Culture diversity management in the healthcare sector

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Date
2010-03
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Publisher
British University in Dubai
Abstract
In this globalized era, organizations have been enfaced with the challenges of managing culturally diverse workforces which reflect worldwide cultures. Today, more and more studies are being carried to study the concept of culture diversity management and its relationship with performance. However, little has been proven about this relationship and the factors influencing it, considering the lack in terms of thorough empirical investigation. The UAE and its enterprises present itself as a unique example of culture diversity. Healthcare particularly is a unique sector. The literature also presents the learning and integration paradigm; a perspective that many organizations consider as the ultimate approach to achieving the best of culture diversity. Based on prior theoretical work in the cultural diversity management literature, this research is a case study which aims to explore the actual status, role and effects of culture diversity management on the work of people in Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in AbuDhabi and how leadership can intervene to capitalize on what is potentially beneficial to the organization. To achieve this, a study that was based on the concepts of the learning and integration paradigm was conducted. This study gathered quantitative and qualitative data from clinical departments and their leadership regarding their backgrounds, co-workers, performance, managers and culture diversity management initiatives. The results indicated the absence of any formally structured culture diversity management efforts in the organization. It also indicated a relationship between culture diversity management and performance. However, it did not reveal the relationship between the extent of culture diversity and performance. Based on the findings, the study takes a theoretical approach to discuss the topic of investigation in Sheikh Khalifa Medical City proposing a framework that such an organization can use to achieve better culture diversity management.
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DISSERTATION WITH DISTINCTION
Keywords
Culture diversity management, healthcare sector, organizations, workforces, performance, United Arab Emirates (UAE), leadership
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