratio in management positions • Problem: not hiring the most qualified candidate for the right job • Mandated parental leave • Problem: Only women take up PL -firms are unsupportive

Critics of Sweden’s existing IHRM • Expatriates not prepared to work on international assignments • Problem: language barrier leads to difficulties assimilating with HCN • Low selection rate for female expatriates • Problem: limits the firms to have a competitive advantage, and again not hiring the right person for the right job

Critics of Sweden’s existing IHRM

Recommendations For Brazil • Improvements through a better knowledge of international operations • Expand the network of expatriation and repatriation processes • Information exchange processes and technological advancements • Assure balance among expatriates and local work force regarding cross-cultural and gender issues • Improvement of training programs • Work towards enforcement of international laws regarding human rights

Recommendations For Sweden • Examine the organizational culture • Change corporate culture to be more supportive towards women for management positions – Govt. can give incentives to speed up process • Encourage men to “take up” parental leave • Develop diversity and support programs • Measure the change to the development

Conclusion • In a heterogeneous society, like Brazil, with great social inequalities, the theme of gender issues assumes great importance. • In contrast, Sweden’s gender inequalities are not as “great,” but the country is still comparatively more driven towards total gender equality with an emphasis on using legislative action. • The only way to approach this subject is to focus on the company competitiveness and show how a policy of managing cultural diversity and gender issues can bring out or develop new competences that add value to the company.

Thank you! Questions?

Cross-Cultural Gender Issues