Melbo Foods Nz - Leadership and Communication Strategies

...

The HRM department Melba Foods, after careful consideration of the cultural dimensions that were put forth by Geert Hofstede regarding the workplace values, provides the result of the analysis of comparison of the six dimensions between the two countries (Fig.1).

[pic 1]

Fig.1. Comparison of the Hofstede 6D Model between India and New Zealand

(Source: https://geert-hofstede.com/india.html)

The Power Distance index reveals the degree to which the gap between a boss and worker are present. The general structure of the HRM that is prevalent in India is based on the attitude of 'hand-it-down' culture (GeertHofstede, n.d.). There is a great gap between the boss and worker orientation in India, unlike New Zealand where the complete team involvement in any work environment is expected to be innate. Therefore, the communication strategy proposed to be implemented by the HRM department of Melba Foods has to be conscious of the level of initiative that would be inherent in the Indian work force, and how to tackle it.

The Individualism index represents the degree of interdependence prevailing in a society. At the midlevel, Indian work culture emphasizes the individual excellence as well as due importance is given to the greater good too. The Masculinity index expresses the level of competitiveness that is present in a society, wanting to be the best in what they do. Therefore, it is very similar to the New Zealand mindset. The Uncertainty Avoidance index represents the level to which a person 'adjusts', meaning settling down into set ways of life. Rules are oft not questioned and this trait is favourable only to a certain extent. It also implies lack of drive, an important point which must be given due attention before imposing the strategic plans for Melba Foods staffing approach to the Indian base.

Long Term Orientation (LTO) and Indulgence indices are superimposed by the Indian belief in 'karma', that what goes around, comes around. Hence, the midway LTO of the Indian society means that though Indian prefer to keep their roots untainted, they would gladly welcome newer traditions. The low indulgence factor, as against the high New Zealand factor, implies that Indians seek less gratification and prefer to withhold enjoyment and entertainment. This character of restraint may lead to pessimism in a given role over time, which might subsequently affect the productivity of the employee base. Hence these points are factored in to the strategic leadership plans that have been formulated for the Indian arm of Melba Foods.

3.2. Addressing the Potential Problems

1.Leadership Strategy:

The present status of the proposed new market is quite hanging in the balance, as the society is rampant with many evils such as child labour, corruption, bribery, a complete disregard to the environment, and many more. Also, it is definitely evident that the New Zealand work culture tends to be more relaxed and humanity-centered, while in the host country, the ethics lean more towards work and the firm. At this juncture, the HRM department proffers the adoption of international labour practices that are ethically bound and tailored to fit the Indian environment, while retaining the employment style of the home country.

2.Communications Strategy

Utilizing the means that is available in the present technological age would be an advantage to the firm. The best recourse would be have a clear communication plan that makes use of the e-communication to the maximum. Proper training in the communication technologies have to be infused by the HRM department along with the training in knowledge of work and time management.

4. Theory and Concepts

4.1. Leadership Framework and Implementation

There are various staffing approaches that Melba Foods has the option to consider from. The Ethnocentric approach focusses on the key positions being staffed by the home country employees and the other positions staffed by the locals; the Polycentric approach favours the local nationals staffing the entire company skeleton, and the accountability to the home country headquarters. The Regiocentric approach implies that the subsidiary is staffed by the people who are skilled in the region, irrespective of nationality. The Geocentric approach seeks the best people to occupy the key positions, no matter from they have to be enlisted (Hill, 2013).

With all these options, the HRM department of Melba Foods has decided to choose the ethnocentric staffing approach. This has resulted from analyzing the size of the firm, the target market and the product in discussion. Being a medium enterprise, it would be best advisable for the firm to choose and delegate the key staff from the base country and train the other staff to the standards of the Melba Foods. The market in discussion is Indian market which has a very diverse composition of taste preferences. The products that are to be introduced by the firm are the frozen desserts, which are in demand in the host country market. Hence the ethnocentric approach is justified in that, the key ideas and concepts are from the home country and only the manufacturing facilities and employees are instituted from the host country.

The advantage that the firm of Melba Foods has, is that there are plenty of Indian nationals who have settled in New Zealand and are citizens of the country and in employment of the firm (NZIndians, n.d.). It would be an advantageous situation to reduce the cultural myopia and increase the cross-border trust. This also minimizes the issues that might arise from the expatriate management performances. Using a veritable mix of management education and job rotation, a strong management network can be built to support transnational and global strategies.

4.2 Communication Approaches

There are various communication strategies that have to be assessed before contriving. The purpose of having a valid communication suit would be to achieve the satisfaction of all the stakeholders. There has to be a clear flow of communication that does not leave a space for misunderstanding. It should be ensured that the cultural noise is minimized to a large extent, and cultural literacy is increased. The process of attribution, which is finding meaning in the information communicated by an entity by the receiver, should be smooth, be it between the employer and employees or the firm and the stakeholders (Deresky,