Problems Working in Multicultural Teams - Essay Example

? Problems Working in Multicultural Teams of the Business of the Concerned 24 November Executive Summary There was atime in the UK when most of the professionals are they politicians, lawyers, doctors or professors shared two attributes in common that they happened to be white and male. Besides, these professionals were required to work in teams comprising of other white males as themselves. However, today the professional and organizational scenarios in the UK tend to be quite different. Today most of the neighbourhoods in the UK happen to be multicultural and diverse. Learning the art of communicating and working in multicultural groups is not something that comes naturally, but is an attribute that needs to be acquired. The IT revolution and the commensurate technological innovations have shrunk the world into a global village (Fine 1995). Every person present on this earth happens to be different and multiculturalism tends to enhance and augment these differences. However, in organizations given to diversity and multiculturalism, are many a time required to contend with interpersonal dialectic tensions ushered in by diversity and multiculturalism (Knoke 2001, p. 18). Hence, in this context it is imperative to understand the concept of culture. Culture is something that is learned and acquired and it consists of a set of shared interpretations that are learned, and these interpretations include within their ambit the concepts like values, norms and beliefs which have an immense influence on large groups of individuals and people (Reeves 2004, p. 2). Diversity happens to be a concept that is broader than the concept of culture. Diversity is not merely confined to a person’s ethnic affiliations, nation of origin or colour. Diversity is primarily about attributes that inculcate differences in groups and these differences may include physical characteristics, economic status, attitudes, traits etc (Skelton & Allen 1999, p. 30). This paper intends to document and analyze the problems faced by the writer while working in a multicultural and diverse group. Terms of Reference I can delineate the problems faced by me in context of my cultural identity as a Chinese and the cultural affiliations of the other members of my group who happened to be Indian and Thai. I think to arrive at a realistic grasping of the problems faced by me in a multicultural team I need to analyze my cultural affiliations in the light of the cultural dimensions propounded by Geert Hofstede. Cultural dimensions pertain to the aspect of my native Chinese culture that could be measured and gauged in the light of the other cultures (Hofstede, Hofstede & Minkov 2010). Professor Geert Hofstede conducted a detailed analysis regarding how the values in multicultural teams are influenced by the cultural values of the members constituting the teams. Analysing the Chinese cultural dimensions will immensely help in analyzing and tracing solutions to the problems faced by me in a group comprising of members who were Chinese, Indians and Thais. The four salient cultural dimensions propounded by Hofstede are individualism-collectivism, masculine-feminine, power distance and uncertainty avoidance (Hofstede 2003). Power Distance pertains to the attitude of the people in a society towards the power disparities existing in that culture (Hofstede 2002). It determines the extent to which the less powerful members in a society respond to the power inequalities present in that society (Hofstede 2002). China has Power Distance count of 80 which is quiet high (Geert Hofstede 2012). This means that Chinese people are comfortable with the unequal distribution of power in their society and are comfortable with the fact that people tend to differ in the power that they have at their disposal. In the Chinese organizations and institutions the hierarchy is arranged in terms of subordinate and superiors and there seldom are any remedies against the abuse of power resorted to by the superiors. Individualism pertains to the extent of independence that a society allows its respective members to affiliate to (Hofstede2003). It largely determines that to what degree the people in a society identify themselves as ‘I’ or ‘we’. In collectivist societies people tend to define their existence in terms of groups and access the group protection in the light of the group loyalty resorted to by them. China has an individualism score of 20 which means that the Chinese society is a highly collectivist society (Geert Hofstede 2012). Chinese people prefer to act in terms of groups rather caring about their individual ambition. Uncertainty Avoidance is primarily about how the people in a given society deal with the truth that future mostly happens to be uncertain and nothing much can be guessed regarding what will happen in the future (Hofstede 2003). This decides whether the people in a society try to exercise a control over the future or let it be as it is. China has a very low uncertainty avoidance score of 30 which means that the Chinese people tend to be very practical and the rules and regulations in the Chinese society are mostly flexible so as to be subservient to the needs of the actual situation (Geert Hofstede 2012). A high masculine/feminine score is indicative of the fact that a given society is driven by success, competition and achievement (Hofstede 1998). The success is mostly defined by the winners in a group. People tend to develop a success driven attitude that starts at a very early phase in their life and continues throughout their life as they work in organizations and businesses. China has a high masculine/feminine score that amounts to 66 (Geert Hofstede 2012). In a realistic context means that the Chinese society is success driven and is dominated by achievers. The people in the Chinese society are hard working and do not give much importance to leisure. When it comes to the dimensions given by TH Hall, China happens to be a polychronic country (Hall 1997). In China interpersonal relations are given precedence over schedules and time tables. The Chinese people culturally happen to be multi-taskers who prefer to engage in many tasks at one time. The Chinese have a very fluid and flexible notion of time and time in the Chinese society stands secondary to personal bonds and relationships. The Chinese employees tend to organize activities while taking the overall organizational goals into consideration and the goals are measured in the context of the contribution made by them to the entire organization. Overview of the Situation I was required to work in a team that comprised of the group members from Chinese, Indian and Thai cultures. During this time I identified several problems which I feel to be addressed with appropriate skills and measures. Though most of the times the team members communicated in English, yet many team members being not that proficient in English, many a times lead to miscommunication (Trefry 2008). There were many members in my time affiliated to diverse cultures in whose case the English did not happen to be their first language of communication. This certainly gave way to miscommunication in the group which meant that either varied group members ended up conveying something different from what they actually intended to convey, or what they intended to convey was interpreted as being something different in a group context (Trefry 2008). In the multicultural group I worked in, there was also apparent a big problem regarding group cohesion (Schreiber 1996). The team members being not able to communicate properly and being affiliated to diverse cultural dimensions and values tended to debate a lot regarding the task at hand and many a times failed to arrive at a mutually acceptable conclusion (Schreiber 1996). Though almost all the team members were they Indian, Chinese or Thai managed to gain much insight into the topic being discussed yet the understanding of the respective team members tended to differ much. The team members not conversant in English, stress was amply visible on their faces. Also the culturally diverse team in which I worked also faced the problem of mistrust (Wilcox & McCray 2005). No doubt most of the team members understood and interpreted things in the light of the respective nature of their cultural dimensions, yet the failure to arrive at the mutually acceptable conclusions, made many team members think that the people affiliated to other cultures were deliberately differing from them. These outcomes certainly led to doubts and misapprehensions and enhanced the levels of mistrust within the team. In a practical context, the respective team members did not differ on purpose, but owing to their different cultural mindset. The incumbent miscommunication and distrust rampant within the team soon gave way to much stress and tension. This was primarily because the team members were not consciously aware of the fact that the other team members differed not on purpose but owing to their different cultural values. SWOT Analysis of the Situation Strengths of Multicultural Teams I realized that one distinct advantage of working in a multicultural team was that different team members hailing from different cultures provided differing insights into the topic at hand allowed the overall team to analyze the given problem from multiple facets (Biech 2001). This augmented the possibility of coming out with many creative and innovative solutions to the problem. Not only as a team member I was able to understand the tasks and issues at hand in a broader based and innovative manner, but also realized that it got easier to cull out the required information pertaining to a given task owing to the vast social network of the diverse team members. This gave to moments marked by immense flexibility and a desire to understand the problem in the context of the views held by respective team members (Biech 2001). Weaknesses of a Multicultural Team Yet, one big problem in the multicultural team was a visible lack of cohesion (Livermore 2010). The levels of mistrust sometimes got quite high and the propensity for miscommunication was always there. Sometimes, the communication abruptly came to a halt with a visible lack of communication between varied team members. Some of the team members tended to stereotype the team members belonging to other cultures (Livermore 2010). There were visible problems regarding language and translation. Sometimes, owing to a lack of communication or miscommunication, the stress level within the team got high. This lack of cohesion stopped the team members from agreeing when an agreement would have really solved the group purpose. Opportunities One advantage of working in a multicultural team was that most of the team members arrived at the conviction that it was imperative to gain cultural literacy in the contemporary globalized world so as to promote understanding between various cultures and nationalities (Greenberg 2003, pp. 330). Some of the team members including me gained a lot in the sense that in a situation marred by a lack of communication, miscommunication and mild mistrust, we felt really responsible for assuring multicultural understanding to achieve the group purpose. This also enhanced the skills levels and cultural literacy of the respective team members to varied degrees. Threats One big threat that came to fore in this multicultural team was that the team members hailing from nations that had contradictory or averse politics in the context of a specific culture led to much friction and aggressiveness. Besides, many a times it appeared that the task of managing this multicultural team was too complex and some of the team members really felt like giving up abruptly (Zachary 2000). Also, the team members hailing from different cultures differed in their notions pertaining to time management and individual ambition. Solutions and Recommendations In the light of this multicultural team experience I had, I came up with varied solutions and recommendations that could have streamlined the group cohesion and facilitated good communication. These recommendations and solutions are as follows: All the team members belonging to different cultures and ethnicities should try to gain proficiency in at least one global language. It could be English. This will also dilute the chance for a lack of communication or miscommunication, but would have also spared the team members of much stress and distrust. Before engaging in the group task, the respective team members should have spent some time in building up relationships within the team. This would have negated the chance of the team members getting polarized on the basis of their cultural affiliations and would have negated much stereotyping. Mutual relationships would have stopped the team members from generalizing the team members as cultural groups and would have facilitated much individual understanding. I also feel that even in multicultural teams, trust and cooperation could be brought about, provided the team members are proficient in interpersonal communication skills. This includes gaining proficiency in verbal and non-verbal aspects of communication. Gaining cultural literacy regarding diverse cultures could really serve as a big game changer in multicultural teams. It could really help the individual group members understand the response of an individual from a particular culture and could help them avoid a lack of communication, miscommunication and distrust. In multicultural teams, knowledge is power. Besides the team members should also have dedicated some time towards reviewing the overall team performance and how stress and friction could be avoided by agreeing to common protocols and ways of communication. In multicultural teams the individual mindset also plays a big role. So in case the members in the team have inculcated a mindset that was appreciative of differences in advance, this would have well prepared them to deal with the problems arising owing to cultural diversity. Forecasts and Outcome In case the members in the team turn out to be receptive of the recommendations and suggestions made in this paper, it will not only enhance their cultural literacy but will also enable them to reap the benefits accrued by working in multicultural teams. This will truly make them a global citizen and will allow them to work in diverse nations and cultures. The good thing is that cultural literacy and interpersonal skills are something that can be learned and acquired. So if the team members take care to adopt and practice the above mentioned recommendations and tips, they are poised to experience and appreciative gain in their cultural literacy and the ability to operate in multicultural teams. Reference List Biech, E 2001, The Pfeiffer Book of Successful Team, Jossey-Bass, London. Fine, MG 1995, Building Successful Multicultural Organizations, Quorum Books, Westport, CT. Greenberg, J 2003, Organizational Behaviour, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, NJ. Hall, ET 1997, Beyond Culture, Anchor Books, London. Hofstede, G 1998, Masculinity and Femininity, Sage Publications, London. Hofstede, G 2002, Exploring Culture, Intercultural Press Inc, London. Hofstede, G 2003, Culture’s Consequences, Sage Publications, London. Hofstede, G, Hofstede, GJ & Minkov, M 2010, Cultures and Organizations, London, McGraw-Hill. Hofstede, G 2012, What About China?, Geert Hofstede, Viewed 25 November 2012, . Knoke, D 2001, Changing Organizations, Westview Press, Boulder, CO. Livermore, D 2010, Leading with Cultural Intelligence, American Management Association, New York. Reeves, J 2004, Culture and International Relations, Routledge, New York. Schreiber, EJ 1996, ‘Muddles and Huddles: Facilitating a Multicultural Workforce Through Team Management Theory, The Journal of Business Communication, Vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 459-466. Skelton, T & Allen, T 1999, Culture and Global Change, Routledge, London. Trefry, MG 2006, ‘A Double-Edged Sword: Organizational Culture in Multicultural Organizations’, International Journal of Management, Vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 463-569. Wilcox, DA & McCray, JY 2005, ‘Multicultural Organization Competence through Deliberative Dialogue’, Organization Development Journal, Vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 77-82. Zachary, GP 2000, The Global Me, PublicAffairs, London. Read More