Cross-Cultural Management - Assignment Example

? Cross Cultural Management Introduction- multicultural team and its different facets Globalization has brought people from diverse culture together and this was reflected in the job front as well. Multicultural teams are often seen in handling businesses across the shores. These people differ in their ethnicity, culture, skin color, work ethics etc. Cultural diversity cannot be thought of something which would go tomorrow, that would enable an individual to plan his assumptions for mutual understanding. Cultural differences can lead to many obstacles for an effective teamwork. The challenge for managing the multicultural teams effectively lies in the fact to recognize the underlying cultural reasons of conflict, and to interrupt in a way that would get all the teams back on its track and also empower the members in dealing with the future challenges themselves (Bret, Behfar & Kern, 2012). This can be done by providing effective motivation. Motivation within the individuals is seen to vary across the subject areas (Lai, 2011, p.2). Research had suggested that motivation could be manipulated by using certain instructional practices though both positive and its negative effects had been demonstrated. In managing a multicultural team such as one consisting of Nigerian, Chinese and British people, leadership can play a great role. For a global leader understanding international interaction becomes very essential to implement transnational leadership in the global business world of today. Diversity as well as complexity seems to increase in the domestic scenario as the business operations gets more international (Jokinen, 2004, p.199). The challenge while managing motivation in a multicultural team lies in recognizing "the patterns, values, symbols, meanings, beliefs, assumptions, and expectations" (Paget, 2011). This challenge gets most apparent if the leader discovers that "because different cultures hold different views, a managerial style that is effective in one culture will not necessarily be effective in another" (Paget, 2011). These differences observed in cultural outlook could also affect the leader’s communication with his team members if everyone is not found to be speaking in one particular language. Factors affecting motivation in a multicultural team a. Motivation and cultural differences in a multicultural team While managing motivation a multicultural team, there are many factors that need to be addressed. These can be in the form of respect for every culture, goal concentration, teamwork, clarity of thoughts and expression by the leader (Reh, 2012. The leader needs to give special attention to the language and culture of the different people in the team (Babler, 2011). Employees who are respected as in their workplaces and made to feel as a part of the entire team have twice the chance to stick with their employer. Staff retention in turn cuts the recruitment costs can make a huge impact for the whole organization (Managing a multicultural workforce, 2008, p.3). Language and cultural attitude can also impact the motivation levels and work behavior. People from variant cultures might have various ways of communicating as well as different values. Using eye contact, body gestures and any formal language and their attitudes towards time-keeping, personal status and the rules are a few of the examples where the cultural differences can make an impact (Managing a multicultural workforce, 2008, p.6). There are many differences in the cultural attitude of the Nigerian, Chinese and the British people. As for example, the color white signifies peace in Nigerian and British culture but in Chinese it symbolizes death (Symbolism of Colors, Associations of The Five Elements, Chinese Beliefs, and Feng Shui, 1998). So if there is any mention of the color there are chances where the Chinese employee might feel de-motivated as he might not be used to such situations. b. Multicultural team work behavior different from others It must be understood that a multicultural team has many components that might not be seen in a same nationality team. Multicultural teams can function in a very smooth, organized, as per the guidelines in good times. People might be jovial and flexible. But, in tense situations, they might revert back to their typical defensive behavior which they develop from their native upbringing and thus the team working suffers. This can hamper the motivation level as well if people realize that they cannot handle a situation within their limits outside their home country. If the team member never discusses what motivates him or her, as an individual as well as a representative for their own culture, they might misread the motives of the other team members as well (Challenges of Motivating Multicultural Teams, 2009). When a global multicultural team gets engaged in any project environment, these sorts of conflict are often detrimental to their performance. Miscommunication that is observed across cultural lines is usually regarded to be the vital cause for the cross-cultural problems in a multinational project (Lee & MA, n.d, p.3). The key solutions are the various problem-solving approaches that are used across different countries. Although there are no perfectly "right way" for solving the technical problems, the issues are most likely to crop up when the team members from different cultural backgrounds are made to work together to solve the problem (Lee & MA, n.d, p.4). c. Diversity in multi cultural team work There is much diversity in a multicultural team that can affect motivation levels (Yammarino, & Dansereau, 2004, p.314). Diversity in the form of communication patterns, languages, ethnicity can affect the motivation level of the team member. For example in a team consisting of British, Chinese and Nigerian people the Caucasian people might feel superior to the Asian of African counterparts. This is regarded as a racist fallacy where the people are de-motivated because of their skin color, facial features or other such aspects (Landis, Bennett & Bennett, 2004, p.150). These might force the non Caucasian members to take up measures to lighten their skin color. This is a clear indication of low motivation that leads to a feeling of inferiority. d. Conflict as seen in a multicultural team Conflicts in a multicultural team can be task related or relationship related (Kastel, 2008, p.8). Task related conflicts can occur when the members face difficulty in arriving at a common solution because of their decision making styles. The people might also feel difficult in adjusting with the solution of the other because of their relational conflicts. The members in a multicultural team might have difficulty in patching up their problems due to emotional conflicts (Halverson & Tirmizi, 2008, p.85). The people can suffer from de-motivation and face problems in opening up before the other member. This can arise due to many factors that have been discussed above. Emotional conflict will prevent the person from being productive. This can be solved by conducting training sessions for the different cultural employees or the members that would involve modifying their mind, their emotions, the social behaviors, their tastes, and many more (Rentsch & Gunderson, 2007, p.4). These trainings would help the employees to move over their emotional or self conflicts, feel motivated and contribute in a better way. An analysis of the above factors Multicultural teams have now become common phenomena after the onset of globalization. A multicultural team is sensitive in many matters and the direct impact of these features fall on the motivation level. Motivation is guided by many aspects that can include both cognitive and non cognitive behaviors. In a team consisting of people of different ethnicity communication, culture, skin color, emotional values play an important role. There are many situations where the members can feel demotivated because of an issue that might arise because of these. The leaders of such teams need to be very careful while forming the measures that can affect their motivation levels. Conflicts are seen to be the most common way where the motivation level seems to go down. The reasons for conflicts can be personal or works related but in both ways hamper the overall performance of a team. Another important feature that can cause demotivation is language barrier or communication. Language is thought to bind people together but if people are unable to communicate by a same language it can lead to many type of miscommunications and problems. A multicultural team always should make sure that it follows a language that is common to all the different team members. There can be clashes within the domestic circle involving multi cultural groups as well. Internal conflicts can take the form of cultural conflicts that would worsen the situation. To find a solution to these problems the leader needs to understand the requirements of each team member. Conclusion A multi cultural team leader must understand the cultural needs and values of his team members. No form of religious or personal attach should be made on each other to indicate superiority over the others. The leader must be able to unite them with a common goal and make them feel motivated. He must ensure that every member no matter which culture he might belong to is made a part of the team. This would give a sense of belonging to the person which would make him more motivated. The leader needs to make sure that the values of the members are not harmed in any way that might force the person to revert back to his traditional ones. These moves would surely help in restoring motivation in a multicultural team. Reference 1. Brett, J., Behfar, K., & Kern, M., C. (2012), Managing Multicultural Teams, retrieved from: < http://hbr.org/2006/11/managing-multicultural-teams/ar/1 > (accessed on October 20, 2012). 2. Babler, S., D. (2011). Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Project Management in a Changing Global ... Wiley 3. Challenges of Motivating Multicultural Teams, (2009). retrieved from : (accessed on October 20, 2012). 4. 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