Tips for Managing Culturally Diverse Teams
How to Manage a Team with Ethnically Diverse Members
In business today, it is commonplace to have global teams, sometimes with team members located around the world. Even with teams based at the same location, the world is very multi-cultural and people move around a lot; teams tend to be made up of people from many different ethnic backgrounds. This brings many advantages; businesses can choose the right people for the team from a range of sources (from within their global organisation or from global service providers) and people from ethnically diverse backgrounds bring to the team their own unique experiences. Here are some tips to help manage this situation successfully.
Misconceptions and Misunderstandings
Language is essential to communication yet it can cause many misundesrtandings. Just because people speak English don’t assume that it’s as easy for them to communicate as it is for native speakers. It’s easy enough to do, especially when many people are very talented with languages and are multi-lingual. It can sometimes be the everyday expressions we use that people (who are not local) don’t correctly interpret. So be careful with the words that you use and always clarify that people have correctly understood what you have said or asked.
Behaving Differently
People from different cultures behave differently. It can be simple things such as meeting etiquette and promptness in attending meetings that can have a big impact on teams. To avoid potential difficulties don’t make any assumptions. If you expect everyone to attend meetings on time then say so during the early days of team formation. Discuss your expectations of the team with the group then everyone is clear.
Be considerate and tolerant of cultural differences. These can be habits, or beliefs, body language, or ways of speaking. What may seem strange in some cultures can be normal in others. If something is having a detrimental impact on the team as a whole, it may be necessary for the team leader to have a private chat with the person or persons involved. Such a situation must be handled sensitively with consideration to everyone involved.
Understand the Differences
Get to know and understand the various cultures on the team. This can be a great activity early on in the team’s formation and gives all the team members an opportunity to know more about each other.
Respect different cultural and religious holidays and learn how different cultures respond to crisis, death, stress and illness.
Zero Tolerance to Discrimination
Discrimination does still exist today and it’s very important for managers to address any such behaviour when it immediately arises. If you are subjected to discrimination, do not tolerate it and raise it with your manager.
Sometimes discrimination can be subtle. It can be in the form of jokes or general comments. What can seem funny to some can be hurtful to others, so it’s important to stop can behaviour which could be viewed as discriminative to someone else.
Establish a zero tolerance attitude on the team for discrimination.
For information on discrimination:
In the UK see Directgov, in the US see The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and in Australia see Australian Human Rights Commission.
Team Players
Everyone on the team should feel they are an important part and that they are contributing to the team’s success. Check that no one is being ostracised (this can be evident by frequently being interrupted, ignored or over-ruled by others in the team).
There are many cultural stereotypes; remember that most are outdated and incorrect. An ethnically diverse team has the potential of generating ideas and solutions that are the result of different people, with diverse backgrounds, approaches and experiences. Take time during the team’s formation to ensure everyone is aware of the cultural differences on the team, and these should help to build team tolerance.
Successful Team
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