“A diverse mix of voices leads to better discussions, decisions, and outcomes for everyone.”- the words of Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, one of the most culturally diverse teams in the world, resonate with the voices of thousands of leaders leading multicultural teams regularly.
The success of any collaborative work comes with the effective integration of intellectual properties. And what is better than a multicultural team to bring extensive and diversified insights to the table? Even though the concept of multicultural teams is not a recent addition to the workplace and resource management scenario, the post-Covid setting of a much more globalised and remote workplace has contributed to its expansion. Surviving in an output-driven global business structure only implies that the acquisition of global talents is important for organisational growth and prosperity. But with developing a global mindset comes the challenge of leading and guiding a multicultural team.
A ‘Multi cultural’ team
Cultural diversity is often coined as a keyword in workplace management and leadership approaches. But the word, in a realistic workplace, has a much broader and much deeper insight than it sounds. When we talk about multiculturalism, the first thing that comes to anyone’s mind is ethnic diversity in workplaces. But a multicultural workplace can mean much more than that. A multicultural workplace holds employees from different backgrounds that include not only race, gender, ethnicity and religion but also things such as age, education and disability. But the definition is often used as synonymous with cross-culturalism, which is not context-appropriate. A cross-cultural environment can bring change to individuals ensuring a collective approach, while multiculturalism is quite the opposite.
So to make the workplace a buzzing hub of creativity and innovation, leaders should follow the steps while approaching the team-
- Break the ice
The first step in any collaborative work environment is to know your team and the work at hand. And ‘an ice-breaking session’ can be the first step towards building a high-performing team that can sustain challenges in a diversified environment where people from different backgrounds share a common goal; getting to know one another works as a tonic. As a leader, you should let individual differences shine through the initial ice-breaking conversations. A simple moment of informal bonding can make people closer to their shared goal. Even in a formal environment, sharing one unique fact or an experience can go a long way. But a leader must also ensure that everyone is included and not left out of the moment.
- Set cultural competency
After the ice breaking, a leader needs to set up diversified norms in a perfect manner. And cultural competency is about one’s will and actions to be respectful and open to different cultural perspectives and be aware of one’s own culture and the differences it might make in different cultural settings. Cultural competency strengthens cultural security and works to ensure equality in opportunity. When a leader supports and demonstrates cultural competence, shows respect for cultural differences and recognises how those differences drive engagement and productivity, the teams work better together to withstand challenges. Developing this level of fluency is challenging, but training and sessions to acknowledge cultural differences can help with the issue and raise curiosity towards self-assessment and improvement.
- Cultivate safe space
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much”, the words of Helen Keller, is the exact reason why companies and businesses prefer teamwork. Teams can provide dynamic thinking in directions that an individual might overlook. But with dynamic solutions come dynamic opinions. And integration of such diversified opinions can be overwhelming for leaders and sometimes even for teammates working together. Multicultural teams suffer from such difficulties even more than others. As multicultural teams hold diversity in multiple aspects, from communication to decision-making, the benefits of dynamism can also be the odds for teams. So keeping a safe space inside the team is of significant importance. A safe space can help with the team’s conflicts and decision-m, aking. Moreover, this can be a great way to make the teammates aware of different cultural approaches and normalise the practice in the workplace.
- Consider multicultural habits
Managing a multicultural team means dealing with different aspects of the cultures in concern. Whether it be the issue of food habits, dress code or communication etiquette, diversity should be reflected in each aspect of the workplace. Suppose the lunch menu is being fixed for your team; as a leader, you should be inclusive of religious boundaries and specific eating habits to prioritise your teammates. So while making any choice that concerns the team, practising multicultural habits and needs is a matter of absolute necessity. Such a practice not only helps the team with new cultural knowledge but also teaches them to be lenient, which can go a long way in collaborative workspaces.
- Keep yourself in check
Leading is not a piece of cake. The dynamics and diversity that build a strong team are the very reason why it is difficult to take the lead of a team. And when it comes to multicultural team practices, the challenges only add up. So as a leader, it is important to keep yourself in check before imposing anything on the team. A leader should be free of the biases and stereotypes that may hurt or provoke cultural and religious sentiments. A leader must support and assist every teammate equally. Sometimes a simple biased remark towards a person’s personal choice or cultural background can cause the team’s harmony to break apart. And as a leader, it is important to maintain the chain of command that holds the team together. So keeping yourself updated and clear of prejudice is the best a leader can do for the betterment of the team.
Author- SUBEH TAREK
