Management of Cross-Cultural Teams - Article Example

Cross Cultural Management: Teams Recurrent changes in the contemporary world have refined the concept of management in business domain. Globalization has been streaming very rapidly and it has become a distinct feature of the businesses operating in the current era. Globalization has bridged the gaps between the nations; and countries have now become interconnected with each other. Organizations located in countries such as America, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Japan are welcoming individuals endowed with competitive skills. On the other hand multi-national companies are allured by non-occupied markets, cheap labor force, tax exemptions, convenient locations and they are positioning themselves to the new territories to increase their value (Konecena, 2006). All these factors contribute to the new area of management; cross cultural management. The concept of cross-cultural team management was emphasized on when western countries recognized a huge inflow of expatriates. As a result the composition of workforce over there became more diverse in nature. Since the managers were still using the western way of team management, it was not considered the best way of handling individuals who arrived from different parts of the world. This sparked the interest of researchers to focus on cross cultural issues in management literature (Taras & Rowney, 2006). This paper focuses on the particular aspect of cross cultural management; team building and their management. Teams are a core characteristic of every organization and they are formed and nurtured to achieve organizational goals and objectives. The emerging trend towards cross cultural teams has attracted the attention of many managers as these teams are considered as more innovative and creative than ordinary teams. However there are contentious issues and challenges underlying the above concept. If managers comprehend on these issues thoroughly then only they can derive substantial benefits from it and can enhance organizational effectiveness. This document also focuses on difference in working styles of diverse range of cultures and how they affect team performance. According to Kreitner & Kinicki (2004), “Cross cultural management explains the behavior of people in organizations around the world and shows people how to work in organizations with employee and client populations from many different cultures”. Cross cultural team management encompasses the word “team” in above definition. Multicultural workgroups and teams are now no longer described as a voluntary practice but instead they have become a vital element of the modern organizations (Taras & Rowney, 2006). To ensure that diverse cultural teams work together harmoniously toward their common objectives, we should have a thorough understanding of the issues underlying this topic. Issues of Concern in Cross Cultural Teams 1. Poor communication between team members is a major obstacle in the path of achieving team objectives. Teamwork is a collective effort and all the members of the team should fully understand the direction of the discussion taking place (Team Building, 2008). Any communication gap can result in misinterpretations which can cause further terrible blunders. For instance, we know that English is used as a source of conversation in most of the western countries. If a team is composed of people involving from Arabic and Asian culture then it would be difficult for these people to grasp the messages quickly. Certain forms of English colloquial phrases may not be clearly understood by them which can lead to misinterpretations. It becomes even more difficult if people from Asian and Arabic culture would interact, as English is not there native language. 2. Cultural values and norms often become a stumbling block in the way of team effectiveness. People working in cross cultural teams will have different cultural backgrounds so they would approach things in different manner and would execute their task differently. This can create a sense of confusion and conflict among the team leader and members. Hofstede (1980) developed a model for national culture highlighting the differences in values promoted by different countries. He suggested different indices that differentiate cultures which mainly include factors such as individualism-collectivism, power distance, masculinity-femininity, Uncertainty avoidance, and orientation towards short term-long term goals. We can evaluate an example based on that model. Individualistic cultures such as America promote individual thinking and value individual contributions. On the other hand Malaysian culture encourages collectivism and promotes group working. If an American citizen visits Malaysia for a foreign assignment and he forms a team with members of Malaysian culture than this can give rise to many issues. For instance, if the American Citizen works harder than his other team members and makes strenuous efforts to achieve team goals and if he is not rewarded accordingly than it can bring a sense of frustration for him which can deteriorate team effectiveness in the future. 3. A homogenous cross-cultural team which has certain cultural similarities has an inherent disadvantage. The homogenous part of the group may attempt to overrule and dominate rest of the team members. Such cross cultural teams are often associated with stereotypes and they usually turn a blind eye to minorities. It also fuels mistrust between team members (Adler, 2002). The minorities are often deprived of their chance in contributing ideas toward team effectiveness (Blau, 1977). Unequal power distribution in such teams reduces the synergy and members often withdraw from interaction with each other (Goto, 1997). 4. Preconceptions and stereotypes against different cultures also raise issues related with cross-cultural team management. “Stereotypes are simplistic and often an inaccurate beliefs about the typical characteristic of particular groups of people” (Jones & George, 2003). Conflicts and difficulties begin to initiate when people use stereotypes to prejudge in the absence of evidence (Deeks, 2004). For instance, whenever a westerner arrives in an eastern country then people often build preconceived knowledge about them, especially with regards to women (Tahir & Ismail, 2007). If women do not dress according to their norms then they are bound to hear negative remarks from these people (Tahir & Ismail, 2007). 5. Differences in lifestyle, education, corporate experience will have an impact on how individuals will approach problems and make decisions (Deeks, 2004). Some people take their decision on own without consulting others while other obtain ideas and respect the views of different people when making a decision. In cross cultural teams where an assertive individual makes a decision without seeking advice from his coworkers can create a breeding ground for conflict in that team. 6. Attitude towards time of different cultures is an issue of grave concern. There are two types of behavior exhibited by workers residing in different cultures; polychronic and monochronic behavior. Monochronic attitude towards time shows that the person wants to do a single task at a time whereas polychronic attitude considers the time as a naturally recurring phenomenon and it deems that it can be used for many purposes at a single occasion (Deeks, 2004). For instance in a cross cultural team, a person with a monochronic attitude to time may feel that the other member with polychronic attitude seems unsystematic and disorganized and he may feel irritated because that member is reluctant to keep a specific time for meeting. Managing Cross Cultural Teams The issues described over here were major issues pertaining to cross cultural teams. They are subjective and mainly differ from culture to culture. Once the management identifies and iron outs all the snags then a cross cultural team can deliver performance up to the expectations. We will describe here few strategies through which the capabilities of a cross-cultural team can be strengthened. 1. In organizations where there is a diverse workforce, the main focus should be on creating a single strong company culture and during this process the emphasis is put on enforcing of universal values, norms, principles, ethics, and pattern of behavior (Konecena, 2006). Such cultures promote mutual understanding between team members and provide an environment where individuals gain the trust of each others. 2. Managers should create teams with a heterogeneous composition. Cross cultural teams with homogenous nature attempt to dominate the minorities. The dominant group may disregard the minors and can try to swing the direction of the decisions in the way in which they are comfortable. Heterogeneous groups tend to experience more difficulties in the initial stages of team life but once they pass through the adjustment stage then these teams excel in their tasks and they tend to outperform homogenous teams, especially in tasks involving problem solving and creative thinking (Earley & Mosakowski, 2000). 3. People often create stereotypes about a group of people. Managers should be aware of this paradox and instruct the members of the group regarding these issues. The team members should take time to know and understand the people rather than assuming from their own instinct. 4. It is vital to have knowledge about the customs, values, norms and tradition of the culture where you are residing for project purpose. Team members should admit the differences between the cultures. It is important the members of the team should share information and experiences about their own culture so the partners can gain a better understanding of your background. Recognition of a culture of a partner is considered to be the ideal condition for fostering mutual understanding (Konecena, 2006). 5. Cross cultural training is a prime requirement to stimulate cultural understanding between team members and it is essential for the success of a diverse team (Davison, 1994). “Cross cultural training is any type of structured experience designed to help departing employees adjust to foreign culture (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2004)”. The training program should guide the members about the description, habits and values promoted by different nations. It should help in resolving communication problems by providing them language training. The discussion reveals that working in a culturally diverse team can be challenging but it has its own potential benefits. Companies have recognized these creative teams as a vital tool for responding to global demands. These teams have their own way of approaching toward different things and they have unique means of solving problems. The definite advantage lies in the fact that heterogeneous composition of the team provides a greater pool of knowledge and experience which stimulates creativity. Therefore the aim of management should focus to build on the strengths of cross cultural teams and to minimize conflict among team members. Bibliography Adler, N. J. 2002, International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior, South-Western College Publishing, Cincinnati, OH. Blau, P. M. 1977, Inequality and Heterogeneity, Free press, New York. Goto, S. G. 1997, Majority and minority perspectives on cross-cultural interactions, in Granrose, Cross-cultural Work Groups, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks. Hofstede, G. 1980, Cultures consequences: International differences in work-related values, CA, Newbury Park Jones, G. R. & George, J. M. 2003, Contemporary Management, McGraw Hill, New York Kreitner, R. & Kinicki, A. 2004, Organizational Behavior, McGraw Hill, New York Davison, S. C. 1994. ‘Creating a high performance international team’, The Journal of Management Development, vol. 3, Issue 2, pp. 81-90 Earley, P. C. & Mosakowski, E. 2000, ‘Creating hybrid team cultures: An empirical test of transnational team functioning’, Academy of Management Journal, vol. 43, Issue 1, pp. 26-50 Tahir, A. H. M. & Ismail, M. 2007, ‘Cross-Cultural Challenges and Adjustments of Expatriates: A Case Study in Malaysia’, Turkish Journal of International Relations, vol. 6, Issue 3&4 Konecna, Z., 2006, Cross-Culture Management: Worker in a Multicultural Environment [Accessed 10th August 2008]. Available from World Wide Web: http:// www.leidykla.eu/fileadmin/Vadyba/12-13/58-64.pdf Taras, V. & Rowney, J. 2006, Cross-Cultural Group Management: A Review of Research Development in the Field [Accessed 09th August 2008]. Available from World Wide Web: http://www.ucalgary.ca/~taras/_private/CrossCultural_Teams_Review.doc Deeks, M. 2004, Cross-cultural team working within the Cochrane Collaboration [Accessed 09th August 2008]. Available from World Wide Web: http:// www.cochrane.org/docs/crossculturalteamwork.doc Team Building 2008, Issues in Cross Cultural Teams [Accessed 09th August 2008]. Available from World Wide Web: www.teambuildingportal.com/articles/team-failure/cross-cultral-team.php Read More