Cross Cultural Management and Teamwork

Cross-Cultural Management and Teamwork
Student’s Name
Institution
Course Number and Name
Instructor’s Name
Date
Cross-Cultural Management and Teamwork
Concrete Experience
My experience revolves around seminars we attended with other members of my assigned group, which consisted of seven individuals from drawn from different countries in Asia. Four of us were from China, two from Japan, and one from India. During the experience, we engaged several groups, most of them being Chinese. Further, we learned about several paramount concepts, including Virtual Global Teamwork, Cross-cultural communication, global management skills, and global teamwork. Regarding Virtual Global Teamwork, we learned about the challenges such teams encounter, which included time zone differences, language barriers, and lack of contextual knowledge (Seminar 1: Session B, n.d.). We also looked at the implications of the challenges, which include impaired performance on complex tasks and committing unnecessary errors. As such, we looked at some suggestions to overcome the challenges that global teams experience. One such suggestion was that non-native speakers need to speak more since it is only through practice that they can get fluent. In addition, some participants suggested that managers should allow employees to carry out some tasks using their native languages. On the issue of cross-cultural communication, we analyzed ways through which one can cultivate robust communication in teams that include members from different cultures. To begin, we learned that one must understand what their partners think and feel. Moreover, it is crucial for one to avoid being misunderstood by refraining from using idioms or figurative speech and adjusting presentations (Seminar 3: Session A, n.d.). Further, we learned about effective communication styles, including being elaborate and succinct. On global management skills and teamwork, we gathered crucial insights, which included the new global realities and challenges facing global managers. In the same vein, we explored globalization's negative and positive consequences, including cultural divergence and convergence (Seminar 1: Session A, n.d.). In my experience, I also learned about the challenges and opportunities occasioned by global teams. The challenges include perceptual problems, inaccurate communication, and reduction of trust, among others (Seminar 3: Session B, n.d.). Other challenges include psychological distance, which refers to the lack of connection between members (Curnock, 2023). Opportunities presented by global teams include learning new cultures and broadening one’s cognitive horizons through interaction with diverse people.
In a word, the experience generated positive feelings in me since the insights I acquired will be paramount in the future when I finally join the global market. In this regard, I realized, much to my amazement, that I still need to learn much concerning cross-cultural management and global teamwork. To be precise, I felt that the seminars were a step in the right direction for several reasons. For instance, I now clearly understand how to employ effective communication skills to cultivate sound interpersonal relationships. As put by Sivunen and Laitinen (2019), frequent and in-depth communication can help enhance identification and perceived proximity with colleagues. Moreover, I now know the challenges I should expect when working in a global team. For example, global or virtue teams experience cognitive challenges such as trust, motivation, and conflicts (Morrison-Smith & Ruiz, 2020). In the same vein, I am aware of the challenges posed to global managers and the mechanisms they employ to overcome them. Lastly, I am alive to the fact that with proper management and planning, it is possible to overcome cross-cultural challenges and have optimum results from global teams. Global teams are scions of global partnerships necessitated by the turbulent business and technological environment (Seminar 5: Session B, n.d.). That said, such experiences like the one I had should happen frequently and consistently since they equip one with the requisite skills and know-how to adapt to the dynamic and ever-changing global market. In essence, I am looking forward to experiences that involve engaging individuals from diverse cultures as they present immense learning opportunities. Through such experiences, people can come up with modalities to get attuned to the changing global market.
Reflective Observation
Apart from considering my experience by looking at my feelings, thoughts, and perceptions, it is prudent to look at it from different points of view. For example, it is profoundly critical to explore the purpose of the seminars and whether it was achieved. From my point of view, the fundamental purpose of the seminars was to discuss the challenges that cross-cultural management and global teams have to grapple with. Besides looking at the challenges, the seminars sought to identify possible solutions and opportunities presented by the two. According to one of the presentations, one of the outstanding challenges facing cross-cultural and global management is the lack of proper training of leaders (Seminar 4: Session A, n.d.). This essentially means most global managers lack the requisite skills to manage global teams. In addition, global leaders have to contend with the challenge of collaboration between companies espousing contrasting cultures (Aarseth et al.,2013). That said, participants of the seminar sought ways of overcoming such barriers, including practicing authentic leadership and demonstrating resilience. Regarding whether the purpose of discussing the challenges and solutions of global partnerships was met, I am positive. From my observation, the discussions were engaging and insightful.
Further, since the seminars included team members from different cultures, I opine that the discussions were meant to gauge the viability of cross-cultural teams. My team, as indicated before, included members from three countries, and upon interacting with them after the seminars, we unanimously agreed that our experience had been profoundly helpful. In addition, despite coming from diverse cultural backgrounds, we managed to work as a group with only a few hiccups here and there. In that regard, the seminars proved that cross-cultural and global teams are viable. While on the same, one may wonder whether meetings in organizations are necessary. According to one of the presentations, meetings serve several critical purposes. They include providing team members with the opportunity to communicate and coordinate their respective tasks (Seminar 6: Session A & B, n.d.). Additionally, such meetings provide insights into problem-solving and exchange of ideas. In a word, just like the seminars, meetings in organizations are necessary if global companies hope to overcome challenges and make a lasting mark in the highly competitive global market.
Abstract Conceptualization