Discuss about the Challenges Managing Global Teams in Wesfarmers Ltd.
The assignment is based on ‘Challenges in managing Global teams in Wesfarmers Ltd.’. Australia is one such nation which is finely connected with other countries to make better international presence. Like this, they are able to achieve their goals and objectives and better satisfaction from customers. But managing global teams is not easy at all. It comes with lot of challenges and also disrupts the normal operations of the company if not managed well (Stankiewicz and Ziemia?sk, 2015). The companies have to manage global teams by setting clear terms, goals and well defined duties. If the local affairs of the company are well aligned with the global scenario, the company can result in success at the international front (Schellwies, 2015).
The main objective of this research is to discuss about various challenges which the companies face while managing global teams. The project focuses on Wesfarmers and its global operations which requires manpower from across the world. The project includes the recording of the experiences of the store managers or the project managers who handle employees from various places. They will share their experiences how they face extreme challenges while managing global teams and what steps they take to meet those challenges.
The scope of the project is wide as it focusses on the global scenario. The challenges while managing global teams will be focussed upon and it will include the techniques and methods which will help in neutralising the issues in the management of teams across world wherever Wesfarmers operates. The study explores the challenges and the solutions to meet those challenges to make better management and alignment within the teams. It will help in better performance of the company and will also enhance the challenge meeting capabilities of the organisation.
According to Lilian (2014), the biggest challenge of managing global teams in Wesfarmers is having communication barrier because of distances or languages. It is one of the major challenge which leads to the delay in project delivery and can also lead to the failure of need fulfilment of customers (Binder, 2016). The members of global teams belong to different culture and backgrounds which lead to the failure in maintaining a standard platform where they can communicate smoothly and on the same understanding level. The company adopt methods like video conferencing or emails for sharing the thoughts and views but it lacks the effect which face to face communication has (Gibbs and Boyraz, 2015).
As per Brewer (2015), the cultural difference is another challenge because of which the employees are not able to think at same level. There is a difference in their understanding level and point of views. It may lead to the formation of subgroups which can lead to internal politics and conflicts (Collis and Hussey, 2013). Different time zones in country also affects the deadlines and working hours of the employees which hampers the productivity of the organisation as a whole (Rodrigues and Sbragia, 2013).
In the opinion of Ferraro and Briody (2017), the project managers can handle the issues of time and distance by arranging good network systems so that communication could not become a barriers between teams. Regular meetings are conducted to be aware of the actions of each team. A standard culture can be established in the system of the company which is required to be followed by all (Kimble, 2011). It will bring unanimity among the members of different teams. Shifts can be arranged for work so that all time availability can be maintained and no disruption occurs in the work (Morgan, Paucar-Caceres and Wright, 2014). There are leadership challenges too as the vocal chords, gestures and facial expressions plays main role in communicating the ideas and tasks to the team sitting at various geographical locations (Huang, 2016).
It is very important to have understanding between the teams who works for the same company so that the flow of work remains smooth and the work is done on time without hampering the productivity and performance of the organisation. The research problems over here is that the project managers have to manage the global teams of Wesfarmers which work together to maintain its business across the globe wherever it is present (Stan, 2010).
There are some gaps which are identified in the literature. It is seen that there is no technique mentioned which can be used for developing good communication flow among the teams. The points discussed seems theoretical and no practical implication can be seen from the same. Real applications are necessary which helps multinational corporations like Wesfarmers to meet the gap between different teams and to collate the efforts of all.
Primary question
What are the challenges of managing global teams in Wesfarmers Ltd.?
Secondary questions
What are the benefits of having global teams in Wesfarmers?
What steps are taken by the managers of Wesfarmers to meet the challenges of managing global teams?
What techniques are adopted to meet the gaps between the teams working in different countries
This is the major section of the research as it helps to know how research is conducted and what all sources are taken up in order to collect data for completing the research. It also helps researcher to develop an action plan according to which research could be completed within deadline given (Cooper, Schindler & Sun, 2006). Two types of researches are taken up for getting the conclusion of the research, which are qualitative research and quantitative research.
Process of qualitative research
According to this type of research, the research is processed by taking steps one by one. The first step includes the framing of research problem or questions. The next step is the collection of relevant data for getting the answers of the questions. The next step is interpretation of data and considering relevant theories and the last step would be the findings of the research on the basis of which the recommendations will be given (Mackey and Gass, 2015).
Reliability and validity approach
These approaches are very significant for considering the quality of the research (Wilson, 2016). Inductive approach is taken up to assess the reliability of the research. The research is valid as the relevant theories are considered to gather the data and develop the findings of the research. This shows that the result of the research would be reliable and valid.
Sampling technique and sample size
Sampling refers to the technique of choosing a set of population from the total population on which research can be conducted to get the results which are considered as the result of the total population (Panneerselvam, 2014). Non probability sampling is chosen over here to conduct interviews of 5 project managers of Wesfarmers of different departments. This type of sampling means that the respondents will be selected on the basis of judgement of the researcher. Interview will be conducted which will include open ended questions.
Data collection techniques
Data will be collected with the help of primary sources. It includes interviews and observations made. It will help in getting fresh data which has never been collected before. The interview process will provide subjective data to the researcher on the basis of which the judgements can be made.
Variable specification
There are two variables in the research, one is dependent variable and the other one is independent variable. The independent variable in this research is challenges of managing global teams in Wesfarmers and the dependent variable is performance of Wesfarmers and its teams by meeting the challenges.
Process of quantitative research
The process of quantitative research is much different than the qualitative research. This includes development of theory at first and then creating hypothesis so that the relationship between two variables of the research can be identified. Different research instruments will be used to collect data in order to answer the research problem. The respondents will be selected and the data will be collected. Then, this data will be analysed by using various data analysis techniques. This will help in getting findings which will be used further to provide recommendations.
Instrument used for research
The research instrument is the tool which is used to collect relevant information for conducting the research. This information could be gained from the primary as well as secondary sources. The primary source used is questionnaire which will include 10 questions. These questions will be close ended and will help the researcher to know the challenges faced by the managers in handling global teams. Secondary sources will be used to collect data to support primary data. Secondary sources used are books, journals, websites, articles and more.
Sampling technique and sample size
The sampling technique which is used to select respondents for the questionnaire is simple random technique where each individual have an equal chance of being selected. 50 employees of Wesfarmers across the stores of Australia are being surveyed to understand their point of view for working with the global teams. The sample size is 50.
Reliability and validity of data
The reliability and validity of the research done through quantitative research method will be maintained by handling the responses of the respondents well. The responses should not be leaked because it might hamper the actual result of the research. The genuine sources are used and the secondary literature is referenced in order to prove the authenticity of the research.
The research is done but might face some of the limitations. Because of the limited availability of time and resources, the research is conducted in hurry and by taking small sample size which might not give [proper results of the research. Also, the responses of the questionnaire might be biased and not given by being true which could hamper the authenticity of the research
The time schedule for conducting research in given time in given below:
|
S. No. |
Steps of the Research |
Time taken for research activities (weeks) |
|
A |
Research planning |
1 |
|
B |
Literature Review |
1 |
|
C |
Research methodology and proposal |
2 |
|
D |
Data analysis |
2 |
|
E |
Conclusion and Recommendations |
1 |
|
F |
Final Report Preparation |
1 |
Conclusion
It can be concluded that the advent of globalisation has given rise to the work processes which involves global teams. Global teams work together in organisations because it provides diversity in thoughts, process and it also covers larger part of the world which could increases the area covered by the organisation. The research involved the discussion about the challenges which the companies face in managing global teams. A case of Wesfarmers is taken which have its operations in various countries and work with different people to achieve a common goal. The research is conducted by taking up both the qualitative and quantitative research methods. Data is collected through primary and secondary sources which includes tools like interviews, survey questionnaire and review of literature form books, journals and various online websites.
References
Binder, J., 2016. Global project management: communication, collaboration and management across borders. Routledge.
Brewer, P.E., 2015. International Virtual Teams: Engineering Global Success. John Wiley & Sons.
Collis, J. and Hussey, R., 2013. Business research: A practical guide for undergraduate and postgraduate students. Palgrave macmillan.
Cooper, D.R., Schindler, P.S. and Sun, J., 2006. Business research methods (Vol. 9). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin.
Ferraro, G.P. and Briody, E.K., 2017. The Cultural Dimension of Global Business. Taylor & Francis.
Gibbs, J.L. and Boyraz, M., 2015. International HRM’s role in managing global teams. The Routledge companion to international human resource management, pp.532-551.
Huang, J., 2016. The challenge of multicultural management in global projects. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 226, pp.75-81.
Kimble, C., 2011. Building effective virtual teams: How to overcome the problems of trust and identity in virtual teams. Global Business and Organizational Excellence, 30(2), pp.6-15.
Lilian , S.C., 2014. Virtual teams: opportunities and challenges for e-leaders. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences .110 ( 2014 ) ,pp. 1251 – 1261.
Mackey, A. & Gass, S. M., 2015. Second language research: Methodology and design. Routledge.
Morgan, L., Paucar-Caceres, A. and Wright, G., 2014. Leading effective global virtual teams: The consequences of methods of communication. Systemic Practice and Action Research, 27(6), pp.607-624.
Panneerselvam, R (2014).Research methodology. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd..
Rodrigues, I. and Sbragia, R., 2013. The cultural challenges of managing global project teams: a study of brazilian multinationals. Journal of technology management & innovation, 8, pp.4-4.
Schellwies, L., 2015. Multicultural Team Effectiveness: Emotional Intelligence as Success Factor . Anchor Academic Publishing.
Stan, A., 2010. Managing Global Teams. Studies and Scientific Researches. Economics Edition, (15).
Stankiewicz , K. and Ziemia?sk, P., 2015. To Work or Not to Work… in a Multicultural Team? Journal of Intercultural Management. 7(4),pp. 101–112.
Wilson, V., 2016. Research Methods: Mixed Methods Research. Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, 11, 56-59.
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