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How Culture and Communication Impact Multicultural Global Teams
How Culture and Communication Impact Multicultural Global Teams
How Culture and Communication Impact Multicultural Global Teams
Global Teams
The culturally homogenous team is a thing of the past in most international organisations
and companies.
More and more teams are made up of people with different nationalities and therefore
different cultures, languages, ideas, behaviours and ways of doing things.
Some would argue that the ‘international language of business’ negates any real
communication issues within such a cross-cultural team; however those with hands-on
experience of such teams would disagree.
When people of different cultural backgrounds come together in any setting there will always be issues
in terms of interaction. This is because they bring with them their own cultural baggage in terms of how
they do things and expect things to be done.
Cross-cultural issues will not always be a hindrance, in fact they can many a time be a
force for positive creativity, but as and when a clash of cultures occur it has a negative
impact, especially within a team.
By way of introducing the imact of culture and communication within global teams we
focus on four examples of issues that occur when team members are of differing
nationalities.
- Non-native English speakers may be more reluctant to express themselves freely. This
might interfere with the ability of team members to offer their maximum contribution.
- Non-native speakers may not always be able to express themselves in the manner they
intended. Words can be misused, given the wrong emphasis or statements can come
across as rude.
- Some cultures rely heavily on the use of body language and gestures. When non-verbal
signals are being given they will not be picked up on by others. Also their communication
style may be inhibited when the meetings are conducted virtually.
Some cultures accept that conflict occurs in the natural order of things and that when it
does, it needs to be addressed in a direct and upfront manner. Other cultures however
are uncomfortable with open disagreement and will do their best to avoid it in order to
save face and not put people in uncomfortable positions. They may withdraw or
withhold their opinion if someone strongly disagrees rather that confront another
person.
It is important for a team to define the way it wishes to handle conflict and
disagreement. However, even after a process has been defined for managing conflict, it is
important to bear in mind that cultural values are difficult to change.
People from cultures where harmony is more important will still not be totally
comfortable dealing with conflict and confrontation. What is key is that all parties are
aware of such differences and sensitive to ways of dealing with conflict.
The way men and women in a team interact, the way authority is allocated, assumed or
perceived, and the way roles and responsibilities are distributed can all be impacted by
different viewpoints on gender. As and where issues arrive it is best to tackle the subject
head on and agree that within the company or team there are specific protocols when it
comes to gender interaction.
A global team will have to agree on the way in which decisions will be made. When you
consider the decision making process, it is not just the end result that you need to
discuss. It is the process you undergo as you make the decision. For example:
> Is it all right for juniors in a team to disagree with more senior people?
> Are discussions limited or open-ended?
> Is it typical for decisions to come about through a step-by-step process or is it more
organic in nature?
> How supportive are people expected to be to decisions in spite of their original
objections?