The Bright Side of Social Categorization: The Role of Global Identity in Reducing Relational Conflict in Multicultural Distributed Teams (original) (raw)
Related papers
Academy of Management Discoveries, 2017
As the world becomes more connected, individuals increasingly interact and collaborate with people of different cultural backgrounds, and hold multiple cultural identities. However, we know little about the effects of cultural identity configurations in the context of collaborative multicultural work. Therefore, we examine how identity configurations, derived from the joint effect of home, host, and global identities, relate to the cultural intelligence (CQ) and leadership perception of members of multicultural teams. Applying polynomial regression and response surface methods, we find that when global identity is low, individuals with balanced culturespecific identities (i.e., identifying equally strongly or weakly to both home and host cultures) demonstrate higher CQ and are more likely to be perceived as leader-like in multicultural teams compared to their counterparts with unbalanced culture-specific identities (i.e., identifying strongly either to home or host culture). However, when global identity is high, individuals of all identity configurations at the culture-specific level tend to show similar levels of outcomes. Based on our findings we propose a comprehensive global acculturation model, which expands Berry's original typology of acculturation orientations, taking into account both culture-specific and global identities. We also provide insights for further development both of theory and of managerial practice.
Global Identity and Cultural Intelligence in Multicultural Teams
The paper focuses on two possible factors that may help global multicultural team members better adapt to the global multicultural environment: global identity and cultural intelligence. Results show that working in multi-cultural teams as part of an academic program facilitates team members' levels of global identity and cultural intelligence, while the local identity remains stable. Global identity and cultural intelligence are distinct yet related factors, and present reciprocal relations. Country and cultural values of openness to change moderate the development of global identity. Cultural values of self-transcendence (universalism, benevolence) positively affect individual's level of cultural intelligence. Initial results suggest that global identity and cultural intelligence at the team level affect the team level of satisfaction and learning from the academic project by enhancing the level of team participation, commitment, and trust, and by reducing the level of process-conflict. Yet, these results should be considered carefully as agreement levels within each team may not be sufficient.
Journal of International Management
Global virtual teams experience difficulties in knowledge sharing, often related to identity threats that emerge across subgroups. In this conceptual paper we adopt the integrative model of subgroup relations to explore the role of multicultural brokers, i.e. team members or leaders who transcend different cultural boundaries and help to bridge differences among colleagues in different subgroups, in positively influencing the relationship between identity threats and knowledge sharing. We propose that identity threats across subgroups of global virtual teams have a negative impact on knowledge sharing quality and quantity. We contend that the presence of multicultural brokers help alleviate the negative effects of identity threats over knowledge sharing through a curvilinear moderating effect. We further propose that role (leader versus member), type of appointment (formal versus emergent), situated coworker familiarity with different subgroup members, and level of cultural intelligence of the multicultural broker play unique moderating roles on the relationship between identity threats and knowledge sharing quality and quantity. Our research offers theoretical contribution to the literature on subgroup relationships and knowledge sharing in global virtual teams and practical implications for managers and MNEs, helping guide management efforts.
Procedia Computer Science, 2024
Cultural dimensions and social behavior play a critical role in the success of a project team. Project managers must be aware of these factors and create an environment that fosters effective collaboration and trust. Tuckman’s model for group development consists of five stages: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. A lack of trust among team members can prevent a team from becoming a high-performance team. Research has shown a correlation between high-performance teams and GLOBE’s cultural dimensions. GLOBE, short for "Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness," is a large-scale research program that explores cultural variations in leadership and organizational behavior. The cultural context and its impact on team dynamics can help organizations create more effective and high-performing teams. Trust is a key component of team performance and can lead to improved communication, collaboration, and problem-solving. In the oil and gas sector, multidisciplinary projects often involve complex engineering and technical challenges, so it is essential to have a team that is skilled, experienced, and focused on project success. The goal of this research is to investigate the influence of cultural dimensions and social behavior on project team success and to explore the role of trust in fostering effective collaboration and creating a high-performance team. The research approach employed in this study was secondary data analysis, utilizing existing data to address the research questions. This study found that cultural dimensions and social behavior significantly influence project team success. Trust plays a key role, and Tuckman’s model highlights its importance for high-performance teams. Overall, the results of this study provide insights and guidance for organizations to navigate cultural diversity, build trust, and enhance team performance. Implementing these findings can lead to improved project outcomes, stronger collaboration, and increased organizational effectiveness in various industries and sectors. However, a systematic review of recent literature on cultural diversity and global team performance is lacking, which highlights the need for further research in this area.
Stereotypes in bicultural global teams
Multicultural teams are task-oriented groups from different national cultures that are often involved in dynamic, project based arrangements. They are fast becoming the norm in businesses and NGOs worldwide. The study examined team member’s stereotypes as embedded in the complex environment that characterizes global teams. It contributes to the scarce research on stereotypes as embedded in contexts. The study explored the stereotypes of 120 Israelis and 80 Indians working in the high-tech industry. The conceptual frameworks of convergence, divergence and crossvergence and social identity theory provided the backdrop for the study’s hypotheses. The quantitative findings documented the existence of crossvergence in global and national stereotypes and of in-group favoritism. The qualitative findings revealed that Israelis and Indians created mirror pictures of two basic stereotype categories: work related and personal characteristic.
Qualitative Exploration of Cultural Diversity in Multinational Teams: Leadership Perspectives
Splint International Journal of Professionals (A Peer Quarterly Refereed International Journal), 2023
Purpose: The document examines the importance of cross-cultural management in multinational corporations, focusing on the challenges and strategies inherent in leading diverse teams. It investigates communication nuances, decision-making processes, and leadership paradigms within multicultural settings. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study employs a qualitative methodology, utilizing case studies, in-depth interviews, and systematic observations as primary data collection methods. To ensure the reliability of the research, rigorous validation techniques, such as triangulation, were implemented. Findings: Cultural diversity within multinational teams profoundly influences communication and decision-making. Successful leadership in these contexts necessitates understanding and adapting to cultural variances. Key attributes for leaders include cultural intelligence, adaptability, and flexibility. The significance of cultural norms, practices, and role stress in determining leadership efficacy was also underscored. Research Limitation: While the study offers in-depth insights, it acknowledges the need for further research with more extensive quantitative data to provide a holistic understanding of cross-cultural management dynamics. Future studies might also explore the impact of digital communication tools on cross-cultural interactions or delve deeper into the nuances of role stress across different cultures. Managerial Implications: Organizations should emphasize developing cultural intelligence among their leadership and workforce. Initiatives should include diversity training, promoting inclusive leadership, adapting ethics programs to local cultures, and fostering cross-cultural collaboration. Clear career trajectories, especially for marginalized groups, can further enhance retention. Originality/Value: This research augments existing literature on cross-cultural management, emphasizing its pivotal role in global organizational success. The study offers invaluable insights for scholars and industry practitioners in cross-cultural management by integrating theoretical and practical perspectives and suggesting avenues for future research. Keywords: Cross-Cultural Management, Cultural Diversity, Cultural Conflict, Cultural Intelligence, Decision-making, Leadership Styles, Multinational Teams, Qualitative Research.
Leaders and followers in multi-cultural teams
Proceeding of the 2009 international workshop on Intercultural collaboration - IWIC '09, 2009
This study examines the role of leaders and followers in multicultural teams and their effects on team communication, team identity and team effectiveness. Participants were 308 MBA students from 7 countries working in 77 virtual MCTs of 4 members each, one of whom served as the leader. Their task was to prepare guidelines for an expatriate. In addition, participants filled out questionnaires assessing team communication, team identity, team effectiveness, transformational leadership and global identity. The results demonstrated that transformational leadership significantly enhanced team communication, identity and effectiveness only for followers with high levels of global identities, but not for ones with low levels of global identity, with team identity mediating the relationship with team effectiveness and team communication mediating the relationship with team identity.
The Impact of Cultural Diversity on Global Virtual Team Collaboration A Social Identity Perspective
Proceedings of the 41st Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS 2008), 2008
Global Virtual Teams (GVTs) -teams with geographically and temporally dispersed members who heavily rely on computer-mediated communications (CMC) -face significant collaboration challenges associated with cultural diversity. From the social identity perspective, we investigated the impact of GVT members' cultural individualism/collectivism (I/C) and language identities on their participation in team collaboration. A field experiment involving 33 GVTs was conducted to test our hypotheses. The results indicated that when a team's identity faultlines are strong, its members' I/C and Language identities have significant impact on their levels and forms of participation; and that communication media have significant interaction effects on these relationships.