Culture In Decision-Making

Case Study: Addressing a Toxic Environment in a Cross-Functional Engineering Team Name: Institutional affiliation: Course: Date: Introduction In my new role as a structural engineer and project leader for developing prototypes for next year's concept cars, it is my responsibility to manage the work environment in a manner that is not only effective but also invites cooperation from all involved engineers. A few days ago, at the beginning of the project, team members demonstrated signs of toxic behavior during the initial cross-functional project meeting. This was evidenced by discriminative behavior from some African engineers towards a lady colleague in the process of sex change as well as a fellow engineer of Latin origin (Morrison, Conaway & Borden, 2006). The African engineers in the team also tend to work exclusively together leaving out the rest of the members. By embracing the concept of cross-functional teams, I believe that while each member in a cross-functional team brings varying work styles and conflicting practices, cross-functional teams can foster team engagement, enhance leadership skills, make work interesting, increase productivity and innovation, and build a collaborative culture. Leveraging the benefits of a cross-functional team calls for an urgent solution to these occurrences. As a project leader, it is therefore important to read the cultural context properly, promote inclusion, and adopt proper conflict-solving techniques appropriate in a multicultural setup. Understanding Cultural Impact on Team Dynamics Cultural differences impact team dynamics in many ways including the attitude held towards hierarchy, communication styles, conflict resolution, social engagement, decision-making, and work-life balance, among others. Considering that the current cross-functional team is comprised of engineers from different cultures their cultural differences have a huge impact on team dynamics. For example, engineers from Africa or Latin America tend to have a cultural background different from engineers from the USA or Asian Pacific region. More so, some engineers, as influenced by their cultures, tend to approach decision-making differently with others emphasizing consensus while others prefer collective agreements. For some engineers, respect for hierarchical structures and authority are deeply ingrained in their cultural traditions while for others, questioning the authority is the order of the day. Concerning conflict resolution, some cultures often tend to avoid it to preserve harmony, while other cultures perceive it as a way to enhance team relationships. Morrison, Conaway & Borden (2011) emphasize that it is essential to understand cultural differences for appropriate intercultural communication and conflict management. Ideally, this is not about mere appreciation or tolerance of differences but about embracing them and strategizing on how to coexist harmoniously as a team. For example, traditional practices in African tribes may dictate that men and women have different roles in society, therefore, people including the team member undergoing sex ...