Inclusive management in a diversified cultural environment

Abstract

The aim of this article is to diagnose the level of inclusion in the management of representatives of other cultures. This article introduces the idea of inclusive management, develops a model of inclusive management of an organisation in a cultural aspect, and applies the Inclusive Management Scale – an original research tool which can be used to diagnose the level of inclusion in management in the following dimensions: cognitive, affective and behavioural, and enables precise indication of strengths and weaknesses in a given area. The results of research conducted in 452 organisations based in Poland are presented. The research shows that Polish managers, with regard to the behavioural and affective dimensions, are at the first level of ethnorelativism. It should be noted that they tend to accept representatives of other cultures and undertake cooperation in spite of differences but do not have sufficient knowledge and determination on how to manage in a fully inclusive manner. Their knowledge of how to adapt and integrate foreigners should be improved. On a cognitive level, they are in a transitional phase between ethnocentric and ethnorelativist approaches to managing culturally different people. It has also been observed that managers of large organisations are more willing and better prepared to manage inclusively than managers of smaller entities.