| Contrast and Flow: Two Perspectives for Examining Multicultural Teamwork |
| | Wyss-Flamm, Esther | Case Western Reserve U. | edw@po.cwru.edu | (216)-371-4567 |
| | Increasingly, we are working not only in global organizations, but in teams composed of members from differing cultural country
contexts. How are we studying such teamwork in ways that recognize the inherent pluralism of our world? Here, the author
reviews the current threads of research relating to multicultural teamwork, developing two perspectives called "contrast" and "flow."
The contrast perspective suggests that the study of multicultural teamwork addresses the challenge of making culture visible
by contrasting one culture with another. The flow perspective seeks to stay in tune with the constantly evolving nature of culture,
which is seen as a fluid process in the context of teamwork. Researchers are urged to employ multiple methods in this rich
area of inquiry, affirming the necessary complementarity between these two perspectives.
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| | Keywords: multicultural; teamwork; research |
| The Influence of Status Cues on the Task Effectiveness of Multinational Management Teams |
| | Butler, Christina Lea | London Business School | cbutler@lbs.ac.uk | 44-171-262-5050 |
| | Around the globe increased workforce diversity and team working make multinational management teams an important research
area. Together these trends suggest that an understanding of how best to make use of multinational management teams could
contribute critically to an organization's competitive advantage. With few exceptions, multinational management teams have not
been the subject of academic study. It is the aim of this theoretical paper to demonstrate that an understanding of the influence
of status cues in the multinational management team on the development of the group's social hierarchy offers important insights
into subsequent task group effectiveness.
We draw on findings from the group heterogeneity and cross-cultural fields to extend work in the area of status cues. We argue
that, while differences in task group demographics define the boundaries of the set of status cues presented in a particular group,
the cultural mix of that group influences what cues come to have status within that group. We conclude that, in contrast to
mononational teams, for multinational teams: 1) task indicative cues have the greatest initial influence on the development of the
group's status hierarchy; and 2) the category of task indicative cues is best redefined as process indicative cues in order to
subsume both task and relationship cues. Further propositions address the differential effects initial status cue influences will
have on task group effectiveness. In summary, status cues are shown to be an important influence on the task
group effectiveness of multinational teams worthy of further study.
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| | Keywords: status; teams; multinational |
| The Cultural Context of Teams: An Integrative Model of National Culture, Work Team Characteristics, and Team Effectiveness |
| | Tata, Jasmine | Loyola U., Chicago | Jtata@wpo.it.luc.edu | (312)-915-6543 |
| | Despite the popularity of work teams in the global business environment, not all attempts to
implement teams are successful. Problems often develop when interventions applicable to one
culture are used in another (Adler, 1997), hence, the lack of success of team-based organizations
in certain countries can be attributed partly to a failure to pay sufficient attention to the cultural
context of teams. This paper examines the cultural dimensions underlying team effectiveness,
and presents a conceptual model of the relationships between dimensions of national culture (e.g.,
uncertainty avoidance, power distance, orientation toward time, individualism-collectivism, and
masculinity-femininity), work team characteristics (e.g., team composition, team structure,
interdependence, and team process), and team effectiveness. The model can have several
implications for organizations and managers: organizations can gain insight into the work team
characteristics that would be effective under different cultures and design teams accordingly, and
managers can identify the areas of training that might be required in a specific culture. |
| | Keywords: Teams; National Culture |
| Social Contact in a Geographically Distributed Team: A Social Network Perspective |
| | Joshi, Aparna | Rutgers U., New Brunswick | aparnaj@rci.rutgers.edu | (732)-445-5449 |
| | Caligiuri, Paula M. | Rutgers U., New Brunswick | caligiur@rci.rutgers.edu | (732)-445-5228 |
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ABSTRACT
In the present business environment, the implementation of information technology presents both challenges as well as opportunities for multinational companies (MNCs). Geographically distributed teams (GDTs) may be viewed as one outcome of MNCs’ efforts to meet global challenges through electronic networking and information technology. In order to gain a better understanding of the challenges faced by GDTs, the present study applies the social contact theory to the study of interaction among team members in various subsidiaries of a MNC working together as a GDT. The GDT studied is a team of HR managers located in various subsidiaries in the Asia- Pacific region. Social contact among team members was measured as patterns of formal and informal social networks among team members. The study examined the outcomes of participation in social networks in terms of attitudes of team members towards the team’s effectiveness and cooperation within subsidiaries and across subsidiaries in the GDT. The study found that participation in the social networks was positively related to individuals’ perceptions of effectiveness and cohesion within the subsidiary. However, interaction with team members across subsidiaries was not related to p |
| | Keywords: Geographically Distributed Tea; Social Contact; Social Networks |