• Evaluate the factors which should be taken into account when managing such a culturally diverse and geographically dispersed team such as this.
• Prioritise the factors which should be considered when deciding the type of individual, in terms of experience, skills and competencies, who should be appointed as the manager of this team.
• Given the nature of this team, compare and contrast the approaches and styles of leadership that would be most effective in ensuring the successful delivery of this project.
Cross Cultural leadership is a term that helps to identify and recognize the diversity of the schools and also of the leaders those who are associated with the social, ethnic, linguistic and other cultural groups as well and such groups may act as representatives of the entire body that is working on behalf of the company as a whole. Cross cultural leadership makes an attempt to understand that how the individuals of various related cultures interact with each other. Along these lines cross cultural leadership has developed in a unique way so that it is able to understand that how the leaders work effectively and efficiently in a new globalized market. In today’s world the international organizations need such type of leaders those who work in the newly globalized market. Today’s international organizations require leaders who can work and adjust with different environments and adapt to changes quickly. It is expected that the leaders can work along with the managers as well as employees of other cultures as well. It is assumed that if a manager is successful in one country then he is successful in another country as well.
There is strong evidence that the majority of minority students (linguistic, ethnic, class, and socio-economic) do not perform as well in our schools as their peers from more middle-class, traditional backgrounds (Berliner & Biddle, 1995). Less is known about the roles, personal educational experiences, and philosophies of educational leaders who are successful in cross-cultural situations. This study will begin to fill that gap. Cross-cultural leaders must understand how culture operates at different levels. At one level, individuals are shaped by their ethnic, racial, religious and national backgrounds. At another, they are influenced by the standards, ideals, beliefs, values and experience of their teams. And at yet another level, they are shaped by the culture of their organization. Culture is complex and multifaceted and today’s leaders must confidently and competently manage across cultural borders. For this they need a new kind of intelligence – cultural intelligence has been introduced.
The Glug Plc is a company that planned to expand its business operation and so it initiated a large project management team that has staffs of over 50 who hailed from different geographical location with different types of management skill. The project success relied on the coordination between the culturally different staffs from diverse location. They will potentially be in touch with through the emails and the video conferences. There are chances of difficulty when the project manager would try to coordinate with the staff that are of diverse and dispersed in nature. So it is suggested that cross cultural leadership is the main aspect through which the multi-disciplinary, international team can be managed.
In the 21st century, many companies operate in international markets and leadership has to deal with the cross-cultural differences. Most researchers and practitioners are saying that “the leader of tomorrow is someone who can jump across boundaries and disciplines and analyze cultural differences in global.The leaders have to learn how to get along with the employees and leading a good team of different cultural backgrounds. And some researchers have been predicting that globalization, increased technology and changing demographics would create new challenges for leaders who must manage in a diverse workforce. All of those factors have increased the possibly that workers are from various nationalities, different culture backgrounds and a variety of religions will be required to work together.
There are two kinds of understanding of cross-cultural leadership. One is from the point of view of the organization to understand the cross-cultural leadership, cross-cultural leadership is the leader in the implementation of an organization constituted by the staff of different nationalities, different values and different cultural backgrounds to guide and coordinate the behavior. From this perspective, cross-cultural leadership is present in among the multinational and transnational organizations. In addition, an understanding from the perspective of cultural exchange and cultural changes, the cross-cultural leadership as to adapt to a new wave of globalization and services worldwide wave of cultural leadership activities. From this perspective, cross-cultural leadership is a unique phenomenon to test the ability of leaders is able to lead and adapt the cultural challenges.
Because the cultural variances are knowledge so important for the multinational companies’ leadership activities, it is significant for the leaders to develop good understanding about the key of different cultural variances (Rupp, 2011). Furthermore, nation’s specific cultural attributes play an important role in determining the selection of leadership style.
As offshore outsourcing shrinks boundaries between countries and makes the world a single marketplace, and as economies become more deeply interlinked, organizations are compelled to create global teams that are culturally diverse and geographically dispersed. Success lies in creating a collaborative, efficient and cost effective workforce by leveraging such Geographically Dispersed Teams (GDTs).
GDTs are groups of people working across time, space and organizational boundaries, and communicating through complex webs of modern technology. The team members have complementary skills, the same set of objectives, common performance goals and are mutually accountable for achieving them.
It is important for the Glug Plc that all the team members adjust to the team dynamics and create a synergy amongst them. Establishing processes, common values, a sense of urgency, trust and proper communication is critical for managing global teams. In this context, the project manager of the GDT must ensure some of the aspects of cross-culture leadership which are discussed below:
1. People Management
Interpersonal and people management skills assume considerable significance when managing virtual teams. Imparting proper training and dealing with initial glitches ensures smooth coordination. However, misunderstanding and miscommunications are bound to occur. Such situations call for greater effort to resolve coordination problems. The best approach is to address the root of the problem rather than the symptoms.
To ensure smooth collaboration, Glug Plc must adequately facilitate GDTs as if they are in the same location (room, building or city) and like traditional teams, are able to engage in face-to-face meetings. Though technology makes it possible, face-to-face communication proves uneconomical, time consuming and often not feasible for diverse teams. The company in this regard has decided to acquaint the employees on a quarterly basis for discussing the progress of the projects.
2. Managing Cultural Diversity
Members of GDTs are in different geographical locations across the world and exhibit cultural diversity, have varied backgrounds and speak different languages. Such work ecosystems can be challenging. They can create mixed feelings, avoidable tensions and problems, and create a kind of culture shock for the team members.
As the Glug Plc has decided to transfers and relocate staffs from one geographical location to the other. This might create a problem of communication and a difference in the ideas and knowledge which might create a situation of disagreement within the workplace. the disagreement may lead to a fall in the productivity of these employees. So it is important for them to manage the cultural diversity among the employees.
The phrase “out of sight, out of mind” applies to most cases of virtual team functioning. Vast distances and time zone differences contribute significantly to communication and trust issues. A few hours of time difference such as in neighboring cities, states or countries do not pose a major problem, but issues inflate multiple times when the differences are large-such as distant time zones of 8+ hours, holidays, work days as well as cultures. Actively managing such issues through rotating work hours and workdays, face-to-face meeting locations and establishing no-communication days, can minimize problems and burnout amongst team members.
The Glug Plc has planned to interact and establish communication and coordination with the staffs that are located in different locations which might pose a difficult problem. The time difference in these international locations may make it difficult for the employees to communicate through the video conference as it might be difficult for an employee to attend a video conference in midnight when it is bright sunny day in other countries. This can create a communication dilemma and a drawback of the international project.
Managing modes of communication and language pose a huge challenge. For example, e-mail is the most common and popular form of conveying information and decision making. However, the verbosity and quantity of information included in an e-mail can be confusing for non-English speakers. Hence structuring communications is important, so that the team members interpret them correctly and take appropriate action.
Devising a communication strategy is the key to addressing cultural diversity. Some key elements are face-to-face meetings at the start and during project execution; phone calls for one-on-one discussions; e-mails, instant messaging and conference calls (web, video etc.) for group meetings; conveying meeting agendas in advance as well as the context of issues and action items.
The Glug Plc must consider the gap in the language of communication as the employees are from different cultural background. It is quite natural for them to communicate through their native language. The most common language is English through which official talks can be communicated but with the diversity in the work place can fetch the problem of communication with the native language of the respective place. Thus, there must be a communication programme that will help the employees to gain cultural knowledge.
Employees who have the right attitude that translates to the best behavior are said to be the more competent. The concept of competency as a factor in recruitment, selection, hiring and employee performance evaluation has become very popular not only among HR practitioners but to the management echelons as well. Yet, in the more than three decades since it became a buzzword, still many are really unfamiliar with the details of the concept. More so with its appropriate application and utility.
Competency is still equated or defined as skills, ability to perform, capacity, and knowledge. As such, the term has been used loosely. While it does not really matter much when used casually to mean physical and mental abilities, it does matter when used in job analysis to describe job requirements and performance standards. Competency takes more than skills and knowledge. It requires the right and appropriate attitude that eventually translates to behavior.
For managers, competencies are vital if they want better performance in their employees. Whether during recruitment and selection phases or while already on board, competencies should be identified and studied. It should always be borne in mind that the competencies required of each job position differ from one another. In the job analysis and writing of job descriptions, quick guides can make the task easier. The following factors should be considered in determining the appropriate competencies:
Level of Decision-Making, Responsibilities and Authorities.
Level of Internal Personnel Inter-Action.
Level of Customer Contact and Inter-Action.
Level of Physical and Aptitude Skills and Knowledge.
Many studies have been undertaken on the subject of job competency for managerial and supervisory positions, and they are one in categorizing and jumping them into:
Administrative Competencies;
Communication Competencies;
Supervisory Competencies, and;
Cognitive Competencies.
These competencies were found to be the most important or vital for managerial and supervisory effectiveness.
For the rank and file employees, the level of physical and aptitude competencies form the larger part in consideration. This is due to the lack or absence of decision making tasks that involve significant physical and manpower resources of the company. In many cases, their jobs entail routines, clerical and manual. Common to all jobs in the rank and file category are competencies that enhance inter-personal relationship, physical skills, and job knowledge.
As one goes up the higher ladders of organizational positions, responsibilities widen in scope, authorities increase, and people management becomes more exacting. As a consequence, competencies will have to change or the mix of it will have to be altered in order to adjust to the requirements of the job. If an accounting clerk or a bookkeeper for example, is promoted to the position of an accounting supervisor, his competencies will have to be enhanced. Aside from maintaining his technical skill in computing and bookkeeping, he would need to be skilful in coaching, mentoring, scheduling of work, monitoring, appraising staff, and team building. The same goes true for a Finance Manager who is promoted as General Manager, where the competencies would require more of weighing risks and making decisions, setting goals and standards, plotting directions, leading the organization and inspiring the employees to excellence, rather than competencies in supervision, resource management and solving specific problems. In detail, these competencies would be the following:
Management of Time and Priority Setting.
Goals and Standards Setting.
Work Planning and Scheduling.
Listening and Organizing.
Clarity of Communication.
Getting Objective Information.
Training, Mentoring and Delegating.
Evaluating Employees and Performance.
Advising and Disciplining.
Problem Identification and Solution.
Assessing Risks and Decision-Making.
Thinking Clearly and Analytically.
There are different ways in which leaders approach people to motivate them. If the approach emphasizes rewards, the leader uses positive leadership. If the approach emphasizes penalties, the leader is applying negative leadership. Negative leaders should be called bosses rather than leaders.
There are three classes of supervisory techniques – autocratic, participative or consultative and free-rein and corresponding to these three techniques, there are three management styles – autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire. To these one more may be added-paternalistic style.
An autocratic leader centralizes power and decision-making in himself. He gives orders, assigns tasks and duties without consulting the employees. The leader takes full authority and assumes full responsibility. Autocratic leadership is based upon close supervision, clear-cut direction and commanding order of the superior. It facilitates quick decisions, prompt action and unity of direction. It depends on a lesser degree of delegation. But too much use of authority might result in strikes and industrial disputes. It is likely to produce frustration and retard the growth of the capacity of employees.
The manager of the new international project of the Glug Plc must make sure that he must possess the skill of autocratic leadership in which it can impose authority over the staffs who are to commence the international project. But there are certain challenges to this type of leadership. This leadership style is less likely to be effective because (i) the new generation is more independent and less submissive and not amenable to rigid control; (ii) people look for ego satisfactions from their jobs and (iii) revolution of rising expectations changed the attitude of the people.
Autocratic leadership quality in the project manager of the glug plc must ensure that he is manipulative towards the employee feels that they are participating in decision-making though the manager himself has taken the decision. McGregor labels this style as Theory X.
Participative or democratic leaders decentralize authority. It is characterized by consultation with the subordinates and their participation in the formulation of plans and policies. He encourages participation in decision-making.
The manager of the international project must ensure that he encourages all the staffs to participate and share their skill, ideas and knowledge so that the manager is able to coordinate with the employees and make decisions as suitable.
Advantages for democratic leadership are as follows: (i) higher motivation and improved morale; (ii) increased co-operation with the management; (iii) improved job performance; (iv) reduction of grievances and (v) reduction of absenteeism and employee turnover.
Free-rein leaders avoid power and responsibility. The laissez-faire or non-interfering type of leader passes on the responsibility for decision-making to his subordinates and takes a minimum of initiative in administration. He gives no direction and allows the group to establish its own goals and work out its own problems.
The potential project manager of the Glug Plc must exercise free rein leadership or the laissez faire type leadership. In this regard the manager would not impose any decisions on the employees and that he should consider the suggestions and recommendations of all the employees and thereby formulate strategies.
Under this management style the leader assumes that his function is fatherly or paternal. Paternalism means papa knows best. The relationship between the leader and his group is the same as the relationship between the head of the family and the members of the family. The leader guides and protects his subordinates as members of his family.
As the head of the family he provides his subordinates with good working conditions and fringe benefits. It is assumed that workers will work harder out of gratitude. This leadership style was admirably successful in Japan with her peculiar social background.
The project manager of the Glug Plc must be like a paternalistic leadership which means that the manager must lead the employees with proper guidance and training so that the complex project on the international aspect can be commenced with efficiency.
Conclusion:
According to Service (2012) indicated that, the global venture problems occur because lack of leadership skills and knowledge in relating with the people in different culture backgrounds. Integration of technologies, nations, cultures, relationships, and interests continues to characterize the twenty-first century workplace. “Leading across cultures requires specific skills, and organizations should provide formal training along with expatriate assignments to develop leaders who can achieve results in this demanding environment”.
From the above analysis, in the 21st century, cause the globalization, the demand of cross-cultural leaders will be more and more, and for leaders of today’s and tomorrow’s businesses, the ability to connect people and leading successful teams in a cross-cultural environment is an important competency. The organizations need to become more effective when they are able to identify and foster the appropriate leader behaviors for the relevant cultural situation. The leader should know well about the difference of the culture background in order to avoid the culture conflict and leading more effectively.
The project manager must acquire certain skills which need to be incorporated while maintaining the success of the international projects. Apart from the requirement of the project manager, there are several recommendations that need to be considered while managing the international team with diverse culture.
The company Glug Plc must initiate a communication programme where the employees who meet after every three months are able to ease out their interaction level.
The company can introduce language class where the employees can learn new languages of basic type so that they can at least communicate with the other employees or other stakeholders at a base level.
The video conferencing must be done based on the work timings of each of the country so that each employee in other countries can participate in the conference.
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