In recent years, it’s common to find companies that consist of employees from different nationalities. New generations are global citizens and digital natives, so business teams will be more and more multicultural. As an entrepreneur, it’s important you have the skills, tools, and knowledge to face the challenge of managing multicultural teams.
What are multicultural teams?
Multicultural teams include people from different countries, cultures or ethnic groups working for the same purpose, in this case, company goals. Working with a staff that comes from all over the globe is challenging, but it could also be very rewarding.
For companies, it is highly beneficial to involve a diverse team. It offers a large number of advantages, including enhancing creativity, broader thinking, scalability, a variety of ideas and perspectives, more experience, and so on.
Companies have many benefits from working with their diverse counterparts.
However, cultural diversity in the workplace is a win-win. As companies, workers and leaders also benefit from working with their diverse counterparts. Multicultural team members develop more and the best soft skills and encourage them to cooperate in company ventures.
On the other hand, there’s a unique set of challenges that come with it. As a good multicultural team leader, you have to remove barriers as different ways of communication, languages, and fluency, differing attitudes toward hierarchy and authority and conflicting norms for decision making (According to a study published in Harvard Business Review).
You’ll be glad in the future if you start to gather a cross-cultural team now. But let’s begin to learn the best strategies to face leading a diverse team.
How to manage multicultural teams?
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Make the effort to understand
The main key to have a fluid relationship with your team members is to try to understand them and their differences. You don’t have to change your management style, but maybe, adapt it to their needs.
You don’t have to change your management style, just adapt it to their needs.
If employees see you’re making the effort to understand them, they will appreciate it and will be reciprocal. Besides, understanding them will be easier to find proper ways to communicate with them. Take the time to learn about the cultures involved in your team.
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Try to minimize language barriers
It’s extremely important to minimize language barriers like the appropriate use of language. Having native speakers of different languages could lead to problems associated with humor, sarcasm and beliefs that could potentially affect the team communication.
Stick to neutral language norms, as facilitators of communication. Mediators to ensure mutual understanding also will be helpful. Avoid colloquialisms, slang, and words with a confusing context.
Stick to neutral language norms, as facilitators of communication.
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Break down cultural differences
Cultural stereotypes and artificial divisions can be really harmful to the team flow, productivity and outcomes. So, it’s important to avoid them as far as possible.
Create spaces for social integration where employees spend time learning about their counterpart’s cultures, get to know each other on a personal level, and take away the stigma associated with different cultures.
People from diverse backgrounds a place of origin offer a mix of skills, perspectives, ideas, experiences, which lead to better problem-solving. That’s what you should focus on. It’s much better than topics that could create tension.
While you’re gathering your multicultural team and bringing them to your city, at Corporate Stays, we’re honored to be part of your journey by providing you with services and short-term corporate rentals that promote your new employees’ wellbeing and productivity.
We have luxury and furnished rooms and apartments for rent in Calgary, Montreal and around the world. Contact us to book a room today!
