Cultural Diversity within the Company and Its Influence on Managers' Informational Roles : Case Study of UMA Ltd Co

This thesis examines how cultural diversity within an organization might influence managers‟ information-handling process. The models used are; Geert Hofstede‟s five dimensions of national culture, to represent the cultural diversity; and Henry Mintzberg‟s definition of the manager‟s informational roles, to represent the managers‟ information-handling.To show this empirically, a case study of a half-Swedish, half-Vietnamese-owned retail company, UMA Ltd Co, was conducted. This company is situated in Vietnam and employs a range of different nationalities. Interviews were conducted with seven of UMA‟s managers to gain an understanding of their opinions concerning their informational roles, as well as to identify issues and benefits within the company caused by the cultural diversity.The results of the interviews revealed some relevant cultural issues and benefits of working in a culturally diverse company. It was evident through the analysis, in which the cultural dimensions were applied onto the informational roles, that there are a number of problems at UMA in need of repair. For instance, differences in employees‟ perception of the power distance dimension seem to affect how information is spread and gained. This is also caused by the unclear organizational structure of the company, where employees, instead of realizing who they are obliged to answer to, rather follow their culturally given hierarchical system. Further issues caused by the cultural diversity at UMA are presented in the conclusion of this thesis