Managing multicultural teams in constant change
Senra-Nyman, Lucinda (2020)
2020
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020121127720
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020121127720
Tiivistelmä
This thesis aims to answer the research question “How to lead effectively a multicultural team”. The goal of the thesis was to define a clear strategy on how to manage most effectively a team in a multicultural environment. Which competences in a team leader are more appreciated and how to manage and understand cultural diversity.
The first task was to do a literature review on theories related to the topic and then to interview several people working in a multicultural environment. During the interviews the purpose was to try to understand what their opinions were on issues related to the thesis topic, what is their opinion about working in a multicultural team, what kind of leadership they appreciate, and what are the pros and cons of working in this type of environment. Also, there are some questions for leaders that have experienced leading multicultural teams.
The results have shown that communication is the most challenging issue for preforming everyday tasks in multicultural teams. Having a leader with the right skills helps to bring forward the best performance out of a diverse team. Nevertheless, having people with cultural awareness, open mindedness, willingness to accept the differences is a must for working in an environment outside of their comfort zone. To lead a multicultural team most effectively, each team member must be treated as an individual by the team leader. The culture is an important consideration, but more important is to integrate the team member properly and to be willing to accept differences.
The first task was to do a literature review on theories related to the topic and then to interview several people working in a multicultural environment. During the interviews the purpose was to try to understand what their opinions were on issues related to the thesis topic, what is their opinion about working in a multicultural team, what kind of leadership they appreciate, and what are the pros and cons of working in this type of environment. Also, there are some questions for leaders that have experienced leading multicultural teams.
The results have shown that communication is the most challenging issue for preforming everyday tasks in multicultural teams. Having a leader with the right skills helps to bring forward the best performance out of a diverse team. Nevertheless, having people with cultural awareness, open mindedness, willingness to accept the differences is a must for working in an environment outside of their comfort zone. To lead a multicultural team most effectively, each team member must be treated as an individual by the team leader. The culture is an important consideration, but more important is to integrate the team member properly and to be willing to accept differences.