The American work force is no longer the homogenous collection of white male workers that it has long been imagined to be. Today's work force includes, women, minorities and immigrants, and businesses must find ways of incorporating the different values and work habits of each of these groups into the overall company structure. Management texts have traditionally ignored the vast differences that exist between members of the same company staff who come from different countries or backgrounds; while supporting Theories X or Y, the texts ignored the advantages and disadvantages that go with a diverse work group. This research examines the effects that using foreign-born workers can bring about in a work place.
Foreign-born workers are a fact of life in today's American work place, and their presence is likely to increase, not decrease, in the near-term. There are several reasons for this. First, the number of young people (aged 17 to 25) entering the work force is declining from past years. Second, immigration laws encourage legal immigration, and there is pressure now to increase the number of naturalized citizens. Newly naturalized citizens often use the "family preference" provision of immigration statutes to apply for permanent residency on behalf of their relatives (Reich, November 1990, p. 60).
During the 1980s, American hospitals were faced with a severe nursing shortage. Nursing had fallen from favor as a career path for women, who were seeking careers in the nontraditional (for women) business arena. As a result, American hospitals began active recruitment programs in the Philippines and Ireland, offering temporary work visas to nurses. In 1989, Congress determined that the shortage was severe enough to warrant extending citizenship to more than 10,000 of these nurses. There has also been pressure to create a new category of skilled immigrants who would be eligible for an additional 54,000 visas each year (prior...