Latasha Hinkson recently graduated with a bachelor's degree in hospitality management and has been hired as the front-desk manager in a medium-size hotel in New York City.The hotel's clientele is truly international, and so is its staff, which originates from more than 20 different nations. Many of the employees speak more than one language, often at work. Latasha is from the midwestern United States and has had little experience in managing and motivating a multicultural work group. Indeed, she knows little or nothing about many of the cultures that surround her. One challenge put to Latasha when she was hired was to give a "lift" to the staff and try to create more of a team atmosphere. Currently, the employees at the front desk operate as a bunch of individuals, with little sense of teamwork. It seems as though the differences in culture are preventing the group from get¬ ting closer. As a result, the atmosphere at the front desk is cool and functional, rather than warm and friendly. In addition, Latasha must contend with a number of employee problems if the department is going to function properly. For example, Maria, who originally comes from Spain, is excellent with customers but of¬ ten comes to work late. Even when confronted by past supervisors about her tardiness, Maria failed to see this as a real problem. Bjorn is a Norwegian hospitality student working part time in the hotel. Although Bjorn is always on time and works very efficiently, his demeanor with the customers is lacking. Often, guests and coworkers perceive him as being aloof or standoffish. Bjorn rarely smiles at guests. Finally, Peng from Asia is very diligent about his work and gives 100 percent to any task he is given. Unfortunately, Peng has some difficulty speaking English and has little confidence in his speaking ability. As a result, he tends to rush through interactions with guests and limits his conversations, saying only what he must to complete the task. Discussion Questions If you were in Latasha's place as the new front-desk manager, what methods would you use to answer the following?

a. How will you address each of the work-related problems and motivate Maria, Bjorn, and Peng?

b. How will you facilitate a greater understanding of differences in national culture among the team mem¬ bers at the front desk?

c. Decide on how to build a sense of teamwork within this multicultural group