The global mindset area that needs to be worked on is the global team management. As opposed to the local team management, expanding to the global arena requires better ability to manage the working teams. This is because the global teams incorporate people from across different cultural backgrounds. As such, they have different likes and dislikes. Each and every individual in a global team may have his or her own objectives as well as expectations. What is considered to be the right way of treating people may be different when working with other people. Therefore, there is a need to address the need to induce cross-cultural appreciation so as to be able to handle the different team members. Like in the local levels of management, teamwork is quite crucial even at the international levels. Therefore, there is a need to have it in the global set up (Lane et al, 2017). Various steps need to be followed to better the global mindset in regard to team management.
Steps to improve the team management global team mindset
Recognition of one’s cultural biases and values
First, there is a need for one to better understand his or her background. To be able to do well at the international level, one has to understand the origin that he confesses. One has to learn about the values that his culture adores to the end. In addition, it is important to determine the various biases that are evident in the local culture. This allows better aspects of self-awareness that creates a platform on which the international relations will be built on. By understanding the biases that one’s culture has, one will be sure to avoid them upon getting to the international stage. Therefore, this step prepares one to accept the values depicted by other team members from other cultures.
Understanding and knowing personal traits
In this case, it is necessary for a person to understand the inner self. The personal traits that one depicts determine the treatment that he or she is likely to give to other people. It is therefore important to determine the various aspects that one loves and does not love before getting to the international stage. This allows one to determine the level of curiosity, how open he or she is, and the level of flexibility as well as emotional awareness. One of the most important traits that one needs to learn about himself is the flexibility (Sheikh et al, 2016). This offers the chance to determine to what extent one would be willing to give up his ways to accommodate those of the rest of the members. In addition, one needs to determine the level of tolerance that he may have on the other team members. One is therefore able to identify the possibility of treating others right or wrong. If one feels that he might subject others to poor treatment, he can train on better methods and flexibility across different cultures.
Learning about the expectations of the foreign business and countries
Different organizations in different countries have different forms of expectations from the employees and other stakeholders. Therefore, there is a need to learn well in advance of the expectations that the new business has a person. In the aspect of a team, it is important for one to determine the origin and backgrounds of each and every team members in the new organization. This allows one to understand the different values of the various members. For instance, it is important to determine if the members accept being greeted by way of a handshake or by way of mouth. It is also important to understand the days that are considered to be the weekends in a certain country. This allows one to determine when is the best time to meet with the members as well as the respectable form of greeting them.
Building strong intercultural relationships
Team management is a process and thus requires continuous improvement. It is impossible for one to learn more about another culture while sticking to his culture. Therefore, one requires interacting more with the rest of the team members. It is not necessary that one meets the team at work. There is ultimate importance to build both formal and informal basis of interactions in which one learns more of the other. This increases the rate of interaction between a person and the rest of the people. At the end of the day, one gets to learn more and the relationship strengthens (Luo 2016). For instance, one may decide to engage one on a friendly basis and make inquiries of the dislikes as well as the likes. This gives a tip on the best way to treat someone. On the contrary, one may never learn of the rest of the people by staying in isolation. It is only possible to learn where a free learning environment has been created.
Developing strategies to enhance adoption and flexibility
After working with the team members for a long time, one develops a feeling that some of the strategies applied in learning the new environment worked for him. In the same manner, one is able to determine the strategies that did not work effectively. Therefore, this is the time that one upgrades on the strategies that have worked well in enhancing better team management both at the local and international level (Sheikh et al, 2016). On the other hand, one determines the strategies that have not worked and gets rid of them. This creates an opportunity to induce better techniques. It is imperative to induce flexibility in strategies, as culture changes from time to time and from place to place.
References
Lane, H. W., Bird, A., & Athanassiou, N. (2017). Translating theory into practice: Developing global leaders through undergraduate experiential education. In Advances in Global Leadership (pp. 193-220). Emerald Publishing Limited.
Luo, Y. (2016). Toward a reverse adaptation view in cross-cultural management. Cross Cultural & Strategic Management, 23(1), 29-41.
Sheikh, K., Schneider, H., Agyepong, I. A., Lehmann, U., & Gilson, L. (2016). Boundary-spanning: reflections on the practices and principles of Global Health. BMJ global health, 1(1), e000058.
