How Can We Bridge Cultural Divides and Improve Task Tracking in Our Diverse Team?

Dear HR Members, I'm working in one of the IT companies in Mumbai as an HR Manager. We are around 50 people from different cultures and religions. The first problem we are having is:

Cross-Cultural Differences

With much surprise, we have 50% Gujaratis and 50% Marathis. Most people are part of their respective cultural groups. This becomes an issue when it comes to performance. Let me explain how! We have four departments: In one department, it's a mixture of both Gujaratis and Marathis, and it's already divided within (though it shouldn't be). Because of this, we are unable to get maximum output from them.

It's not that we haven't put any effort into uniting them. From the outside, they all appear to work together happily, but we know that their groupism behavior and lack of sync in their work create bigger problems in the company. So, my friends, suggest what steps I can take! For your information, we are already organizing games and activities.

Tracking of Tasks

We have inbuilt software for tracking tasks, and we make them fill out task sheets every day. However, we are not able to effectively track their tasks and projects. Kindly suggest an effective way to keep their tasks under record.

Regards,
Sneha

Let's face it, this sort of situation is always present in any company, either overtly or covertly, whether it's an SME or MNC. It's always bound to be there in some measure. I suggest you don't try to completely eliminate this attitude—you can't. What should finally matter is whether the work is being affected or not.

I am not sure games and other similar steps handle this problem well. They are meant more to inculcate/enhance a sense of rapport, camaraderie, and belonging among the staff.

Common Language Policy

Generally, first and foremost, the rule of the game is everyone, including the bosses, must speak in a common language. English is the choice for IT companies. To begin with, it may have to be enforced. The role of the top bosses and leads will be critical if this has to succeed. Even if someone asks a query in Marathi or Gujarati, let them reply in English. It will slowly percolate down the lines. If anyone wishes to speak in native languages, they can always do it outside the office or during lunch breaks.

Hiring Strategy

Another medium-term solution is to hire those who speak other languages. That's when the Gujaratis and Marathis would be forced to speak in a common language during interactions. Please note that this will be a slow process before you begin to see results. What you ought to observe is whether the improvement is visible over a period of time or not.

All the best.

Regards,
TS

Dear TS,

Thank you so much for your wonderful suggestion. I would like to mention here that we already have a rule to not speak in the native language. Due to these differences, we are experiencing an impact on our productivity and output.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Best regards

If the rule is already there, then I can say with certainty that it isn't being followed by the bosses, consequently by those down the line.

Having worked with the categories you mentioned, the usual tendency I found is that they may speak in English when in a group, but when the boss or team lead is in a one-to-one meeting with a person from his/her region, they most likely switch over to the native language, actually very subconsciously. This is the reason I mentioned 'the role of the top bosses and leads will be critical'—whether it's in a group or individually, English has to be spoken in the office premises, full stop.

Let me add that this tendency is not just among the crowd you mentioned; it's much higher in those belonging to South India, but yet things have been brought under control in the IT companies.

All the best.

Regards,
TS