Managing Multicultural Teams in the 21st Century

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to define multiculturalism and multicultural teams, and to identify how to manage multicultural teams in the 21st century. During the last century, globalization has completely changed the way organizations act and think, which has led to more cultural diversity within companies. Therefore, it is important for managers to take culture into consideration when leading their diverse teams. Many cultural researchers such as Hofstede, Trompenaars and Lewis have proven that multiculturalism has both challenges and opportunities for both organizations and managers. In addition, media brings its own challenges and opportunities considering it is the 21st century. For example, many social movements related to diversity have gained more support and attention during the last few years, and organizations want to show that they too are culturally diverse or appropriate. The purpose of the research is to understand what kind or problems as well as positive aspects there are when managing multicultural working environments. The goal is to find out whether managers succeed in acknowledging multiculturalism in the working environment or not, and to provide some practical tips on how to improve. The research methods used were an online questionnaire and an expert interview. The target group of the survey was people who have worked in multicultural environments, and the sample size for this research was 56. The expert interview was conducted with a Finnish program chair and line manager, who has over 30 years of experience in multicultural settings, including experience in managerial positions. The results of the questionnaire and interview were compared and analysed, and some similarities and differences were found. Furthermore, the goal of the research was achieved when the main challenges and obstacles for managers could be identified according to the survey and interview, and some practical tips for managers were given considering the expert interviewee’s answers.