Managing Human Resources in a Cross Cultural Context

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES AND REMUNERATION
The Employment equity Act (1998) prohibits unfair discrimination. Prohibitions against unfair discrimination are also in the South African Constitution (1996) and the Labour Relations Act (1995). These forbid direct or indirect discrimination on the basis of race, gender, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, religion, language and culture. There is a quite formidable legislative armoury against unfair discrimination in South Africa (Horwitz et al 2002). All workers doing the same level of work with the same qualification and experience are to be given the same pay. There should be the conscious effort to bridge the pay gap that was inherited from the apartheid system.
CONCLUSION
The management of human resources in South Africa has to take into consideration the political background and the socio-legal environment of the country. Though the implementation of 'western' human resources practises and policies in South Africa is possible, there should be a lot more emphasis on the managing of the socio-cultural and political issues. This is built on the divergence - convergence paradigm. Modern cross-cultural management is however built on the concept of crossvergence of cultures. This leads to a hybrid of management system where there should be an adaptation of 'western' management styles to suit the social, political and cultural situation of a host country.
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