Working In a Multicultural Team

This is a topic that fascinates me very much. Why?
Because I am part of the melting pot Corporate America brings with the different cultures working together.  Since I have been a member of a multicultural team that needs to learn how to work together despite our core difference, this is another reason for me to care about it.  I will say, this is one of the biggest blessings, and opportunities I have received when I came to the States. A country that offers us the possibility to learn about other cultures, without taking a real trip to any country. That is part of becoming multicultural, and I love to know and work with people from many cultures, including this great American culture rich in so many differences. Therefore, to offer some input about my experience when working in a multicultural environment and being from Latin America, in this article you will find some key resources and ideas to help you navigate, and most importantly, embrace diversity and cultural difference.

First of all, let me ask you, how many of you belong to teams that are multicultural in geography and different country nationalities? I will say this is the common denominator for corporate America. This is something we are facing everywhere, and it is not too late to educate ourselves to be more open, tolerant and understandable working in multicultural high performing teams. 

How to do it, and how to overcome those fears and barriers we have as human beings? 
First of all I will have to say we really need an open tolerant mind. A tolerant mind, yes!  A mind that can accept and respect people who have an accent. People who honor the English language with their local accent, representing their local language and culture, and enriching the English language so great that anyone in the world recognize it as one of the most important language to communicate and do business.  That is the empowerment of a language. This is in my opinion the first step when working in a multicultural environment. I will rephrase it for you: “We have to build an open-tolerant-mind, and then the rest is a piece of cake”.

Second, if you are looking for a book that can offer you that diversity and help you open your tolerant mind, the publication named: Cultural Intelligence: Living and Working Globally, Second Edition by David C. Thomas and Kerr Inkson is a great resource to help you understand the journey you are about to take. This book provides you with information and resources about managing success in today’s global environment. It also offers its readers information about interaction beyond organizations in more broadly approaches, sharing people’s daily lives.  As it is expressed in the book’s introductory pages:  “This book is about becoming more effective in dealing with people from different cultural backgrounds. It is about acquiring the global people skills that are important for functioning in the twenty-first century and beyond. It is for people who travel overseas and encounter new cultures, as well as for those who stay at home and find that other cultures have come to them. It is about acquiring the cultural intelligence in order not only to survive without difficulty or embarrassment in our new multicultural environment but also to pursue our goals in this environment with the confidence needed for success” - Dave Thomas & Kerr Inkson.

Third, I highly recommend you to explore my colleague and friend’s multicultural learning and development training services: Charis Intercultural Training at www.chariscorp.com. With Charis you will find wonderful and effective resources if you are looking to become an open-tolerant-mind, embracing team differences. I really welcome you to explore them.

Lastly, another idea I want to share with you is the business and multicultural term “Cultural Differences”. To understand this, in my opinion, is to build TRUST as a critical step in the creation of a multicultural team. As a manager or a team member you need to recognize that building trust between different people is a complex process.  Since each culture has its own way of building trust, and its open interpretation of what trust is, this is what will help:  the team members need to become more aware of their cultural differences, as well as exploring cultural similarities. Just Ask Them! What are those for them, and have an open dialog about those findings. I am sure this will help you build that initial trust, and communicate more effectively.  

Finally, to practice these tips, the next time you find yourself in a confusing situation, ask yourself how culture maybe shaping your own reactions? Try to see the world from other’s point of view. That is a word of wisdom, or the mantra I carry with me since I was advancing in my graduate studies in the University of Illinois and working in the Office of International Affairs at the same university.

If you do this, and more… I am sure your open-tolerant-mind will start growing, and will allow you to see all the wonderful possibilities you have when working with multicultural teams.

Good Luck and Let me Know!