This report highlights the role managers play in helping to facilitate more inclusive, empathetic working styles in multicultural teams
Research exploring the link between culturally diverse teams and organisational outcomes is relatively sparse, despite the focus on inclusion and diversity in the workplace this past year. Yet the benefits these teams bring to business are numerous – as long as those in leadership positions (like line managers) provide inclusive environments and careful management of their people.
If employers are to strengthen employee relationships in multicultural teams, they need to explore the opportunities and challenges these teams face in the first place. As such, we conducted a series of online focus groups with managers from three different global regions (the UK, Middle East and Asia-Pacific) to assess their varying perspectives on managing multicultural teams.
The resultant report draws on these findings to offer practical guidance on overcoming communication barriers and problems inherent to cultural differences. It sets out the key recommendations to help managers navigate conflicting viewpoints, opinions and cultural beliefs – the end goal being to foster an environment of inclusivity and empathy within their teams.
The findings generally encompass all three regions (detailed in the report). However, we’ve captured some of the key regional differences below:
Respondents felt the UK is a multicultural society, but less so than the other regions. Participants also saw innovation and creativity as the key benefits of cultural diversity.
Download the report for UK insights and analyses.
Being part of a multicultural team is the norm in the Middle East region. Participants did, however, experience more of the challenges of working in multicultural teams, particularly around communication.
Download the report for Middle East insights and analyses.
Respondents felt pride at living in a region that encourages multiculturalism. Participants experienced similar communication challenges to other regions, but greatly valued the innovation of their teams.
Download the report for Asia-Pacific insights and analyses.
Here we include a snapshot of findings and recommendations common to all focus group regions (explored in-depth in the report).
Make sure you foster patience and openness by:
You can overcome these communication challenges by:
Make the most of remote working by:
Download the report, Managing multicultural teams: Exploring the opportunities and challenges, to explore these recommendations in depth.
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