Multicultural Teams: Critical Team Processes and Guidelines
With globalization, diverse cultures are brought together in the workplace making it necessary for business managers to come up with strategies for the effective functioning of multicultural teams. Three process variables are the foundation of effective teamwork in a multicultural team, negotiation, communication and supporting behavior (Brett, 2010). The critical components that drive effectiveness in multicultural teams fall into process components and emergent states. The effective functioning of multicultural teams is driven by critical processes and critical emerging states.
Engaging in leadership and creating and maintaining coherence is the first critical process. In multicultural teams good leadership provides the direction the group will take, keeping it coordinated and promoting a hybrid culture as they encourage cooperative conflict management strategies whenever there is a crisis between members (Lundby & Jolton, 2010). The next critical process should ensure that there is clear and meaningful communication between the multicultural team members. In a multicultural team, communication can be hindered by different languages or dialects and even the structure of communication. These challenges need to be addressed. Engaging in supportive behaviors to maximize team synergy is another critical process whereby the team members should support one another as they correct each other’s mistakes. Multicultural teams should engage in negotiations to find a common ground. This is critical considering that the team members come from diverse cultural backgrounds resulting in diverse believes and ways of reasoning. The team members should therefore negotiate to come into a common agreement.
Critical emergent states for the effective functioning of multicultural teams include creating a psychological safety, where there is mutual respect and trust which will help to facilitate interaction between the members (Battista & DiLoreto, 2010). There should also be compatible cognitive structures that will assist in coordination. This should also include introducing ways to deal with emotional conflicts, which are brought about by interpretive barriers.
Trends In Global HR Management And Their Implications
Four stages have been used to define globalization, multinational, international, transiting to global and global. HR will be involved in global business activities while dealing with suppliers and foreign employees. The HR professionals will need therefore to learn the global economic market and the international labor laws as they combine the needs of the whole organization and those of the local country (Cesyniene, 2005). As a result of these changes, the role of the HR professionals has changed from the former administrative function to strategic business partner working closely with the line managers. The modern HR professional has to adapt to being both tactical as well as strategic.
The framework for selecting developing and retaining employees in an organization should be consistent for the whole organization regardless of the location. The capabilities for each employee should be universal whichever country this employee is transferred to. There should be standardized global management of talent to create equal performance expectations for all employees within the organization (PWC, 2008). This talent management includes appraisal methods, succession plans, and feedback systems. One of the roles of HR is to set up recognition and rewarding programs. This would be hard to be standardized because the economic standards in each country may vary. The laws and regulations and tax effects may vary whereby the minimum wages may differ in each country, thus making it hard to have a common base for setting up the reward system. Labor may also be more readily available in some countries, thus the rule of supply and demand will apply (Palthe, 2008). The availability of technology may also vary hence making it difficult to set a global standard.
References
- Battista, M & DiLoreto, M. (2010). HR in the Global Workplace. Chichester: Wiley
- Brett, J. (2010). Managing Multicultural Teams.
- Cesyniene, R. (2005). The Most Recent Trends and Emerging Values in Human Resources Management: Comparative Analysis.
- Lundby, K., & Jolton, J. (2010). Going Global: Practical Applications and Recommendations for HR and OD Professionals in the Global Workplace. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
- Palthe, J. (2008). Managing Human Rights and Human Resources: The dual Responsibility of Global Corporations.
- PWC. (2008). Managing People in a Changing World: Key Trends in Human Capital a Global Perspective2008.