Increasing International Talent in Technology Industry Organizations
Emaus, Katriina (2024)
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2024052917922
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2024052917922
Tiivistelmä
The technology industry, like many other industries, is suffering from shortage of skilled workforce. The reason for population increases in Finland is migration gain from abroad. Hence the objective for this thesis was to explore strategies for leveraging migration effectively to enhance organizational inclusivity and competitiveness, thereby enabling companies to better utilize international talent. Even though the amount of international talent is increasing also in the technology industry, the speed is too slow to fill the gap of needed workforce. It was also of an interest to understand how international diversity could be managed in organizations.
Since this thesis was not done for a specific company, rather aiming to benefit a large number of companies in the technology industry, the results show general recommendations for the companies interested in taking their first steps towards hiring international talent. No solutions can be found that would suit every company since every company has its own characteristics. However, the recommendations can be applied where applicable.
The thesis followed a research-oriented process. The main theoretical concepts included change management, future forecasting, organizational learning, and diversity and inclusion. To better understand the challenges that small and medium size companies are facing while considering internationalization of their workforce, a survey was sent to member companies of Technology Industries of Finland. A qualitative approach was used with simple-random sampling. Synthesis of the theory and survey results helped in formulating the best practices to add resilience of companies focusing on organizational view.
The analysis and survey outcomes reveal that companies are taking very modest steps towards internationalizing their staff. Many organizations recognize the importance of international expertise, yet encounter hurdles related to integration, preparedness, and bias mitigation. Language barriers and cultural adaptation emerged as significant challenges in integrating international talent, pointing to the need for targeted support and development efforts. Initiatives and efforts to further promote diversity, enhancing communication and reducing biases might be beneficial.
Dissemination of good practices to become a multicultural organization can be leveraged to other industries and companies. The recommendations might inspire new development tasks and research topics that companies can take further in their own work environment.
Since this thesis was not done for a specific company, rather aiming to benefit a large number of companies in the technology industry, the results show general recommendations for the companies interested in taking their first steps towards hiring international talent. No solutions can be found that would suit every company since every company has its own characteristics. However, the recommendations can be applied where applicable.
The thesis followed a research-oriented process. The main theoretical concepts included change management, future forecasting, organizational learning, and diversity and inclusion. To better understand the challenges that small and medium size companies are facing while considering internationalization of their workforce, a survey was sent to member companies of Technology Industries of Finland. A qualitative approach was used with simple-random sampling. Synthesis of the theory and survey results helped in formulating the best practices to add resilience of companies focusing on organizational view.
The analysis and survey outcomes reveal that companies are taking very modest steps towards internationalizing their staff. Many organizations recognize the importance of international expertise, yet encounter hurdles related to integration, preparedness, and bias mitigation. Language barriers and cultural adaptation emerged as significant challenges in integrating international talent, pointing to the need for targeted support and development efforts. Initiatives and efforts to further promote diversity, enhancing communication and reducing biases might be beneficial.
Dissemination of good practices to become a multicultural organization can be leveraged to other industries and companies. The recommendations might inspire new development tasks and research topics that companies can take further in their own work environment.