Multicultural Teams

 

 

Creating diversity in companies is essential for management in globalizing work situations.  This is easily exemplified, at present, by large multinational organizations from CEO right down to middle management and support staff with Spanish CEOs running French companies, to Germans running American conglomerates.   Few sectors are spared and even some of the most resistant organizations require the forward thinking of creating multicultural teams.  This could be considered a global phenomenon where a parallel could be drawn in sports.  Top tier sports clubs, hungry to win, are willing to recruit from wherever the top talent is.  An NBA or football player must be had at any cost. What is the price? These new multicultural offices are becoming essential for successful organizations although it is not all that easy to put these teams together.  The work environments become double-edged swords regarding the pros versus the cons in comparing the results.  Perhaps the advantages seemingly outweigh the disadvantages but a closer look will reveal the complexity of the dynamics in multicultural teams.  It goes without saying, that there are many different perspectives that can be argued in this circumstance but there is a predominant point of view.

 

 

“Diversity trumps.  Hiring and promoting multicultural environments isn’t optional anymore– it’s essential. (Fortune Magazine 2009”)

 

The Benefits of Multicultural Teams

 

 

–  Creativity

 

Perhaps one of the greatest advantages in working with multicultural teams is the dynamic between the members regarding creativity.  Having teams originating from various experiences will expand significantly in the following ways:

 

Originality:

 

Various backgrounds contribute to positive brainstorming results.  Perhaps the idea that thinking out of the box is more advantageous than the status quo. Originality is a key element for a positive outcome.

 

Imagination:

 

Various backgrounds also contribute to imaginative solutions.  When a managerial or operational result requires the team to explore uncharted territory, answers are more imaginative with culturally varied work groups.

 

Ingenuity:

 

Multicultural teams are clever regarding inventiveness and resourcefulness.  This creates a knowledgeable team.  It is known that the more varied the cultural diversity of the teams the more ingenious the results, so the stronger the outcome.

 

Inventiveness:

 

A stimulated and well rounded imagination transforms into inventiveness.  Inventiveness leads to solutions that are out of the ordinary.  This will stimulate stronger team dynamics.  The associates can no longer anticipate the solution whether they be managerial or solution orientated.

 

 

 

Resourcefulness:

 

Original solutions can give competitive advantage.  Work teams have a tendency to look for answer to our challenges in the same areas if they have the same backgrounds.  Our perceptions are different so our resourcefulness varies.

 

Vision:

 

Leadership is founded on vision.  Vision is paramount to for effective results and for the most appropriate vision, global recruiting is fast becoming the norm.  One could say that vision equals leadership which in turn produces outstanding results.

 

 

–  Innovation

 

“The main argument for having a diverse workforce is the increase in innovation,” says Rosalyn Taylor O’Neale, the former CDO of MTV Networks. 

 

 

One of the most effective means of realizing the impact of a word is to look at the words that are associated with it.  Here are  some typical synonyms that can  be associated with the idea of innovation.

 

A list from the thesaurus:

Consider the following dynamics regarding innovation: modernism, perfection, progress, originality, novelty, development, uniqueness, diversity, improvement and advancement.

 

Assuming the word innovation can be directly associated with multiculturalism, consider the impact of these words on the performance of an organization.

 

 

Modernism:

 

Modernism is essential for organizational growth.  Imagine the proper functioning of a company without the typical elements associated with being modern.  The computer is one.

 

Perfection:

 

Perfection is the attainment of the ultimate goal.  Even if it is not realized, it should be strived for.   It is the benchmark.

 

Progress:

 

Progress is best defined by the creator of IBM Thomas J. Watson:

“Once an organization loses its spirit of pioneering and rests on its early work, its progress stops.”

 

And it could be concluded with an ultimate demise.

 

Novelty:

 

Novelty could be best defined through the famous quote by Henry Ford who said:

 

« If I’d asked my customers what they wanted, they’d have said a faster horse. »

 

The question to ask at this point is how profound is the impact of multiculturalism on novelty.  Remember some of the most profound engineering results are now being produced in India, Brazil and China.  How can culturally diverse work teams work with these elements to create advantage?

 

Development:

 

Development is a powerful idea with consequences in management as well as production.  An organization void of development will soon falter.  R&D, marketing, sales, and organizational strategies are all experiencing development.  What is the impact of a multicultural environment in these circumstances?

 

Uniqueness:

 

Uniqueness provides essential character to a group which eventually transmits into innovation further moving teams to new heights.

 

Diversity:

 

Diversity is perhaps cleverly defined by Malcolm Forbes, the creator of Forbes Magazine and a former presidential candidate:

 

“Diversity: the art of thinking independently together.”

Perhaps this is the key element to a multicultural approach to working with teams.  It is truly the idea of powerful group solutions through innovative individuality.

 

Improvement:

 

Improvement can be summed up by the Japanese miracle of the post war era defined as constant and never ending improvement and also know as Kaizen.

 

“When applied to the workplace, Kaizen activities continually improve all functions of a business, from manufacturing to management and from the CEO to the assembly line workers.” (wikipedia)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Challenges of Multicultural Teams

 

There are elements that could be a threat for a multicultural team’s performance.  Consider some of the barriers and challenges of multicultural teams.

 

“Teams whose members come from different nations and backgrounds place special demands on managers—especially when a feuding team looks to the boss for help with a conflict.

(Harvard Business Review – November 2006)”

 

Perhaps on of the most challenging elements in multicultural teams is the merging of an international environment (people from abroad) who might be well acquainted with cosmopolitan environments, with those with less diverse cultural experience;  i.e. a local situation where a more restricted international experience is more common.  The conflicts can take on the form of jealousy manipulation and a general reduced productivity.  These are managerial challenges. Further challenges of this type can take the form of classic top down management structures conflicting with a progressive horizontal ideology.  For example, a project organizer might respond to a challenge from a subordinate team member in a different fashion in two different cultures.

 

Further resources

A plethora of books have been published to reflect the needs of today’s organizers and multicultural team dynamics to comprehend the requirements of multiculturalism and the dynamics associated with it.  Perhaps one of the most popular books of this type include Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands The Bestselling Guide to Doing Business in More than 60 Countries  (Adams Media; 2 edition (July 24, 2006))

 

The book was written by executives preparing other executives for international business circumstances.  It has been referred to as a godsend for rapidly growing international collections. It is affordable, to-the-point, and easily understood book by those who as yet have, as they say, no stamps on their passports.  Sixty countries are examined in terms of background, cultural orientation, business practices (e.g., negotiating, team dynamics), and protocol (e.g., gestures, dress). Morrison and cohorts cover some countries not included by more costly « Doing Business In » publications by Business International and Price Waterhouse.

 

 

Group cohesiveness

Whereby a group may function more dynamically considering result orientated management, the actual group dynamic may suffer.  There are many factors that affect this aspect of the teams performance including, stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, and communication issues.

 

 

Stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination

The location of the organization can have a profound affect on the attitude of the participants.  There are some environments that are more used to multicultural surroundings.  Cities such as Frankfurt, Amsterdam and New York are used to cultural mixtures in organizations.  Although Tokyo, being one of the largest cities in the world, has less diversity.  How does this impact a mixture of cultures in a team?   There is also the nature of the organization.  Academics have traditionally multicultural atmospheres rendering a diverse environment status quo. Compare that with, say, a local political organization, and the challenges become more apparent.

 

Languages

Communication problems can become an issue.  Multicultural situations require a common lingua. There are 2 billion people world taking English language lessons.  Some cultures have been quick to adapt to speaking the now-accepted business language of the world.  The Netherlands, for example, has been a big promoter of multiculturalism and as a consequence Amsterdam has become a city with more head offices per capita than anywhere else.  Frequently, the default language of communication in an entire structure in Dutch businesses is English.  Consider the idea that Amsterdam is an hour away from London.  With a population of around a million, it has a significant economic impact on cities ten times its size within its proximity.

 

 

English people learning how to communicate

To elaborate on how a monoculture stigma can limit a team environment, a recent article in the New York Times pointed out that English companies in England are giving English lessons to their staff.  Imagine this.  The international community (being non-English native) is able to communicate with one another, but the communication with native English speakers is not as convincing and is therefore limited.  Anglos are not being understood so British and American mono linguistic groups are out of the communication loop. A Spaniard communicates better with his or her Italian, Korean and Chinese colleagues than with a Brit or an American.

Where does this come from?

What has brought on this monoculture in America?  Imagine a unique culture from Norway to Turkey and from Moscow to Gibraltar.  Now consider the zone having the same newspapers, language, cultural icons, TV shows, educational standards, business standards, communications systems, military budgets etc… This is the case in North America (excluding Mexico and Quebec).  The same business culture permeates an area stretching 5,000 kilometers in all directions.  Furthermore 50 of all world production (Global GDP) was being produced in the USA in 1947.  Essentially they did not have any business partners.  They didn’t need any.  This advantage is now turning into a disadvantage.  Globalizing is creating a level playing field.  Some would say the US is no longer the dominant business culture worldwide but we have adapted to the American system culturally, linguistically and systematically.  Now is has become the default business culture.

 

How does this apply to multicultural work environments?

Regarding fluency and accent and the concept that English is usually not a mother tongue, how does a typical non-native team member participate in a multicultural situation?  Let’s take a typical case study.  Ebay is an international organization with offices around the world with their head office in Brisbane, California.  Most team members including management, tech support, development and sales are required to participate in bimonthly conference calls involving native and non-native English speakers.  It is to be noted that teams are expected to have mastered English enough to be able to communicate;  i.e. to understand and to be understood.  This is considered a given.  The typical reaction from neophytes is apprehension and a formula response.

 

Experience

Gaining experience, usually supported with training, team members become communicative and develop confidence.  Accent and fluency become less important.  With significant experience the team member is requested to do presentations for international teams.  The tendency is that native speakers learn as much in the process so as to communicate well to non-native speakers. In other words it is a two-way street.  The conclusion at the organization is that as long as new team members have a functional level in English (which is the case for most university students graduating today) they adapt quickly.

 

 

Different styles of communication

The next element to take into consideration is the style of communication.  Consider the following excerpt from Bow, or Shake Hands. 

 

Australia: The « thumbs-up » sign, which in the U.S. indicates « O.K. » is considered rude.

 

Brazil: The colors of the Brazilian flag are green and yellow, so avoid wearing this combination in any fashion.

 

China: Avoid making exaggerated gestures or using dramatic facial expressions. The Chinese do not generally use their hands when speaking, and become distracted by a speaker who does.

 

Indonesia: Since it is impolite to disagree with someone, Indonesians rarely say « no »…a clear way to indicate « no » is to suck in air through the teeth.

Perhaps one of the most interesting points in this excerpt is the thumbs up signal which is a miscommunication between two Anglo-Saxon cultures.  Another element of communication is the subtlety and directness of the communication. Furthermore, there is the situation where an international project manager based in Kyoto, Japan was required to report on a project being done in Athens, Greece. During the meeting everyone was talking at the same time.  To the Japanese participant the meeting appeared to be a free for all.  The Greeks thought the Japanese participant was not contributing enough. How does your culture conduct meetings?

 

Dressing for work

How we communicate is not only the words used but also the style.  Dressing for example can have a profound impact.  Not wearing a tie in professional circumstances in Korea is considered bad form, whereas a tie in Vancouver is required for only the most conservative circumstances.

 

Work habits

This similarly can be reflected in working habits.  In France, working until 7:30 pm is considered normal even for support staff.  Americans leave at 6 pm.  Also the French get five to seven weeks holidays whereas their American counterparts begin with 2 and progress to 4 after many years seniority.

 

Decision making and meetings

In Korea one does not question the decisions of a boss.  It is considered rude.  In America decisions are a team activity.  The team leader is required to take the advice of the group.  In Italy the team meets to brainstorm and the decision is entirely up to the person in charge.  Five minutes late for a meeting in Germany is considered rude.  In France there is usually a fifteen minute leeway.  Here is where we see how there are differing attitudes towards authority, hierarchy and time;

 

 

 

Prescription for Effective Multicultural Teams

Workers have to possess certain qualities: respect, open-mindedness and cultural empathy.

 

“Teamwork is so important that it is virtually impossible for you to reach the heights of your capabilities or make the money that you want without becoming very good at it.” Michael Jordan

 

Respecting team members is one of the foundations prescribed for successful situations.  This idea can be exemplified through a tolerance for differences.  Organizations are advised to communicate the needs for this type of dynamic through policy development and training.  Preventative pro-action is recommended seeing that once an organization has developed a disrespectful dynamic and particularly along the lines of cultural differences, solutions can be costly and very difficult to remedy.

 

Open-minded attitudes can be cultivated through leadership and demonstrated through the appropriate mind-set.

 

 “Receptive to arguments or ideas.  Webster’s dictionary”

 

To be open-minded can be learned and developed.  It is not a given that all team members are open-minded.  It is a learned skill.  Perhaps the most succinct ways of defining cultural open-mindedness is through communication that does not generalize about a culture.  Various forms of communication can be frequently misinterpreted, whereby leadership fails to realize the necessity of continuity and group leaders occasionally lapse into inappropriate communication.  For example, to communicate about a disliked for a meeting style might accidentally be interpreted as a close-minded.  A generalization about the culture should be avoided.

 

Successful cultural empathy can be demonstrated through the Canadian cultural diversity model. Toronto, Canada is known to be one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world.   The political model is based on a mosaic structure meaning preserving a cultural identity within the community.   Communities with concentrated diversity are celebrated and financed.  This idea can be transformed into a work group scenario as well.  Developing cultural empathy is understanding it.  Understanding it is demonstrating it.  A prescription for developing multi-cultural teams is to celebrate the diversity and to promote it.

 

The awareness of cultural differences is an important step in developing and the understanding cultures.  There are a lot of business training opportunities around this topic.  Knowing how to communicate, whether it be direct or in direct, is essential to successful team building in groups.

 

One of the objectives with working with culturally diverse teams is to work with various backgrounds to create a common purpose.  Proper preparation and leadership will galvanize a team to produce effective results.  It goes without saying that all of the elements that have been considered above must be taken into account, but the objective is to produce superior results, particularly when compared a mono-cultural solution.  Extracting the ingredients obtained through the diversity creates the advantage and is the key.  Identifying this key and reconstituting it into a powerful result is the objective.  This is the common purpose.  Further it is important to make sure team leaders use all of the diverse elements and focus their attention with a universal objective.

 

One of the key dynamics that can occur is conflict.  The diversity in the team being the difference can also, in turn, manifest into differences of opinion and disagreement.  It is important to note that one of the results of a conflict can also be lack of contribution.  This can be a key challenge to leadership and must be monitored closely.  For good team dynamics, it is important to nip this problem in the bud.  Identifying and creating a solution in the form of a fusion of ideas and considering all parties involved, will result in confidence and complete contribution by all members of the team.  It is also important to note that conflict resolution is a learned competence.

In considering all of the advantages and disadvantages of the work situations presented, one can conclude that multicultural team work is essential for survival in today’s global work environment.

 

Qualities required

The key fundamental qualities for successful interactions include respect, open-mindedness and the understanding of the cultures with which we interact.  Closed-minded leadership is a thing of the past.  Unilateral decision-making prompts non-cooperation.  One has but to go over the list of all successful organizations in any sector of activity to realize that the fundamental policy of these groups and the modus operandi is multiculturalism.

 

Today’s worker must possess qualities that will be compatible with this mode of operating. There are many training organizations that propose expertise in this area.  The objective is to create a common purpose.  To build teams and perhaps most important to monitor their progress and to guide them into the new way of working is becoming fundamental.  Structuring tasks, setting agendas, delegating responsibility,  and conflict resolution are all skills that can be acquired.

 

Perhaps one of the most forgone conclusions about multi-cultural teams is that they are here to stay.  The advantages of them are without a doubt more significant results which in turn change the benchmark.  Managing these teams so as to get the best results is becoming a big challenge fundamental to leadership.  There is a double-edged sword in globalize multicultural environments.  Work styles, brainstorming, the exchange of ideas along with the ability to be more productive must put the organization in the forefront of productivity.

 

As has been considered above, there are different ways to work with these groups.  Muti-culturalism is creative, imaginative inventive modern resourceful and visionary.  On the other hand it is also a challenge. We are by nature resistant to change and to anything that is not part of our culture.   Learning to deal with this is partly through training and through cultural sensitivity awareness.  The people who understand how to work in these circumstances will be the leaders of the future.