Managing an international team will present unexpected challenges. You are in different time zones; you have different schedules; you come from different cultures; and your own communication style may be different from that of members of your team. Success of a geographically distributed team can be fostered by setting expectations that are informed by best practices and the cultures of your team members.

Scenario

Your company is expanding into a new market and has formed a new team that it would like you to manage. Your manager has sent you this note:

Thank you for taking on this challenge. You have a great team, but they come from very diverse backgrounds. It'll be up to you to make sure it is a cohesive team that communicates well and collaborates effectively. As you know, at our firm, we feel the management of our teams and human resource management are a strategic advantage for us. I would like you to write an email explaining to me what managerial approaches you will use and how you think your team will function together. Please also include your conference call invitation for your team's introduction. I would like to review what you are going to send to your team.

Prompt

For this assignment, you will write an email and introductory conference call invitation as requested by your manager.

Team Member Locations

Your team consists of the following four members from various locations across the globe:

1. Kaspar was born in and is based in the country you choose for your course project.
2. Kelly was born in and is based in the United States.
3. Syed was born in and is based in the United Arab Emirates.
4. Nina was born in and is based in India.

Specifically, you must address the following rubric criteria:

• Write an email to your manager explaining how you plan to manage your team. It should include the following information:
  • Cultural considerations for each team member (For the purposes of this assignment, you can assume that each team member represents the average cultural dimensions of an average citizen of the country, and you are encouraged to use the Hofstede Insights: Compare Countries website.)
  • Common issues among diverse or global teams and potential conflicts that could occur in your team
  • Multiple management approaches you plan to use and why
  • A policy for selecting which holidays team members can take off that takes into account cultural considerations
  • A determination of whether your team will collaboratively create a team expectations and communication plan or whether you as the manager will do it on your own, explaining your decision

In the email a paragraph should be written for each section including

Email: Cultural Considerations

Email: Common Issues among Global Teams

Email: Management Approaches

Email: Holiday Policy

Email: Team Expectations Plan

Provide some specific cultural considerations for the four-team members, such as Hofstede's dimensions: Power Distance, Individualist Culture, Masculine Society, Uncertainty Avoidance, Long Term Orientation, and Indulgence. (Hofstede, 2021) For example: Syed and Nina come from high power distance countries which means they will require direction and follow-up.

We need to recognize and identify common issues that come along with a diverse work force, so diversity should be discussed, for better or worse. There are scheduling issues, communication issues which include different religions, cultural and language barriers due to different cultures, languages, accents, and slang usage. Different backgrounds and experiences can lead to differences in approach and opinion, ideas, biases, and challenges. Social distancing is another major issue with geographically distant teams too.

Provide specific management approach. For example: using participatory management approach, or transactional one, etc. Do some quick research on this section.

Set the holiday schedule to apply to each member's country and culture. For example, Thanksgiving and Christmas are important holidays for the United States and Canada, where Christmas and Happy Diwali are important to India, along with New Years and Eid Al-Fitr are important to United Arab Emirates (Timeanddate.com, 2021).

The team communication, structure, and expectations will be set and led by the team lead; however, all team members will have open communication for ideas, suggestions, and discussions. This openness will allow for distinct input and offer a culturally diverse solution for the group when considering various dimensions such as power distance and individualistic culture. For example, state something like: "As a team lead, I will take all of your input and suggestions, but I will make the final decision."