Case Analysis Working in a Multicultural Environment in the World

¶ … working with a multinational team are turning out to be more and more obvious in the modern, linked world. However, a job like the one I work for have not caught up with this concept, thus causing a problem when it comes to teamwork. Historically, my workplace was one of the most tradition-bound corporations on the planet. It was well-known for its written and spoken rules as its no-discharge policy, its emphasis on individual achievement and promotions, the expectation of lifetime service at the corporation, and its obligation of suits and white shirts at work

This company has clients in 150 nations and now today has managed does two-thirds of its business external the U.S. As a result, it has inverted almost all facets of its old ethos. On relatively new emphasis is in the teamwork place. Even though the company, like virtually all huge administrations, uses work teams widely, the way it does so is exclusive. To impart in its directors a gratitude of local culture, and as a means of opening up emerging marketplaces, my company sends hundreds of its workers to month-long volunteer project teams in areas of the world where largest businesses do not do commercially. A new manager, who was a software development manager came from Atlanta; Georgia was sent to join, a furniture manufacturing team in Berlin, Germany. With this new manager were other workers from five other nations. Together, they helped all the companies become more advanced as far as technology. However, one thing that was not taught was to accept multiculturalism on the job even though they do set up teams from different racial backgrounds. All of the teams were marketing, and they were new teams.

This is hardly pure self-sacrifice at work because just because there are different nationalities on the job, does not mean they all get along or are being embraced by non-white employees. The company calculates these multicultural, multinational teams as good assets for more than a few reasons. First, they help lay the groundwork for opening up commercial in developing economies, several of which might be anticipated to enjoy better future growth than mature marketplaces. The VP, who supervises the program, likewise believes it helps workers create multicultural team skills and an appreciation of local marketplaces. He makes the point, "We desire to construct a leadership squad that learns about these areas and also learns to switch their varied skills and backgrounds." Among the nations where the company has directed its multicultural teams are Russia, China, Poland, Ghana, and the Norway.

However, the group was in its beginning stages, and this was because the company started hiring and bringing in different ethnic groups. At one time, teams were mostly all white with a few people of color. The company decided to change all of that once they started to send teams overseas and to different states. The wanted to look like a diverse company. However, the teams were usually led by a white leader, and this was constantly done. It appeared that even though teams were getting more different, the leadership was not. The teams are not self-managed, and all of them have a leader. On the particular group, there are six people. Most of them are from diverse backgrounds, but the leader does not represent anyone on the team. The text described groups that were working on a social context that shapes and confines behavior (Lee, 2014).

This team was far from that. The problem was that it was diverse and at the same time divided. Then, to make matters worse, the leader was insensitive to the multicultural needs of the team. Multicultural project teams most of the time face difficulties with communication, values, and anticipations. According to the model of success performance, the team was not very functional because of the lack of understanding the diversity in the group. Also, too because the leader failed to recognize that there was an issue, mainly with communication. Team performance was weak, and everyone wanted to be chiefs and nobody wanted to be the Indian. There was so much power play among the team mates until it was hard to get anything done. Communication, as mentioned before, was a huge problem. Nobody seemed to respect each other's diversity while at the same time, the leader was not doing anything to make sure that things were being enforced.

When it comes to the recommendation, there are many things that could have been done to have made it more useful and positive. For example, when individuals who are working together speak different languages, it can create a major problem to accomplishment. Learning a new language is a most significant undertaking and is more problematic as an adult than as a child. Answers to this issue for the company and the team could include continuing workplace language classes, multilingual translators combined into a unit and technical solutions for instance translation software. Another thing is that when team members observe a diversity of languages as a prospect to learn something new instead of an impossible issue, they will all benefit from the communication.

Research shows that the way a corporation is managed, and in specific the accepted norms about hierarchy and authority fluctuate significantly from culture to culture (Haywood, 2015). Because the team manager was not equipped to handle the group concerns about multicultural issues, most of the time things got ignored. One recommendation to remedy this problem was when a team member needs to worsen a condition to their manager, the correct method for doing so is so massively dissimilar culture-to-culture, that except an explicit system is enforced and explained, there are guaranteed to be difficulties. As a manager, be free from the beginning of the system the team wishes to utilize and make no suppositions that this is the system that team members are acquainted with.

Another thing that needs to be recognized as that to explain the system visibly (and in writing) to all associates, but taking particular care to make it visible to those who come from a culture where a unique set of standards are utilized. And of course, this should not be expecting to be enough. This does not happen overnight and of course, old habits die hard, and a company or a team are bound to come across circumstances where a various system starts to challenge the one the team is utilizing. Alterations will need to be done. Other recommendations involve running meetings to uncover the working group to other cultures. Presenting working team who will be working together in a non-intimidating environment allows a good working association long-term. Studying about another culture's language, regulations, and norms for adequate behavior helps organize the team to handle circumstances as they come up. Altering prejudices can lead to more cooperative working relations with the groups.