Hispanics are a growing minority in the American workforce (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012); therefore, it is important to understand their cultural motivations to make them feel welcome. It is projected that by the year 2050, one-third of the American workforce will be Hispanic or of Hispanic background (US Census Bureau, 2008). However, research literature has neglected to pay attention to this new workforce; thus, there is a lot of misconceptions and misunderstandings regarding the behavior of Hispanics in the workforce (Comas-Diaz, 2001). To attract and maintain Hispanics in the workforce, organizations must educate themselves on how to meet the needs of Hispanic workers. The resolve of this quantitative study is to construct a descriptive model of inclusivity, multiculturalism, and recognition for decreasing misconceptions and increasing the understanding of the culture of Hispanics in the United States workforce. According to Baez (2005), Hispanic workers are thought to sympathize and to avoid conflict at any cost with people who they interact with. Blancero & Blancero (2001) explain that this view can be misinterpreted by organizations that might see this “sympathetic” behavior as a sign of weakness. Hispanics value family and extended family members including uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews, and grandparents very highly.
By making their family the center of their lives where they view them as their main support economically and socially (Grenier & Slepick, 1992). Therefore, when family or family members get sick, Hispanics do not have any hesitation taking days off to take care of them. Organizations can perceive this behavior as having a lack of commitment and not being accountable for their work. According to (Guerrero & Posthuma, 2014), Hispanics come from collectivistic cultures where activities, responsibilities, and accountabilities are shared; thus, Hispanics do not like to take personal credit for their accomplishments. Organizations see this as being incompetent and unable to be productive at the job they perform. Personal contacts such as hugging, kissing on the cheeks, and patting in the back are very common among Hispanics; however, in the Non-Hispanic culture, personal contact can be considered inappropriate (Grenier & Stcpick, 1992). There are many cultural reasons why Hispanics can be perceived as being not committed or weaker than their Non-Hispanics coworkers. The author of this study will offer a descriptive account of the misconceptions organizations have about Hispanic workers.
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Problem Statement
According to the US Department of Labor, there are 15.2 percent of Hispanics, 11.1 percent of African-Americans, 5.4 percent of Asian-Americans currently working in the American workforce (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012). The Hispanics are the largest minority group in the United States workforce, hence, the need to analyze their cultural background. Edmonstor & Passel (1992) posit that managers have a more negative understanding of Hispanics than of Non-Hispanic workers. Conversely, Sanchez & Vizcarra (1995) assert that non-Hispanic managers have a negative perception of Hispanics for their negation to relocate in comparison with other groups. On the other hand, Williams (2007) points out that non-Hispanic managers perceive Hispanic workers as being uncommitted to work because they ask for too many days off to take care of non-close family members. According to Baez (2005), the Hispanic culture has different motivations than non-Hispanics in the workplace, so understanding those cultural differences can affect their working habits positively. However, Hispanics cannot bring their culture and habits into the American workforce because it can create misconceptions among Non-Hispanic workers. These fallacies regarding the Hispanics in the American workforce portray the need for providing an analysis of the cultural background of the Hispanics. The empirical research regarding the misconceptions and cultural fallacies of Hispanics is scanty and insufficient. The general problem of the study is that inclusivity, multiculturalism, and recognition influences the understanding of the Hispanic culture. The specific problem of the study is that inclusivity, multiculturalism, and recognition of Hispanic cultural background reduces the misconceptions and increases the understanding of the culture.
Purpose Statement
The purpose of this quantitative research is to investigate how a model of Hispanic cultural background can be employed by organizations. The main focus of the research will be to describe how inclusivity, multiculturalism, and recognition can influence the misconceptions and understanding of the Hispanic culture. The main variables of the study will be inclusivity, multiculturalism, and recognition versus the misconceptions and understanding of the culture. The independent variable of this study will be the inclusivity, multiculturalism, and recognition, which will comprise of various aspects that relate to the Hispanic culture. The dependent variable of the study, which will be greatly influenced by the independent variable, is the misconceptions and understanding of the culture. The participants of this study will mainly consist of Hispanic workers drawn from different organizations in the US. The findings of this study will be relevant in informing managers, employers, and leaders on how they can reduce misconceptions and increase the understanding of the Hispanic culture at the workplace.
Research Questions
Organizations in this new era of globalization are facing problems such as how to attract, retain, and effectively manage global workers. However, not many organizations have adapted the programs available to deal with this new workforce (De Cieri & Kramar, 2003). To assimilate the new wave of Hispanic workers, organizations must expand their understanding of the Hispanic culture. The research questions to be investigated are
RQ-1. Does multiculturalism affect the misconceptions and understanding of the Hispanic culture?
RQ-2. Does inclusivity contribute to the understanding of the Hispanic culture?
RQ-3. Can recognition have an impact on the misconceptions and understanding of the Hispanic culture?
The following hypotheses will be proved by the study based on the negative perception on Hispanic workers due to their cultural background, including, behavior, values, and experiences in the workforce.
The null hypothesis (Ho): No, inclusivity, multiculturalism, and recognition do not influence the misconceptions and understanding of the Hispanic culture.
The alternative hypothesis (H1): Yes, inclusivity, multiculturalism, and recognition influence the misconceptions and understanding of the Hispanic culture.
Theoretical Framework
Addressing cultural awareness and sensibility towards Hispanic workers is in the agenda of many organizations; however, little has been done to effectively implement changes to address the cultural challenges of these workers (Cox, 2001). One theory of cultural motivation found that individuals from countries where there is a lot of freedom of space, individualism is praised than in countries where there is not much freedom of space. In these countries, collectivism is praised (Hofstede. 1999). Thus, understanding the different weight Hispanics have between collectivism and individualism should be acknowledged by organizations to understand them better. Another theory of behavior suggests that individuals in some cultures tend to express their emotions openly while in other cultures individuals should not show their emotions because it is considered unprofessional (Trompenaars, 1994). Hispanics workers are very open at showing their emotions which can be seen by organizations as being unethical or unprofessional. Findings from this study could disclose what kind of misconceptions Hispanic workers face in the workforce. By understanding these misconceptions, organizations can develop ways to improve managing, attracting, and retaining Hispanic workers.
Proposed Research Methods and Design
The method and design for this study will be the descriptive quantitative method to understand the misconceptions and motivations of Hispanic workers. Answering the two research questions mentioned earlier will help organizations understand the cultural values of Hispanic workers. The study will be based on quantitative data collected from surveys sent randomly to select Hispanics in the workforce. The analysis of the responses to the survey will provide a perspective on cultural motivation from the Hispanic worker's point of view. This quantitative study will use a statistical test to identify the cultural motivations of Hispanics.
Conclusion
The workforce in the US has been considered a place where people from different nationalities work together; however, there have not been enough studies to understand the value, culture, and motivation of workers from different nationalities (Suarez & Suarez, 2002). Among the different nationalities working together in organizations are the Hispanic workers, who are the biggest growing minority in the workforce (Wiltz, Venlemerica, & Porter, 2005). Consequently, understanding Hispanics and addressing their concerns will help organizations to build a working, friendly environment that is culturally sensitive. This study intends to depict how a cultural awareness model can reduce misconceptions and increase the understanding of the Hispanic culture through the use of surveys and statistical analysis that will help explore the experiences of Hispanic workers.
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