Analysis of Euroservice Company - Case Study Example

Euroservice Case Study analysis Student’s name Institutional affiliation Introduction Cultural differences have been the main reasons for misunderstandings and conflicts in many workplaces. This paper presents a case summary of Euroservice Company which is France based food company initiated in the nineteen sixties. The cultural differences are presented mainly by individuals of American and European origin. They differ in many ways of management and handling of employees. The case entails cultural diversity and poor human resource management as the key problems. The possible best solutions to the problems are contemporary employee engagement and cultural diversity. Answers to the activity brief are presented with regard to best recruitment criteria for both the Human Resource Manager and the head of the American Affiliate. Case summary The case study presents information of a food company in France ranked fourth position worldwide. It was launched in the year nineteen sixty by George Cartier and has over years employed more than forty thousand employees. Its main activity is to provide catering services to offices, hospitals, and hotels. Initially it only served France but expanded to United States, Brazil, Paris and Africa. The entrepreneurial witty nature of George’s on Alain Cartier won the company a great expansion in terms of coverage and services offered after he took over from his father. The positive energy exhibited by Cartier sailed the company higher each year that passed. The more time advanced the more diversified it became and reached far and wider. He instilled and made use of priorities which contributed positively to the growth and expansion of the company’s services like sales skills of high quality and control of financial assets through a tight budget. After the growth of the company across borders, English language was adopted by most company branches especially in non-French speaking countries. However, the dominating language remained to be French regardless of the fact that there were set strict policies on language. For a rapid and continuous success in a company there has to be fuelling factors. Euroservice was no exception. Some of these factors include proper management system, focus in making profits, a well channeled focus on how to approach the market segmentation, Charismatic culture and managers with perfect leadership qualities. Other workers had good sales marketing skills which lead to client satisfaction and called in for more thus increasing the returns. Turner Company, in United States Company which was offering the same services as those of Euroservice had started experiencing a huge expansion and demand which was overwhelming to the founder: Harold Turner. He was a self-made Manager who represented many in America. His leadership style was Significant and put into consideration the American values of management. He ensured that he emphasized on the essence of flexibility to his employees as opposed to rigidity and resistance to change or try out something new. Since there was a scenario of a willing buyer and a willing seller, Euroservice acquired the Turner Company. However, due to the differences in hospital control systems, there was a huge strain. The American Affiliate was blamed for low returns as compared to the Euroservice one. The company could not be managed from Paris, therefore, a recruitment drive by the appointed head of the American Affiliate was conducted. After John Murphy was selected as the right hand to Darmet, they worked for half a year after which misunderstanding filled the air. Murphy demonstrated concern over the poor procedures adopted by Darmet and failure to meet promises accorded to him on the contract he signed. Darmet on the other hand accused him of not performing well as he was supposed to. Even though Murphy’s promise to Paris was kept, he was not satisfied because he did not manage to tour all the hospitals he had been scheduled to. This made Murphy and Darmet’s after meeting unsuccessful which was postponed after a week. Issues in the case Cultural differences Culture is people’s way of life that live in a certain geographical areas or have same set of values, beliefs and norms. It is a key facet in influencing the way people live and interact with others. Cultural diversity has been is been embraced in the modern society through it has not been easy (Hartel, 2004). Culture conditioning has been the main facilitator of culture affiliation. Different individuals are conditioned to different education systems or other life aspects like workplace orientation. This occurs not in a one day experience but over decades. Hofstede (1980) explains culture as a mode of conditioning mind over time though experiences. Since it is programmed in the mind, it takes long to change in case there is a change witnessed. National cultures are characterized by the common features among people for example common personalities. From the case study, in the nineteen nineties Harold Turner contemplated on selling his company to the Europeans. “We Americans invented modern management. I can’t imagine myself selling my business over to the Europeans. If I leave my company, I ask myself what in the world they can teach my employees! I have a hard time imagining my former employees being managed by people who aren’t Americans. I always considered them an equal basis, very close to me. I wonder how they will react to Europeans, who have the reputation of being distant, ‘stand-offish’ and even elitist. Then there is the language problem! I don’t how people can ever work in another language other than English” (Klesta, 2016). From the above extract it is evident that there existed Cultural differences and work reputation and values between Americans and Europeans. This was also evident in the way John Darmet and John Murphy differed. Murphy felt that the procedures laid down by Darmet in American Affiliate were not adequate enough to bear fruits as far as productivity and increased returns was concerned. Darmet blamed Murphy for not been productive since most Americans were attributed to innovation and entrepreneurship. This was a cultural perception held by the Head of American Affiliate since he did not put into consideration the other factors which stimulate the exhibition of the Skills by Americans. Poor Human Resource Management Human Resource management is a system at workplace responsible for staffing, compensating employee benefits and defining employee duties. Good Human Resource Management is an essential factor in determining the productivity of employees and how they treat clients (Daley, 2006). The recruitment process of employees is the basic role of Human resource management. Darmet demonstrate dictatorship form of leadership without engaging his right hand Murphy in most issues. This made him feel left out. He also did not correct him in an applausive way rather in an offensive one. Generally, employees need to be engaged and motivated through rewards and positive comments even when they have not performed as required. This builds their trust to their bosses and are psyched up to work hard for the success and achievement of the set goals and objectives. Solutions Cultural diversity is a key solution to misunderstanding stemmed up by cultural differences and mental programming. This is a key element to adopt because it brings together individuals from different backgrounds who have different skills and view-points in solving issues and handling difficult situations. Good management can help cultivate a contemporary cultural diversity which brings about proper solving of issues and conflicts among employees or even employers and employees (Martin, 2014). For example in the Case of Darmet and Murphy, embracing each other’s culture and managing the conflicts in unison would have been key to realization of high returns. This is because if the top management does not embrace cultural diversity there is a high chance that the subordinates would follow the same suit. Contemporary employee engagement Employee engagement in the issues affecting the organization affirms their self-worth and makes them feel appreciated. It is depended on various tools and concepts. The employers ought to view it as a rich a useful tool to enhance the organization working environment and customer relations (Brajer, 2014). By conducting a risk assessment to identify the issues which ought to be improved on or discarded completely ensures building up of energy among all participants. A clear definition and guideline of all the measures in employee engagement has to be tabled to all employees. Creating a communication channel with those who seem disengaged will help them feel cared for. This is likely to make them open up and share their burdens thus resolve any issues affecting their productivity. In the current world, most people are glued to electronic media especially the use of smartphones. Therefore, this is a good channel for employee engagement. For instance, a whatsapp group where issues can be aired out is essential. This is because an organization is made of people with different personalities. There are introverts who will open up probably in such a platform Recruitment process This is a component of Human Resource Management whose first crucial step is identification of vacant position in either of the departments. Therefore, John Murphy should consider if the either position is new or a replacement of an existing one which has been left vacant. This can be achieved through conduction of a job analysis which is an essential process in identification of any gaps which ought to be filled (Recruitment Criteria, 2016). After conduction of job analysis the position can thus be tailored towards the new job requirement for example liaising with the local regional managers. Budget should be set with regard to the employee salary and the duties for example where there is need to travel to meet clients or market the company. In addition, other marketing strategies like online advertisement and identification or creation of new market outlets also ought to be budgeted for. The next step in the recruitment process is identification of the duties and responsibilities of the potential employees which ought to be presented in the point or channel of job advertisement (Appropriate Criteria, 2016). The purpose of the position like in this case it is the right hand of the head of American Affiliate is essential. The minimum requirements of the potential candidates and the most preferred qualifications ought to be thoroughly considered by the Human Resources Manager. These requirements ought to match the four job descriptions which entail: Ensure the liaison between the regional manager of Boston and New York and Washington, represent interests of affiliates Vis-à-vis the local laws and regulations, conducting a market study and ensuring Solid liaison with corporate headquarters in Paris. Later, a recruitment plan should have been established either through social media since there is technological advancement in the Human Resource Department after adoption of modern Information and Technology systems. Print advertisement could also be used in order to reach a diverse number of people. However, in a situation where there is need to minimize the number of applicants, channels which do not reach a high number of people can be adopted. A selection of a recruitment committee would be essential to reduce impeding biases which are accompanying one person recruitment option (Recruitment Criteria, 2016). After the Human Resource Manager together with the committee review the applicants and choose those who meet the specified requirements. After that he would communicate to them with regard to the date of their interview either via an email message or a formal call. Jean Darmet then conducts the interview to the selected candidates who have availed themselves. After the interview then the best applicant should be selected and hired for the job. This is followed by initiation of and negotiation of the offer. The misunderstanding which took place between Jean Darmet and John Murphy was highly influenced by the different cultural conditioning of the two individuals. Even the case study presents Darmet as a manager who had worked in different countries representing the company, he did not seem to put into consideration the differences in job culture in the United States. The rigidityof both individuals’ minds to their programmed culture fueled the misunderstandings. The advice the writer would give to Jean Darmet with regard to their following scheduled meeting would touch on the need for flexibility and embracing cultural diversity. His mode of leadership needed a change from a dictatorship form of leadership to a transformational one. There is need to listen to Murphy’s needs and opinions towards the way to improve the productivity of the company. Employee engagement is crucial in ensuring their motivation and innovation rates. Conclusion It can be summed up that Euroservice Company grew fast enough due to good management and set goals and objectives. However, the company’s case presented a different view in America under the leadership of Darmet. It presented how cultural differences and poor human resource management can result to misunderstandings which later affect the performance of employees and productivity in general. Therefore, there is need to embrace cultural diversity in places of work and respecting people’s values. It is also important to engage employees in all processes of the company in order to give them a sense of belonging and keep them motivated to work and increase their productivity. Recruitment process for both parties has been presented and need for Darmet to consider cultural value differences in order to have a peaceful working environment. References Abdullah, Z., Ahsan, N., &Alam, S. S. (2009). The effect of human resource management practices on business performance among private companies in Malaysia. International Journal of Business and Management, 4(6), 65. Brajer-Marczak, R. (2014). Employee engagement in continuous improvement of processes. Management, 18(2). Daley, D. M. (2006). Strategic human resource management. Public Personnel Management. Current concerns, future challenges, 5, 120-134. Härtel, C. E. (2004). Towards a multicultural world: Identifying work systems, practices and employee attitudes that embrace diversity. Australian journal of management, 29(2), 189-200. Hofstede, G. (1980). Motivation, leadership, and organization: do American theories apply abroad?. Organizational dynamics, 9(1), 42-63. Appropriate Criteria for an Effective Recruitment & Selection Program. (2016). Smallbusiness.chron.com. Retrieved 8 June 2016, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/appropriate-criteria-effective-recruitment-selection-program-11101.html Martin, G. C. (2014). The effects of cultural diversity in the workplace. Journal of Diversity Management (Online), 9(2), 89. Klesta, A. Euroservice Case 8 Read More