The Multicultural Workforce

How a Multicultural Workforce Might Affect Teamwork and Communications in Large Companies

COMM/215

23 September, 2013

How a Multicultural Workforce Might Affect Teamwork and Communications in Large Companies

Worldwide Telecommunications Inc. has provided access to local/long distance telephone, Internet, and mobile services for over 30 years. Over time, cultural changes have taken place over the world, and the company wants to expand into other countries. Hired by Worldwide Telecommunications, Inc., our team will explore these changes and how they might affect Worldwide Telecommunications and similar large companies. People from different cultures often approach work differently. These differences, coupled with communication barriers can be an obstacle to a company’s workforce. Gaining an understanding of these cultural differences, exploiting their talents, and mitigating communication barriers, (e.g., language) quickly can turn these obstacles into advantages and increase the value of the team.

A multicultural workforce comprises employees from many cultures and racial backgrounds. The cultures of the employees in the workforce of a country are based on the cultures in the population. “In the United States, the population has continued to grow more racially and ethnically diverse in the last decades and this diversity is now reflected in the work place. Managing this diversity in such a way that the benefits are maximized, and the challenges minimized are an important aspect of managing any business today” ("Multicultural Work Force," 2013).

Job performance and the workforce as a whole are affected by multiculturalism. Diversity in the workforce has positive effects in that employers are using it as a way of bringing different ideas for business to the table. According to Buchanan, 2013: “Looking at things from the variety of perspectives that multiculturalism brings to the workplace inspires innovation.” In the face of constant cultural...