Professional Documents
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Business in Multicultural Environments: The Challenges Of: Groups and Teams
Business in Multicultural Environments: The Challenges Of: Groups and Teams
Business in Multicultural Environments: The Challenges Of: Groups and Teams
2018/2019
Lesson 4
Business
in The Challenges of
Multicultural Multicultural
Environments Work: Groups
and Teams
Francesco MECA
francesco.meca@isvnu.vn
Global Management Challenges Business in Multicultural Environments
A.Y. 2018/2019
Francesco MECA
francesco.meca@isvnu.vn
Work Groups
Three primary types:
1. Task forces: focus on the completion of a project, usually with limited time;
members are selected on task-related skills (ex.: group of national’s
managers to manage an international fund)
How well a group uses its resources to accomplish its task? Not every
organizational tasks have clear best answers!
• Output of the group must meet quantity, quality and timeliness standards
• Processes employed by the group should enhance the ability of the
members to work together
• The group experience must contribute to the personal well-being of the
group members
Francesco MECA
francesco.meca@isvnu.vn
Effectiveness Business in Multicultural Environments
A.Y. 2018/2019
• Strategy
• Authority structure
• Regulations used
These factors determine a context which may have positive and negative effects on
performance. Firm strategy and HR practices may support or inhibit efforts by team member in
multicultural environments.
Also, this is evident in the selection process and in the criteria adopted in it.
Geographical dispersion is a key factor that influences interactions within and among work
groups.
Francesco MECA
francesco.meca@isvnu.vn
Group Member Resources Business in Multicultural Environments
A.Y. 2018/2019
Personal attributes
• Personality
• Values
• Attitude
Skills
• Technical
• Social
Francesco MECA
francesco.meca@isvnu.vn
Group Structure Business in Multicultural Environments
A.Y. 2018/2019
Each category (task forces, crews, teams) shape the behavior
of group members in terms of:
• Norms
• Role expectations: role assignment can create conflicts!
• Status relationships
Norms are especially important in providing guidance on how to accomplish the
task:
• What methods and channels of communication are important?
• What is the level of effort expected?
The types of norms are shared, but the norms are unique for a particular group.
They can come from organization’s or a group member statement or from history
of the group. Francesco MECA
francesco.meca@isvnu.vn
Group Processes Business in Multicultural Environments
A.Y. 2018/2019
How groups achieve their outcomes?
5. Adjourning: for task forces and crews, when the task is completed.
Francesco MECA
francesco.meca@isvnu.vn
Group Processes Over Time Business in Multicultural Environments
A.Y. 2018/2019
When there is a deadline for the accomplishment of the task, the group
could set its direction in the first meeting, then adhere to the pattern
decided, at least of the first half of its life.
Over time there may drop the previosu behavior to adopt new directions
and alternative enhanced activities.
Pay attention: Orientation toward time varies with culture! Francesco MECA
francesco.meca@isvnu.vn
Group Tasks Business in Multicultural Environments
A.Y. 2018/2019
Classification of tasks:
Francesco MECA
francesco.meca@isvnu.vn
Group Composition Business in Multicultural Environments
A.Y. 2018/2019
Francesco MECA
francesco.meca@isvnu.vn
Culture’s Influence on Work Groups
Relative • Members are aware they are different, thus they compare with others
• Task group VS cultural group
cultural • Different assessment of conflicts and expression of ideas
• Lower expectation of successful interactions, worse trade-off on efforts
francesco.meca@isvnu.vn
Culture’s Influence on Group structures Business in Multicultural Environments
A.Y. 2018/2019
Francesco MECA
francesco.meca@isvnu.vn
Global Virtual Teams Business in Multicultural Environments
A.Y. 2018/2019
Francesco MECA
francesco.meca@isvnu.vn
Global Virtual Teams - Challenges Business in Multicultural Environments
A.Y. 2018/2019
Relationship Building
Communication and Conflicts Task Management
Management
• Impossibility to replicate • Electronic intermediation • Level of interdependency
face2face interaction: poses a lack of evidence and urgency affects the
media richness, of cultural differences frequency of interactions
asynchronous with lag • Reduced process losses • Need for tacit or explicit
• Complexity and with less conflicts knowledge?
ambiguity of task • Slow group development • Increased need for
• Ease of use of electronic • Identification with the defined roles, task
media team… strategy, norms
• Ability to sense the social • Less confidence to work • Level of capability in
presence in virtual environments technology use
• Written words: 2° • Slowness, coordination
language use barriers due to
discontinuity
Francesco MECA
francesco.meca@isvnu.vn
Organizational context Business in Multicultural Environments
A.Y. 2018/2019
Work groups are influenced by the larger organization of which they are part.
Management support
• Effective work groups must receive materials and informations to
achieve their goals.
• Flexibility support over control
• Internal focus over external focus
• Support for diversity (respect for cultures), integration and
learning perspective
Group-level Rewards
• Rewards on group performances are not the same as individual
rewards; hybrid systems may lower individual efforts
• Culture affects reward allocation preferences Francesco MECA
francesco.meca@isvnu.vn
Organizational context Business in Multicultural Environments
A.Y. 2018/2019
Work groups are influenced by the larger organization of which they are part.
Training
• Training in interaction skills and technical skills is important
• Managers assume employees have the skills to be effective
• What about the ability to use electronic tools?
• Need for cross-cultural training to bridge expectations with
reality Francesco MECA
francesco.meca@isvnu.vn
Organizational context Business in Multicultural Environments
A.Y. 2018/2019
Work groups are influenced by the larger organization of which they are part.
Self-Management
• Delegation of substantial amount of authority may have
positive and negative effects:
• Too much authority delegation may lead to inappropriate
direction adoption, in exchange for members’ empowerment
• Settling directions but dictating the processes and procedures
may inhibit group performance
• Insufficient directions may pose unclear task-related
processes
• Need for process-related feedback to overcome process
losses due to diversity
Francesco MECA
francesco.meca@isvnu.vn
Additional Considerations Business in Multicultural Environments
A.Y. 2018/2019
Evaluation must take into account group processes, individual outcomes and
task accomplishments. Multicultural work groups take longer to reach their
potential than homogeneous ones.
Francesco MECA
francesco.meca@isvnu.vn
Additional Considerations Business in Multicultural Environments
A.Y. 2018/2019
The organization must ensure that a group has task-related skills, knowledge and abilities,
including cultural-based knowledge.
It’s very important to share a sense of purpose, conveying the idea of a goal that trascend
personal interests and individual differences (superordinate goal).
Francesco MECA
francesco.meca@isvnu.vn