COLLABORATION IN INTERNATIONAL TEAMS

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Many universities gather students from different corners of the world. However, geographically diverse and sometimes dispersed teams face many challenges.  Cultural differences which can create social distance pose one of the biggest problems. They can result in lack of emotional connection, that leads to misunderstandings and mistrust.

For a few years I have been teaching international teams: those connected only by the internet and those which meet in the classroom. I have noticed that when team members come from different backgrounds or nations communication can decline, misunderstandings appear and cooperation weakens. My students are united by a common goal - developing their knowledge of business English. However, because more and more companies today rely on international workforce to succeed in the work market and at the same time draw benefits of international diversity, my students have to be prepared to operate internationally. And it is not only the language that matters. They have to learn to cooperate and collaborate.

When looking at diversity of cultures it is worth looking at the model which is called Hofstede. Professor Geert Hofstede lead research of how values in the workplace are influenced by culture. He defines culture as “the collective programming of the mind distinguishing the members of one group or category of people from others”. His research is applied worldwide both in academic and business settings.

In Hofstede’s model any national culture consists of six dimensions. The key thing might be to be aware what they are and how they differ. It is worth to make link between them, observe strengths and weaknesses of different cultures and on basis of the findings build the course and design activities.

The first value is individualism vs collectivism. Some cultures appreciate the performance of individuals, for others it is important to be a part of the team. It has important implications for the motivating and rewarding processes. The second category is called the power distance. This considers to what extend inequality is tolerated and whether there is a strong sense of position and status. It shows how the culture recognises authority and hierarchy; what is more important empowerment or control and command approach. As the third goes what Hofstede called femininity vs masculinity and it doesn’t go together with sex but with differences in decision making styles. Masculine is based fact-based, aggressive style of decision making whereas feminine involves much greater degree of consultation and intuitive analysis. The fourth one is uncertainty avoidance and considers different attitudes to risk taking.  Lower level of this value implies more willingness to accept risk and be more decisive in decision making. It is a feature of entrepreneurial cultures. Long term orientation is the fifth in the index. It is connected with different emphasis national cultures have on time horizons for planning and performance. Long term perspective encourages more long-term thinking. And lastly indulgence vs restraint. Indulgence stands for society that allows relatively free gratification related to enjoying life and having fun. Restraint withholds gratification of needs and regulates it by means of strict social norms.

I can recommend an internet tool to try the comparison made by Hofstede. https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-comparison/

 

A theory like this describes only a general tendency within a nation. Different personalities and environments differ widely. Obviously, everybody is unique.  However, the knowledge of general trends will make the unknown less problematic and help to avoid mistakes. Cultural norms and values play an important role in interpersonal relationships within a group. By using Hofstede’s model as a starting point, you can evaluate your decisions, approach and actions based on a general sense of how people in a particular society or nation may think and react.

It is worth taking a few moments to review the scores of the nationalities that appear in the group which is supposed to collaborate. This will definitely contribute the accuracy of applied methods and division of tasks. Above all, that makes cultural sensitivity an important part of the course as a good lesson to value and respect different nations and cultures.

“National culture cannot be changed, but you should understand and respect it”

- Geert Hofstede.