Assignment

CROSS CULTURAL TEAMS: PEOPLE ISSUES IN GLOBAL BUSINESS GENERAL FRAMEWORK
Executive Summary
Cross-cultural teams play a vital role in determining the overall sanctity and the development of an organisation. The different issues faced by the managers including the power distance index and masculinity versus femininity have been analysed. Different analysis methods including the multivariate analysis and the conjoint analysis provide the basis for an ethical and a stalwart form of recruitment across the organisations. The different cultural issues and its methods of improvement include the adjustment to the different cultures and linguistic diversity is important in the context of the global organisations.
Table of Contents
Introduction    4
Issues faced by the expatriate manager    4
Multivariate Analysis usage in recruitment    8
Acculturation issues in expatriation and repatriation of international managers    10
Conclusion    11
References    12
Introduction
Managers may have problems managing teams that have different power distance indexes. Especially in cross-cultural teams that have a mix of members. Some team members might expect a more collaborative effort. Other team members will expect the manager to allot well-defined roles to everyone and hand them out a set of tasks they need to complete. This could cause an imbalance in how the team functions.
Issues faced by the expatriate manager
Cultural teams often have a mixture of various cultures. This causes them to have various ideologies, attitudes and beliefs, as a result of which it might be difficult for them to assimilate when they are forming teams (Alebaikan, Bain & Cornelius, 2020). This is the reason, why it is important for managers to understand the issues that they will face in order to develop an approach to handle it properly. The first three issues that are faced by the expatriate manager are going to be based on Hofstede’s Cultural dimensions:
Power Distance Index
The first cultural dimension is the Power Distance Index. The power distance index differs in every country. The basis of the power distance is the understanding of the degree of the inequality. In every country, there is a hierarchy of power and their versions of power are distributed quite differently (Curran et al., 2018). For example, countries such as Canada tend to be more accepting of power distribution that is equal and make sure that everyone in the team is equal. Countries like Japan, on the other hand make sure that their power hierarchy is intact and everyone understands their role in the hierarchy. The managers will have to be careful and clear on the power imbalance they plan to implement. This will help the team understand what the power distance is in the team and help them function better.
Individualism vs. Collectivism
The second cultural dimension is Individualism vs. Collectivism. Individualism is the concept of putting their own concerns and well-being above the group. Collectivism on the other hand is the concept of putting the group before one’s individual needs. Countries like the US, UK tends to be individualistic, and countries like Japan and China tend to be collectivistic in nature. This is also a major problem when the manager is motivating the team. Usually in individualistic countries managers tend to motivate employees by appealing to their individual needs (Anawati & Craig, 2006). Collectivistic Countries managers tend to stress the group goals and the appreciation that would come in completing the goals.
This situation of people from mixed backgrounds and different perspectives tend to be difficult. Another issue is in individualistic perspectives; employees tend to want to engage in tasks that would highlight their own strengths. They do not want to engage in tasks done by the whole group that may not highlight their skills and their contributions. On the other hand, people from collectivistic backgrounds may be more open to group tasks and may not engage in tasks that will make them shine as an individual.
Masculinity versus Femininity
The third cultural dimension is Masculinity Versus Femininity. This dimension analyses the way roles in a team are distributed among males and females. This dimension is very men and women are stereotypes into certain characteristics. Males tend to behave assertively and females tend to be more modest. Men are not considered as good with relationships and cooperation as women. The cultural aspects of the way gender behaves differ in every country. In individualistic societies such as America, women tend to be treated equally to men and will not consider the management to treat them differently (Bhowmick, 2017). They also take on various stereotypically male qualities such as being assertive. Nevertheless, in countries such as India, women tend to be more submissive. However, women in India tend to be equally competitive as well. Managers should take this in consideration and try to understand how to balance the genders in a team and how to make sure they are treated equally. This is a top priority issue. As it is important for all members to be treated equally and have an equal amount of roles in the company.
The above problems are more based on attitudes that one has based on their culture. Another problem that can be highlighted is the language barrier. In many countries, team members tend to talk in their native language. This transition can be difficult for some who may not be as fluent in English or the common language that will be used. This might take some getting used to for employees to be able to communicate in the same language. It also might cause problems for team members to interact with each other. This might lead to groups within the group and have teams interact with people from the same cultural background as them.
Communication Methods
Another problem is communication methods. Different cultures tend to interpret tones differently. Different cultures also have varying ways of communication. People from other cultures may not necessarily understand certain speech styles. Such as in countries like the USA, managers tend to be more aggressive and straightforward (Alebaikan, Bain & Cornelius, 2020). This may not be accepted well by employees who hail from eastern countries. As they are not used to these direct aggressive tones, they may feel attacked and like the manager may be trying to antagonise them. They may also be open to sarcasm and other forms of speech used on a regular basis in the environment.
The last problem...