ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we discuss three additional cultural factors and concepts and analyze challenges brought by cultural diff erences in the context of immigrant employees in North American organizations:
• Hierarchy and its impact on work relationships and performance • Individualism and its impact on teamwork • Risk tolerance and its impact on problem solving, decision making
and project management
is chapter examines each of these three concepts and discusses how to bridge the gap following the People-Systems-Environment solutions framework. As we did in Chapter 2, we look at these three concepts in the North American context, where people educated in diff erent parts of the world work together in the same offi ce. Our main focus is on solutions-readers who want to get a more detailed understanding of the dynamics involved are encouraged to read Chapters 7 and 8 of Laroche and Rutherford’s book Recruiting, Retaining and Promoting Culturally Diff erent Employees. We apply these concepts and the PSE solutions framework to other business situations in later chapters. is chapter ends by examining the answer to a critical question-“Who should adapt to whom?”
