Hints on managing an ageing multicultural workorce

In 2005, according to the Australian  Bureau of Statistics, the age structure of Australia's population was similar to that of Canada and the United States of America. Generally, the European countries and Japan had smaller proportions of children and higher proportions of older people than Australia. In contrast, other countries in Asia tended to have proportionally more children and far fewer older people, generally reflecting considerably higher fertility rates and lower life expectancies at birth than those experienced in Australia.

By 2010 the proportion of Australian people aged 65 years and over is expected to increase by almost one percentage point from 12.9% to 13.7%. By any measure used, the developed countries – East and West - have populations that are aging quickly.

This has implications beyond those normally associated with an aging population, such as matters relating to health, labour force participation and demand for skilled labour. There is now, from a management point of view the additional influence of globalisation and its attendant cultural issues.

Research has confirmed the commonly held belief that as people age their ability (and often their desire) to change is diminished and that their thoughts,  habits, patterns of behaviour, ideas and perceptions become rigid and limited and that it becomes more difficult for them to change in response to events (‘plasticity’ of the brain is reduced).

As people age they tend to prefer what they know, what is familiar and to associate with those of a similar disposition. Research has also shown that when people of a ‘mature’ age are presented with information that does not conform to their beliefs or current level of understanding, they either ignore or attempt to discredit it.  New ideas and information which contradicts or overturns entrenched beliefs and renders long used methods outdated or superfluous can be very distressing and difficult to absorb. It has been proved that as people age they generally act to preserve their internal belief structures and when there is a lack of congruency or a mismatch, they would prefer to change the world rather than themselves. This, very obviously, has serious management implications.

Now that globalisation requires many different cultures to work together – even if from different physical locations, it is needful to understand that because of differences in culture, perceptions and the aging factor, conflicts may arise. General communication can have its problems – even humour can be misinterpreted and taken the ‘wrong’ way. It may, however, come a surprise to either ‘side’ to learn that their culture, values and customs are not universal, that different people can observe the same problem and come up with a totally different solution – based on their cultural back ground. This forces an understanding that there is not just one ‘correct’ way of doing anything.   

As an example, research has shown that those in the ‘West’ – inheritors of the Socratic tradition - tend to divide circumstances and what they see into separate parts and analyse them accordingly. Whereas those in the ‘East’ tend to be more ‘holistic’ and observe how things fit together – the interrelationship of the parts that make up what they observe and the picture they have of life. This is similar to the difference between using a wide angle lens and one with a much narrower focus, to view the same object, event or circumstance. It is also worth remembering that those from the ‘East’ generally have a greater respect for ‘age’ (and authority and are much more conformist) than those in the ‘West’ and would be far more accommodating and likely to accept the idiosyncrasies of older employees.

For management to maintain appropriate work place harmony and reduce levels of stress the implications of aging combined with globalisation are twofold. Firstly, older employees are more rigid in their views and less likely to take kindly to guidance and criticism and less likely to quickly adapt to changes in the market to satisfy more modern or up to date requirements.

The second implication is related more to ‘custom’, in that different cultures have developed, over generations, particular customs, values and social mores, which seem ‘right’ to them but strange to others ‘outside’ that culture. This may relate to subjects as diverse as religion, food and eating habits, dress codes for both males, females and children, respect for those in authority  (ie being more ‘conformist’ and reluctant to question or clarify an instruction), addressing or greeting  an elder or authority figure, addressing or greeting an ‘equal’ of the same gender, addressing or greeting women and children, being very conscious of a person’s name as this may indentify their place of origin, be it village or tribe which will indicate that person’s caste or belief system and whether they are ‘friend’ or ‘foe’.

This is a very important point for all managers to be aware of and focus on, because today it is a mistake for global companies to believe there is a global solution – that one size fits all - Sydney is not Saigon, and Saskatchewan is not Szechwan.

So, how to manage within an ageing, multinational context? To succeed, business leaders must accept that there is not a global workforce with common values or motivations. They need to establish a management team with people from diverse backgrounds, who will serve as interpreters of the company's global goals - communicating messages with sensitivity across different cultures. Unlike a service or a product, human beings can't be managed in globally standardized ways; attempting to do so will create a less effective manager and less productive workforce and create a great deal of stress and unhappiness. 

The only answer to this is education and training – it is always better to be pro-active rather than re-active. It means educating and training managers in how to deal with others raised in an earlier time and/or in a different culture and to realise that we are all the same, we are all human beings. We all bleed when hurt, we all suffer emotional pain, we all have hopes and aspirations, we all  wish to live in peace and to be happy. All this relates back to an appreciation of the importance of ethics, and the inevitable consequences that will follow, if ethics is ignored.

Like an old familiar song, re-sung, the mantra is repeated:- Ask yourself “am I treating others the way I would like to be treated?” Also, ask yourself the question, “if everyone, (yes, everyone), did what I am doing, or propose to do, would the world be a better place?” If the answer to either question is no, then don’t do it.

The solution - greater understanding and empathy - will not happen overnight, of course, and not everyone will listen, or accept what is said. But a start must be made. No one said that managing people was easy.