Multi-cultural diversity in the work place is something to encourage and appreciate and not to fear. Working with people from varied backgrounds and cultures can introduce a new range of complex factors but, at the same time, will also enhance the business and introduce new ideas and creates a stimulating and exciting work environment.
Different cultures attach significance to different things and what may seem harmless and unimportant to one culture may be offensive to another. Remember that this can apply to customs, speech and body language. The answer, as with most things, is to do your homework! Find out a little about the culture of the people you are meeting or working with or simply ask them. People will not be offended if you ask them about their culture, religion likes and dislikes; in fact they will generally be appreciative of your respectful attitude.
In a business context, it is important to have a clear understanding of the impact that peoples’ cultural background has on their attitudes in relation to work. Ensuring that multicultural teams are performance managed to succeed is more complex and requires more effort in regard to the initial recruitment phase and the on-going performance management. Whilst we must be careful to be open-minded and non-prejudiced, we would be silly to ignore well accepted cultural traits.
An example of one factor is the way different cultures respond to authority. Some cultures exhibit great deference to people in senior positions and also to their elders. This can mean that those people will need more encouragement to openly contribute their ideas where they may appear to conflict with those of their manager. On the other hand some cultures believe in being very direct and confronting issues head on. It is, therefore, very important to be clear in regard to the specific qualities that you need in your team and the objectives to be achieved and then be aware of how different business cultures may benefit the achievement of those objectives.
When you first recruit your teams, it should be clearly explained that the organisation respects its cultural diversity and expects all its staff to do the same. Perceptions and preconceived stereotypes can lead to communication problems and interpersonal bias. Differences in cultural behaviors can lead to mistrust and whilst this is difficult to prevent, it should be recognised and dealt with accordingly. Demonstrate a clear policy against discrimination and prejudice and act on any incidence that is motivated or influenced by cultural intolerance.
Whilst it is important to be sensitive to other cultures, it is also important to develop and reinforce the culture for the organisation and the team. In this way a standard and ethos can be developed that will become a shared focus and aim for all within the team. This can go a long way to help people bond with others in the team and share a sense of commitment and responsibility.
Obviously language (both verbal and body language) can be a key factor when dealing with multicultural teams and it is important to ensure that communications are as smooth as possible. This can be as simple as ensuring people speak slowly and clearly, avoid slang or idioms and also checking understanding, rather than just assuming. For a Manager, patience, listening skills, a friendly disposition and a good sense of humour are always an asset.
Remember: The same factors within multicultural groups that can make them complex to manage can also be their greatest advantage. Due to the lack of shared cultural assumptions, you are more likely to get a diversity of opinions, new and more varied ideas and solutions due to differing methodologies and they also help to prevent the issue of “*Group thinking”; and always remember that people are individuals and whilst their cultural background certainly influences their personality, you should be very careful not to make assumptions purely based on this.
*Groupthinking” happens when a team of like minded members try to minimize conflict and reach consensus without critically testing, evaluating or analysing ideas. Individual creativity, uniqueness, and independent thinking are lost in the pursuit of group cohesiveness.
Different cultures attach significance to different things and what may seem harmless and unimportant to one culture may be offensive to another. Remember that this can apply to customs, speech and body language. The answer, as with most things, is to do your homework! Find out a little about the culture of the people you are meeting or working with or simply ask them. People will not be offended if you ask them about their culture, religion likes and dislikes; in fact they will generally be appreciative of your respectful attitude.
In a business context, it is important to have a clear understanding of the impact that peoples’ cultural background has on their attitudes in relation to work. Ensuring that multicultural teams are performance managed to succeed is more complex and requires more effort in regard to the initial recruitment phase and the on-going performance management. Whilst we must be careful to be open-minded and non-prejudiced, we would be silly to ignore well accepted cultural traits.
An example of one factor is the way different cultures respond to authority. Some cultures exhibit great deference to people in senior positions and also to their elders. This can mean that those people will need more encouragement to openly contribute their ideas where they may appear to conflict with those of their manager. On the other hand some cultures believe in being very direct and confronting issues head on. It is, therefore, very important to be clear in regard to the specific qualities that you need in your team and the objectives to be achieved and then be aware of how different business cultures may benefit the achievement of those objectives.
When you first recruit your teams, it should be clearly explained that the organisation respects its cultural diversity and expects all its staff to do the same. Perceptions and preconceived stereotypes can lead to communication problems and interpersonal bias. Differences in cultural behaviors can lead to mistrust and whilst this is difficult to prevent, it should be recognised and dealt with accordingly. Demonstrate a clear policy against discrimination and prejudice and act on any incidence that is motivated or influenced by cultural intolerance.
Whilst it is important to be sensitive to other cultures, it is also important to develop and reinforce the culture for the organisation and the team. In this way a standard and ethos can be developed that will become a shared focus and aim for all within the team. This can go a long way to help people bond with others in the team and share a sense of commitment and responsibility.
Obviously language (both verbal and body language) can be a key factor when dealing with multicultural teams and it is important to ensure that communications are as smooth as possible. This can be as simple as ensuring people speak slowly and clearly, avoid slang or idioms and also checking understanding, rather than just assuming. For a Manager, patience, listening skills, a friendly disposition and a good sense of humour are always an asset.
Remember: The same factors within multicultural groups that can make them complex to manage can also be their greatest advantage. Due to the lack of shared cultural assumptions, you are more likely to get a diversity of opinions, new and more varied ideas and solutions due to differing methodologies and they also help to prevent the issue of “*Group thinking”; and always remember that people are individuals and whilst their cultural background certainly influences their personality, you should be very careful not to make assumptions purely based on this.
*Groupthinking” happens when a team of like minded members try to minimize conflict and reach consensus without critically testing, evaluating or analysing ideas. Individual creativity, uniqueness, and independent thinking are lost in the pursuit of group cohesiveness.
