I learned how to manage virtual teams effectively, how to communicate and build relationships in a cross-cultural environment in addition, I learned communications and virtual team development skills. I took this course to develop my critical thinking skills about cross-cultural virtual teams, so I can evaluate and develop business problems solutions and strategies. • To be successful in business administration • To find the best of myself with business knowledge and intelligence • To achieve a CEO position • To open my own business • Shared team culture • Respect different values and beliefs • Communicative and respectful relationships • Goal focused and achievement driven work • Continuous learning about others’ culture • Flexible work • Self-members multicultural awareness • Recognize cultural differences • Understand team’s member backgrounds • Manage self-emotions towards a multi-cultural environment • The ability to take important decisions in a diverse environment In my opinion, I interpret emotional intelligence in a multi-cultural team as how well the team members socialize and get along with others, and the willingness and motivation to work with people from different backgrounds. The essential characteristics of a good leader in a multi-cultural team are; high level of global identity, the ability to integrate members into one team, to create a positive and respectful multi-cultural environment and to communicate effectively A good effective leader develops those around them and recognize members’ potential and skills. The effectiveness of the leader can be measured as the ability to connect members, the ability to motivate and engage team members to achieve goals excellence. 1. Integrity 2. Transparency 3. Social responsibility 4. Companies Values, standards and system 5. I learned about different virtual communication tools and its functions. Any questions. I enjoy the writing quizzes because they tested my knowledge about the topics learned during the week, that way I can evaluate myself about what I have learned. Also, I like reading assignments and watching videos because they provide me with additional facts and information about the topics I am learning. Yes, I can relate the information learned in this course with my professional experience and at the same time, I can use that information to perform and improve my work activities. Yes, most of the assignments encourage me to think from different perspectives and to go beyond my ideas. Provide the students with the connections to work with a virtual multi-cultural team and get to experience it. To share professional experience with the class and suggestions. First of all, I want to gain self-knowledge about cross-cultural virtual teams, I would like to improve my team building skills and of course to obtain a high grade in this
The modern world has experienced tremendous changes, which have contributed to changes in people living in the global world. These changes have mainly been brought by globalization, which is a major phenomenon in the 21st Century. Leaders across various professions, businesses, and governments need to cope with globalization since it forces them to cross borders more often and communicate or conduct business with people from other cultures. This process involves developing necessary skills for working effectively in the modern complex world. Actually, the ability of these leaders to work effectively not only requires the development of essential skills but the application of leadership principles in the global work environment. In essence, leaders must develop their ability to apply leadership principles across culturally diverse workforce in today’s global work environment.
Constant technological and global changes create challenges that forces leaders to manage different cultures in different countries. People, goods, services, and ideas are moving today at greater speeds which mean our labor force is becoming more diverse and multicultural by the day. Effective leaders need to understand such global dynamics in order to successfully manage organizational cultures. The cultures of leaders and their core assumptions might be different from the values and assumptions of employees in a different country. Two managers working for the same global company might see things differently due to their backgrounds and cultural values. The different countries, in which the organization operates, will have different cultures depending on the social, economic, and political history of the country. Managing and understanding these differences need an effective cross-cultural thinking leader (Yukl, 2013). Some research questions that Yukl, 2013 suggests are: 1) how behavior differs across cultural values and for different countries? 2) How values and behaviors are influenced by personality across company and country? 3) What types of traits, skills, and experience are most useful to prepare a leader being assigned to a new country? 4) How does the fast-changing culture in developing countries affect and relate to
Communication, conflict resolution and geographical issues play an important role in enabling team leaders to lead effectively. Kouzes and Posner (2012) outline that good communication allows members of both virtual and non-virtual teams and their leader to exchange ideas that foster collaboration among members. This actually enables team leaders to resolve conflicts that often arise from conflicting ideas, and hence this enhances the development and adoption of solutions to geographical issues like cultural conflicts. A team with good communication, limited conflict and a few issues can excel in nearly every sector of the global economy.
Leadership Challenge in the multi cultural workplace may benefit from being managed by helping people to manage changes in terms of personal development or leadership role changes within organizations. Leaders may get caught the needs of globalization and cultural characteristics by using different practices and styles of leadership.
Leadership is all about power and influence. Leaders use their power to get goals accomplished. A simple distinction is between two forms of power. Socialized power is used to benefits others and fulfill their needs. The other form is personalized power, power that is used strictly for personal gain. These two forms are not mutually exclusive, a leader can use their power to benefit society but also gain personally. However, leaders can become intoxicated by their power, engaging in unjust behavior simply because they have the power to and will get away with it. They focus on their own desires and are less able to see others' perspectives. A good leader should have good qualities to represent. Some of these qualities include honesty, their business and it's society are a reflection of their leader, having honest and ethical behavior and making it a key value will result in the team following that behavior. Another important quality is communication, being able to clearly describe what is needed to be done is crucial. If they can't relate their vision to their followers, they ...
The key is to be open minded. A good leader has to be able to listen and dialogue between their team.
Cultural diversity is an essential piece of the team-building puzzle. As stated earlier, a heterogeneous team usually equals a successful team. A culturally diverse team brings the obvious cultural differences in language, dress and traditions to the table. In addition, less tangible characteristic such as moral values are equally, if not more important. These different methodologies and teachings help influence the team's direction. Persons of Western culture will have a different set of beliefs and methodologies from those of Middle Eastern or Eastern ethnicity. When team members take the time to learn and understand each culture's moral value, the result is a strong team foundation. High performance teams take and incorporate these cultural differences and use these different beliefs and values to attain the team goal.
The management and development of leadership, trust, and accountability in culturally diverse virtual team members is an important business topic in today’s global economy.
There are several factors that are important if a culturally diverse business team is to flourish and realize its vast potential. Di Stefano and Maznevski (2000) claim that there are three imperative steps to achieving multicultural team success; namely, mapping the team; where the team members need to clearly understand their cultural differences in how they work and view success. This is often led by the team leader. Next, the team must bridge, that is, to communicate with one another, bearing in mind their cultural differences. Finally, the team must integrate, meaning that they bring together these differences and leverage on them to succeed.
A virtual team is a group of people working interdependently via various types of electronic media across organizational and geographical boundaries for a shared purpose (D’Souza & Colarelli, 2010). Research indicates virtual teams are becoming increasingly popular in organizations across the United States and the world (D’Souza & Colarelli, 2010; Rusman, van Bruggen, Sloep, & Koper, 2010). These teams vary in size, degree of geographic dispersion, prior shared work experience, nature of assignment, and expectations of a common future (Rusman et al., 2010). Although virtual teams have potential advantages like the removal of physical boundaries, the ability to form new partnerships, and optimization of competencies (Chinowsky & Rojas, 2003), they also introduce many challenges that may not be as prevalent in traditional teams.
The successful passing of information creates an important bond between virtual team members. “Without creating the connections, a virtual team can’t do what it needs to; function as a cohesive unit” (Thompson, n.d., Introduction section, ¶2). Information should be specific to the task at hand with a common goal in mind. Complete and accurate information not only helps a team reach its goal, but it also avoids problems and conflicts that arise between members. The importance of clear, concise information in a virtual team can not be stressed enough; however, timing should also be considered when sharing information. Information not received in a timely fashion also jeopardizes the cohesiveness of the team.
There are a number of challenges involved in working with a virtual team, however. When team members do not have the benefit of observing body language, vocal inflection, eye contract and other such mannerisms, it is difficult to establish trust. Not to mention the distance and lack of tangible contact makes it more difficult to connect with other members enough to truly gain insight and perspective regarding their character.
A well-managed bi-cultural team is proven to be a success because when people from different backgrounds bring their own unique cultural experiences to the situations they face in their companies and this broader perspective of viewpoints tends to allow for a better ultimate resolution, however if those teams are not managed properly, and if the size of those teams are not managed, and the individuals are not catered to, the cons may outweigh the
Lastly, leaders drive projects and people to the finish line. They are like freight trains, unstoppable forces that will breakthrough any obstacle that gets in their way. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they plough through people that get in their way. A good leader will push teamwork rather than individual achievements. They compliment members of the group under their care in order to motivate team members and get them to buy into their plan.
...urse of this module will be extremely beneficial for my future. If I am to have the opportunity to become part of the managerial sector within the IT industry, I believe I will be more confident and have better listening skills. After this course, I have now clearly identified my strengths and weaknesses and identified opportunities and threats that they provide. Hopefully, if I apply the knowledge I have gained from the course, and apply it to the working world, I will be able to handle situations with more confidence, and show much more calamity and assertiveness. NLP can also be used more effectively when communicating with others. After the continuous and consistent team work available throughout this module, I believe management is a more suitable career option for me. As can be seen previously, effective communication is only achieved with constant practise.