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There is no denying that organizations, whether domestic or global, whether educational, governmental, or business, are undergoing rapid transformation. However, what is causing it? Prompted by the need to remain relevant and competitive, organizations constantly try to reinvent themselves. Those that do not, according to the laws of economics, will simply serve no purpose and will eventually cease to exist. Regardless of sector or industry, an organization's success pivots around its human talent. Hence, it is crucial to manage it and cultivate certain traits, knowledge, and skills. In today's global economy, organizations are more interconnected than ever before and thus the challenges they face require that employees possess not only expert knowledge, problem-solving, cross-cultural, and cross-functional teaming skills, but also good communications skills and agile thinking.
Many researchers have explored the phenomenon of intercultural communication since Edward T. Hall first brought it to light in the late 1950s. Although the literature is quite extensive, the ongoing sociopolitical struggles are evidence that even in the twenty-first century, society has limited intercultural as well as intracultural communication competence. This limited understanding continues to bring about discord in every facet of life, including work.
The modern workforce is expected to possess certain knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are inherently different from those expected from previous generations. Due to globalization, intercultural competence and highly effective communication skills are at the top of the list - a working knowledge of English as the lingua franca of today's business world can be considered as a first step.
Since its early beginnings in the form of correspondence schools, e-learning has generally sought to provide flexibility and high quality education. While these are indeed noble intentions, the reality of today's connected world demands that such programs focus on a different purpose. As the main purpose of e-learning shifts, so must be the design approaches.
Rethinking e-learning requires open-mindedness on the part of academies, designers, cyber educators, legislators, IT and administrators, but also the learners themselves. All who are involved in or impacted by e-learning programs must speak up and finally share their perspectives, but who will be listening? The key to rethinking e-learning lies in the ability of the stakeholders to listen to each other and make decisions which are in the best interest of the learner.
This chapter will propose a new purpose for e-learning and explore promising possibilities for learner-centered design. The future of e-learning can be shaped by the decisions made today, but before any decisions can be made, one must acknowledge e-learning's successes as well as its shortcomings. The purpose of this chapter is to encourage those who are impacted by e-learning to think about the future.
The effects of remote work on employee satisfaction: an Eastern-Western cross-cultural analysis
(2024)
Enriching the cross-cultural employee satisfaction literature in the remote work context, our qualitative study develops a cross-cultural and multi-dimensional model illuminating how four dimensions affect employee satisfaction. Our analysis is based on a complex qualitative research design comprising in total 53 semi-structured interviews of individual contributors and leaders from Germany and Japan. Findings reveal that employee satisfaction and the underlying cultural, contextual and personal factors and ramifications extensively vary across these countries. As part of our model, we identified a series of national, organizational, managerial, and individual dimensions that influence employee satisfaction in multiple ways. The data gathered confirm that cultural aspects have a significant impact on employee satisfaction on three of the dimensions which emerged from our data (organizational, national, and individual). Based on our findings we formulate specific propositions, guiding future research and practice.
Companies are increasingly faced with new challenges and have to adapt to rapidly changing conditions. Agility and digitalization can help companies to overcome problems and offer a wide range of options for implementation. Furthermore, HR departments in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have been facing further challenges for years, such as the shortage of skilled workers and trainees and changing stakeholder requirements. In light of these enduring complexities, it is pertinent to inquire into the efficacy and constraints of leveraging agility and digitalization within SMEs, particularly concerning HR practices. This study endeavors to explore the nuanced interplay between agility, and digitalization within the SME context. The ensuing qualitative study endeavors to dissect this intricate nexus, culminating in the articulation of a hypothesis model aimed at illuminating the intricate dynamics at play.
