Cultural Competence,

Management Styles &

Group Dynamics
Jesse Steele
Resource person

Kenn Christensen, Isla Hurley Brunt,

Karl Smith & Michael Kruhl
Facilitators
 University Grandparents
Home
Language

Heritage

Father
Mother

Language

First True Love Birth

Learning objectives
• The participant is able to explain how differences in cultures can affect
operations both internally within the OSOCC and externally with
actors/partners in the field
• the participant is able to explain the phases of team development
• the participant is able to explain the different management styles we
can expect when on mission
What is culture?

“The collective programming of the mind

distinguishing the members of one group or
category of people from another”
-Geert Hofstede

N.B. The "category" can refer to nations, regions, ethnicities,

religions, occupations, organizations, or genders.
Agreement of service

• “The Expert shall respect the needs, rights and

dignity of all individuals and shall treat every
individual equally and respectfully.

• The Expert must take into account the particular

customs, habits, and religious beliefs of
individuals and avoid any behaviour that is not
appropriate in a particular cultural context,
without prejudice to international laws and
human rights frameworks.“
CULTURAL COMPETENCE
“Cultural competence is a set of behaviors,
attitudes, and policies fostered in an
organization, that enables its professionals to
work effectively in cross-cultural situations.“

• National Center for Cultural Competence

• Georgetown University
On Xenophobia…

• “Collective fear stimulates herd

instinct, and tends to produce
ferocity toward those who are not
regarded as members of the
herd.”

• Bertrand Russel,
• Unpopular Essays
Source: Culturewise Ltd.
Culture shapes perception
Culture influences values
Culture affects work
Cultural impacts understanding
QUALITIES OF GOOD INTERPRETERS

Excellent interpersonal skills

Ability to set aside emotions and opinions
Familiarity with the local culture and customs
Ability to contextualize
Familiarity with the mission / your organization
Collegiality (good team player)
Ethics (no personal gain)
Cultural intelligence
Some questions for reflection

Based on your experience. How could cultural

differences impact your ability to effectively operate
when working abroad?

What are some steps you could take to prepare

your trip and become more culturally competent?

Are there any tips you could share with your

colleagues about going to Canada?
Canadian Culture – workplace etiquette

• Positive body language • Punctuality

• Personal space • Teamwork – Respect
• Eye contact • Hierarchy
• Greetings - handshakes • Languages
• Dress / Appearance • Religion
• Small talk • Ethnicity
• Communication
MANAGEMENT STYLES &
TEAM DYNAMICS
What is a team?

A group of people with a full set of complementary skills

required to complete a task, job, or project.
A team becomes more than just a collection of people when a
strong sense of mutual commitment creates synergy, thus
generating performance greater than the sum of the
performance of its individual members.
Team members

● Operate with a high degree of interdependence

● Share authority and responsibility for self-
management
● Are accountable for the collective performance
● Work toward a common goal and shared rewards(s)
 Team leaders

1. Achieve the task

○ Setting goals / targets
○ Tracking progress
○ Delegating

2. Build and maintain the team

○ Developing operating principles
○ Ensuring group cohesiveness
○ Communicating purpose

3. Develop the individual

○ Physical needs
○ Psychological (recognition, purpose, achievement)
○ Status / Roles
Achieving peak team performance

What does a team need in order to operate

effectively?

What are some steps a team can take in advance in

order to ensure they perform?

How can you measure your teams performance?

Principles of team effectiveness

1. Shared understanding of the team's mission

2. Commitment to the team's (SMART) goals
3. Clearly defined roles and responsibilities
4. Agreed-upon ground rules
5. An established decision-making model
6. Effective group process including commitment to open
communication, mutual accountability and appropriate
self-evaluation
When do teams become dysfunctional?

Source: Lencioni
Tuckman’s Stages of Team Development
 Stage Description What to do?

The group isn’t a team yet; they Clarify direction, goals and objectives
Forming
need to understand who they Define expectations around leadership
are and what they will be doing Clearly define roles & responsibilities

The team is formed but its

members are still highly Observation & active listening
Storming individualistic. Issue identification & prioritization
Conflicts, differences and Reiteration of mission & objectives
disagreements emerge

Team members gain a better Reinforce norms and operating procedures

Norming appreciation of each other how Allow people to take ownership of their work
to work together effectively Ensure responsibilities are clearly delegated

Team members are in sync with Continue encouraging a culture of feedback

each other and rely on one
Performing Reiterate purpose and vision
another to collectively pull in
the same direction Celebrate success
GOALS, ROLES, PROCESSES &
PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
Four critical and interrelated aspects of teamwork.
 Team Charter

A team charter is a document that

defines the purpose of a team, the
expected outcomes for the mission
and how the team will work
together to achieve results.
Purpose

● What is the team’s purpose?

● What is the reason for the team’s existence, why

was it formed?

● What is the challenge / problem we are trying to

address?
Mission / Objectives

● What does the team hope to achieve?

● Is the project scope well defined?
● What are the team’s objectives, priorities &
deliverables?
● Which deadlines must the team adhere to?
● How will we measure success and performance?
ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

● What is each team members role?

● What are their individual responsibilities?
● Are these aligned with our mission?
● What is our reporting structure?
● What functional or subject matter expertise does
each team member bring?
● Consider RACI – Responsible, Accountable,
Consulted & Informed
OPERATING PROCEDURES

● How will the team conduct its daily activities,

including meetings?
● How decisions be made, and conflicts resolved?
● How do we assign / distribute / coordinate work?
● What is our meeting etiquette?
● How is information shared and distributed?
● How do we give relevant feedback?
VALUES

● How do we create a healthy climate of respect?

● What principles guide the team’s actions?

● How can we promote trust & flexibility?

● What standards does the team hold itself to?

 Team charters to be
completed and
displayed in your team
rooms
Reference links
• Definition of a team
• http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/team.html

• Essential steps in forming a new team (MIT)

• http://hrweb.mit.edu/learning-development/learning-topics/teams/articles/new-team

• Action Centered Leadership (Adair)

• https://www.bl.uk/people/john-adair

• Goals, Roles, Processes, Interpersonal Relationships (Beckhard)

https://www.accipio.com/eleadership/mod/wiki/prettyview.php?pageid=175

• The stages of team development (Tuckman)

• http://hrweb.mit.edu/learning-development/learning-topics/teams/articles/stages-development

• 5 dysfunctions of a team (Lencioni)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=509V7Z9OUQA

• Team Charter
• https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMM_95.htm

• http://www.academia.edu/11802365/Relief_operations_across_language_barriers_the_interpreter_facto
r