Managing a Multi-cultural Team that Spans National Boundaries and Time Zones

“Culture is central to what we see, how we make sense of what we see, and how we express ourselves.” And when you are managing a multicultural team, you are working with people who are different in what they see, how they make sense of what they see and how they express. This is indeed a challenging situation. But don't take your step backward, because the future is with global business.

You might be working with a team which consists of Americans, Indians, Chinese and Europeans. What diversity! Now let us see what challenges you will have to face and how to handle them efficiently.

What are the challenges?

• Cultural differences and mutual understanding
• Geographical distance causing absence of face to face contact
• Miscommunications due to language and cultural barriers
• Difficulties in meeting motivational needs
• Differences in work style, speed of work and quality standards
• Different perceptions on ethics
• Time zone differences and work co-ordination

How do I handle cultural differences?

The first and the most important task in your hand is to prepare your team for a culturally different work experience. Prepare their mindset to accept differences and be open to each other.

• Facilitate open discussions among the team on their cultural differences to help in creating a conducive environment to understand each other
• Provide orientation and mentoring about how to communicate to a culturally different counterpart
• Develop a concept of cultural synergy
• Research and learn about other cultures
• Respect and appreciate each other's differences and work together
• Draw out a common approach towards project completion
• Encourage a flexible environment
• Assign project managers who can efficiently handle multi-cultural teams

How do I handle communication challenges?

Communication is a complicated phenomenon on it own. A North American and a South American speaks different. There are researchers who study communication differences which arise from one street to another. So a common ground is what we are all looking for. A perfect common ground is impossible but you can train yourself and your team to attain acceptable international standards of communication. Moreover, country specific communication training will help bridge those gaps.

How do I co-ordinate time zone differences?

Time zone difference is a major factor which will influence your team. The problem that you will face here is that of proper work co-ordination. But this is to some extent reduced by night time shifts. For example, you can have a team in India which works night shifts while your team works day shifts. This makes sure that work is carried out simultaneously.

Another option is to organize your work in such a manner that work assigned to one team in a zone will be finished by the time other team gets to work. This can add to your benefit as your work is getting round the clock.

What benefits can you leverage from a culturally different team?  

Once you can reach a common ground of understanding for each other, what results is a highly potential multi-cultural team which can serve you with:

• Variety of ideas
• A global perspective of business
• Efficient time management
• Different problem solving approaches

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