The world is changing due to globalization; the intermingling of several diversified cultures, economies, political and social classes in the society. Thus, it is imperative for managers to consider globalization (cultural diversity), when leading a team towards success. A brilliant leader must learn to appreciate and understand the multicultural groups in this ever changing society (Chitul & Zagaiciuc, 2005).
There are numerous challenges posed by a society with multicultural groups. People embrace dissimilar values, dress differently, eat dissimilar foodstuff, and poses diverse characters, in a multicultural society (Caprara & Cervone 2000, p. 26). An outstanding manager must learn to appreciate and understand all the cultural communities, not excluding their values, behaviors, likes and dislikes.
Permissiveness is also an essential quality that will help a manager appreciate and understand different cultures i.e. with respect to their attitude and conflicting norms. Sometimes, certain cultures do not integrate and with others thus lack of cohesiveness; therefore, it is necessary for a manager shape teams within his organization i.e. by reshuffling team members and placing them in teams where their culture suit best.
Understanding of individual cultures is vital for any multicultural team to realize its potential. If a manager understands different individual cultures in his team, he will be at ease in appreciating values and behaviors that belong to a certain cultural context, despite how unpleasant they may be. This, therefore, minimizes disputes sparkled by behaviors of a certain culture, which could have been misinterpreted to be offensive and unacceptable (Pederson, Pederson & Connery 2005, p.129).
A manager, who understands individual cultures in a multicultural society, develops confidence within each and every culture, due to their feeling of appreciation. Furthermore, when individual cultures develop confidence, then it automatically suggests that the whole team is confident by the management. Such confidence and appreciations motivate a team thus increasing their output, which is ultimately reflected by the increase in organizational productivity (Mockler, 2002, p. 255).
My best practices will be culture-specific, since it will appreciate and mobilize individual culture, which will eventually be reflected in the whole team in general. For instance, a manger will identify cultures which can effectively integrate and work well as a team, by studying and understanding each culture.
Additionally, being permissive and open-minded to each culture develops the sense of equal appreciation among diversified cultures. This eventually develops confidence within individual cultures, which in turn motivates the whole team in general. Such practice will not only develop a strong team, but also improve the productivity and efficiency of each culture within a team.
In designing a cross-cultural team, it is crucial to consider certain factors while choosing the human resource. Sociability, open-mindedness, word pronunciation (accent and fluency) and tolerability are some of the vital factors to consider when selecting personnel for cross-cultural teams (Melymuka, 2006).
This is because, for effective team integration and communication, members of the team must be friendly and ready to accept their diversity with an open mind. Some of the considerations for selecting a cross-cultural team are similar to virtual teams; for instance, sociability, open-mindedness, and reasonable.
Conclusion
The word is rapidly changing, with different cultures integrating to form a common society; therefore, it is necessary for a manager to up their managerial skill to accommodate the dynamic world. Some of the necessary qualities to be embraced by managers include open-mindedness, understanding, appreciative and many more others. Furthermore, it is also imperative for certain factors to be considered, while choosing members that can effectively work in a multicultural environment.
List of References
Caprara, V & Cervone, D, 2000, Personality: determinants, dynamics, and potential, Cambridge, university press, New York. Pp.26.
Melymuka, K 2006, Managing multicultural teams, Computerworld. Web.
Chitul, M & Zagaiciuc, S 2005, Defining the best practices and guidelines for building successful multicultural teams, Blekinge institute of technology. Web.
Pederson, B, Pederson, P & Connery L, 2005, leadership in a diverse and multicultural environment: developing awareness, knowledge, and skills, sage, California. Pp.129-137.
Mockler, J (2002), Multinational strategic management: an integrative entrepreneurial context specific process, Rutledge, New York. Pp. 255-266.