Working In International Team Theology Religion Essay Example

Its purpose is to help them comprehend the issues related to working with people from diverse cultures and learn effective ways of handling them.

This paper discusses the difficulties immigrant students encounter when collaborating with individuals from various nationalities and offers guidance on how to overcome these challenges and adapt to team dynamics. The main focus is on developing the essential skills required for success in a team.

Overview of the Situation

Working IN TEAM:

Effective teamwork is vital for achieving success in business operations. Multicultural teams have gained popularity within organizations globally. Nevertheless, globalization and heightened migration have posed additional hurdles in terms of working together with diverse teams.

According to Katzenbach and Smith (1993), a team is defined as a group of individuals with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and approach, and who hold themselves mutually accountable. It is crucial for each team member to contribute towards achieving the goal. Brown and Yule (1983; cited in Spencer-Oatey, 2000, p.2) propose two main functions of language: transactional, which involves information transfer, and interactive, which focuses on maintaining social relationships.

Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, believed that teamwork played a vital role in his company's operations. He emphasized that regular employee interaction was key to forming high-performing teams (Grayson, 2000). Adair (1973) presented a model for team motivation where the three circles converge because: the task requires a team effort as it cannot be accomplished by one person alone; if the team's needs are not met, both the task and individual satisfaction will suffer; if individual needs are not met, both the team and task performance will be affected.

Adair's team model emphasizes the interconnectedness

of each member's role and highlights the importance of efficient collaboration to reach the finish line. Ultimately, working together cohesively is essential for achieving the team's goal. In today's competitive world, effective work is demanded swiftly.It is essential for every person to actively participate in achieving the ultimate objective, as any reluctance from a team member can greatly affect the overall outcome.

BENEFITS AND ISSUES OF WORKING IN A TEAM

Working IN A Team:

Research and experiences have demonstrated numerous advantages associated with teamwork. I have personally noticed a significant transformation within myself. Collaborating with individuals from diverse backgrounds allows one to develop flexibility, gain a broad range of experiences, and improve their cognitive and interpersonal skills.

Working IN AN INTERNATIONAL Team:

While working as a team within the same country is relatively straightforward due to familiarity with culture and differences, working in an international team poses greater challenges. Starting from a negative value instead of zero makes the job more difficult. The most prominent issue is intercultural differences, which require time and effort to comprehend each other's reactions.

Each civilization possesses its own distinct manner of expressing and reacting to various matters. Assessing an individual's conduct solely based on their cultural heritage is a challenging task. To illustrate, a colleague from Nigeria consistently exhibited a lackadaisical demeanor during meetings. I frequently had to prompt him to concentrate, concerned that he might not be treating matters with appropriate seriousness. Regrettably, this eventually led to strained relations between us; nevertheless, we opted to disregard each other's attitudes entirely.

To my complete surprise, she efficiently completed her part of the

task. It was not my fault for misjudging her, but rather the cultural differences that caused me to underestimate her. It is culture that causes variations in individuals' ways of operating.

Situation Analysis

When people from different cultural backgrounds work together, issues may arise within their team. These issues can include problems with team development, language barriers, and differing attitudes towards work and rules.

The text discusses the challenges that arise from misunderstandings, personal attacks, and diverse communication styles within a team, which can hinder the efficiency of teamwork. It also explores the analysis of team dynamics and performance in relation to theories and experiences working as part of an international team.

Team Formation

This phase is the initial stage of team collaboration. Following Tuckman's (1965) theories on team building, forming, storming, norming, and performing are essential steps in establishing a cohesive team.

In the formation phase, squad members are completely new to each other and have different features. Despite this, we found it relatively easy to develop a shared vision and operating rules. However, we encountered many important tasks when transitioning from organizing to ramping up. We got stuck between these two stages and wasted a lot of time, which we didn't consider as a serious issue due to our different time management attitudes. Edward Halls' (1966) theory of proxemics provides insight into monochronic and polychronic cultures.

According to him, individuals from polychronic cultures are more flexible with time compared to those from monochronic cultures who adhere to strict schedules. Therefore, one of us had to bring the rest of the group to the Storming Phase. This led to a lot of discussion, conflicting ideas, and occasional disagreements. However, we focused

mainly on our goal because we understood the value of experiencing both stages.

During the norming stage, everything was going smoothly and each person on the team was aware of their role and had a clear vision. However, we still have the performing stage, which is the most important stage of team building, to come on my team. Although everyone understands the requirements of the tasks, collaboration is feared due to the different ways each individual from various backgrounds performs. One significant observation during the storming stage was that some members did not contribute ideas, possibly because they were shy, lazy, or did not want to oppose others' ideas. Being contrary is not seen as a positive trait in some cultures.

I propose that the team should share their experiences and feedback from practical cognition. This will help them identify their weaknesses and adapt to future changes. Improved understanding and sharing of experiences will aid the teamwork in providing the right support to the group and achieving a successful outcome.

The Contract:

The functioning of the team requires teammates to agree on certain rules, work methods, respect towards each other, and different cultures. These policies are documented to ensure that everyone remains focused on a common goal. The contract signed by each individual serves as evidence that no one violates the terms and conditions.

Within my team, the contract serves as a primary means of keeping the team engaged. While in some countries the contract may be seen as a mere formal document, this was not an issue within my team. We were all aware that we were working in a strict policy-driven environment and understood the importance of the

contract. Some individuals, however, tend to miss deadlines, leading to interpersonal conflicts.

A leader must recognize and confront any fears that may impede project completion. To achieve this, the leader should create explicit rules and guidelines for various aspects of the team's work, such as leadership roles, performance evaluations, and feedback procedures. These protocols need to be devised, authorized, and put into practice in order to effectively handle difficult circumstances. As my team consisted of diverse individuals, including myself, adhering to deadlines was challenging due to our flexible schedules and emphasis on maintaining friendly relationships rather than strict timelines.

The leader's inability to dismiss team members who violated the team contract was due to their reliance on Belbin's theory of team building. According to this theory, each person is capable of performing their role according to their state. However, there were difficulties in accurately assessing each individual's ability to perform their role in practice.

This text discusses the psychological science of individuals from different civilizations, as explored by Nisbett (2003). In my role as a Specialist, Resource Investigator, and closer, I encountered the challenge of having multiple individuals contributing ideas but lacking a designated maker to finalize our progress. In order to effectively coordinate multicultural teams, strong leadership is essential.

The overall work is shaped by the determinations of the leader, as stated by Belbin (1981). Leadership plays a critical role in the output of a team. Sometimes, individuals with the ability to lead do not step forward for various reasons. This is because they view a leader as someone who has control and authority. However, a leader is actually someone who acts as a resource or director.

( Trompenaars

and Hampden 2004 ) The endurance of leadership in my team was due to the leader functioning solely as a coordinator. In our multicultural team, each of us had varying demands towards the leader, resulting in different reactions and perspectives on their behavior ( Guirdham 2002 ). When working in a team comprised of individuals from hierarchical societies, strong leadership is vital. The focus is on the prominence of the leader; individuals expect the team leader to provide direction and make decisions.

[ Hofstede ] .

Culture:

Culture is a intricate topic encompassing various aspects of daily life such as manners, art, music, philosophy, and traditions. [ Hofstede, 2010 ] . When applied to the workplace, culture refers to the behavior and values that individuals bring to team projects. In other words, it reflects a person's approach to work and their professional affairs. Difficulties in intercultural interactions often arise because people make assumptions about how similar others are to them.

I am from Pakistan and my squad includes individuals from India, China, and Nigeria. Figure-1 shows the comparison of these four countries. Hofstede's theory of cultural dimensions provides a systematic model to measure differences between states and civilizations. The differences in values such as Individualism, Uncertainty Avoidance, and Long-term Orientation can be observed. However, Hofstede's research on cultures does not attempt to classify people's behavior. I faced challenges in working with Indians in my squad due to intercultural issues between the two countries.

The Indian people within their civilization exhibited diverse behaviors, making them difficult to assess. According to the Hofstede graph, India is positioned at a score of 48 on the

Individualism vs. Bolshevism scale.

Sinha and Tripati (1994; cited in Kim, 1997, p.27) conducted research showing that strong individualistic and collectivized orientations coexist in India. They contradicted Hofstede's research on civilizations, which fails to accurately classify people's behavior.

Communication Problem

Successful communication is crucial in any team. However, miscommunication is a critical issue that often leads to the failure of international teams. Miscommunication can result in frustration. Within my own team, various communication methods were utilized to collaborate.

The initial challenge we faced was communicating face-to-face, but there was a language barrier. English is the main shared language among group members, but understanding English at different proficiency levels proved to be a significant challenge. During our meetings, it was difficult to comprehend the English spoken by others and their speech patterns. Each individual had a completely different pronunciation for every word, making it necessary to spend a considerable amount of time explaining the words and their meanings. It is important to note that what a person says may not carry the intended meaning in another cultural context, as highlighted by Edward Hall [Edward Halls].

China is recognized as a collectivist society with prevalent high-context communication, which can make it challenging to understand their intended meaning (Hofstede, 1980). To address this issue, different technological tools like telephones, text messaging, and emails were employed to enable regular communication within the team. This helped us maintain professionalism even when face-to-face meetings were not feasible. However, it should be acknowledged that in certain countries, limited technology access presents communication difficulties.

Additionally, there is a risk of misinterpretation in certain situations. For example, while smileys are commonly used in text messaging, using them within formal teams

can be seen as disrespectful in some cultures, particularly those with lower power distance. In these cultures, informal methods of communication are typically preferred.

Here are the strengths of the team:
- Proficiency in multitasking
- Strong relationships among team members
- No assumptions about each other
- Caring for everyone
- High morale

And here are the weaknesses:
- Need for more focus on relationships
- Lack of punctuality
- Ineffective leadership
- Cross-cultural differences within the team
- Lack of professionalism

There are also opportunities for the team to capitalize on:
- The chance to reduce inequality
- Understanding diverse markets
- Exposure to different cultures
- Potential in global companies

However, there are also threats to consider:
- Miscommunication leading to conflicts
- Intense competition
- Difficulty working under pressure
- Differences in the working environment compared to the UK

In summary, this is a SWOT analysis of the team, highlighting its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The team's strengths include the ability to multitask and strong relationships among team members. However, there are weaknesses such as a lack of focus on relationships and poor leadership. There are opportunities for growth, such as reducing inequality and understanding diverse markets, but also threats like miscommunication and intense competition.

Failing

to take every initiative.

Opportunity

Threats

• Long term orientation in Chinese civilization: Chinese civilization involves changing attitudes with state of affairs and an inability to work under pressure.
• Differences in working environment, time importance, and relation rating: In the UK, these aspects vary.

Solution and Recommendation:

The issues within an international squad cannot be abandoned.

The trials in teams can often be the basis for the experiences that make them so valuable, but that doesn't necessarily make it any easier. According to Gurdham (2002), the causes of these trials are diverse, including personal issues, leadership-related challenges, decision-making problems, and differences in work strategies. Overall, it is clear that cultural differences played a significant role throughout.

I strongly believe that the positive aspects have the ability to outweigh the negative characteristics. It is necessary to gain knowledge of different cultures in order to contribute positively to teamwork. There should be a general audience, a set of policies to follow, appropriate preparation, and careful leader selection. In my case, the entire team brought their cultural baggage in terms of expectations from the leader, so a possible solution may be to rotate leadership among members so that they can see both perspectives. By changing the leader depending

on the task, every member could understand what to expect and become a leader.

Then the beginning phase, which is the most sensitive phase, should be handled reciprocally and with cooperation from all members in light of Tuckman's theory. It is undeniable that there are significant challenges associated with multi-cultural squad operation. However, at the end of the day, a student like me should not overlook the fact that international teams are becoming popular trends in the modern business world. Therefore, an individual and specifically a student should recognize these issues, take advantage of the opportunity to understand various cultures, and adapt constructively towards team goals.