Question: In today's international business world, organisations are evolving in the global marketplace. While making this transition, companies must understand that training employees about cultural diversity -- at all levels of the organization - can provide individual employees and the company with a distinct competitive advantage. Human resource management and CEOs are dealing with accelerated mergers and acquisition, and are therefore immediately introduced to entirely different cultures that each relate differently to hierarchy.

It is important for global HR managers to understand that all layers of diversity are not being brought to the workforce. Human resources must acknowledge that they may possibly by managing according to their own moral code of ethics, which may not be the sociopolitical norms in the company's other global locations. The five areas of cultural importance for leaders to respect and understand are:

(1) geography and nationality: religion, region, ethnicity;

(2) profession: field of education, area of work;

(3) organizations: functions, union, corporation, industry;

(4) social life: family, friends, social class, clubs; and

(5) gender and sexual orientation.

Effective global diversity training can help leaders identify cultural differences in communication styles and learn which style to use in their everyday activities. Understanding these differences is of key importance to effective communication between employees and customers. For example, many cultures are nonverbal, relying heavily on correctly interpreting body language, facial expressions, speech patterns, tone of voice, and use of silence. Additionally, how something is said, where it is said, and what is not said are all elements of a culture's style of communication. Some cultures insist on having everything provided to them in writing regarding job descriptions, agreements, or goals. They are to be communicated on paper in order to be deemed respectable.

Yet this form of diversity training is effective only when all global employees participate in the instruction in order for a global corporation to both internally and externally operate to its fullest potential. Employees must go through training to understand how to communicate appropriately with their counterparts in other regions and ensure that everything is clearly understood to get the job done correctly.

Additionally, for global organizations to successfully compete in the majority of international industries, it is important for leaders to acknowledge, train, and implement technology as a primary means of communication. If properly understood by employees, global technology helps corporations with collaborating on innovative ideas, developing their strategic vision, planning, introducing products to consumers, and eliminating some business travel. Technology offers leaders the opportunity to broaden their knowledge of international regulations, the economy, different cultures, and new market niches. It can assist in accelerating partnership and alliances, and in sharing leadership responsibilities and the ability to act locally, and think globally, faster.