Management Handbook
I've compiled topics and resources that will best help me in becoming an effective manager in a multi-cultural team.
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Now the big question is...
What's inside?
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The Four Work Styles
and
How to Manage Them
There are FOUR distinctive work styles, each different, each with their own merits and faults.​
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No style is inherently superior to another.
Nobody is restricted to one style entirely.
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Analytical
Analytical people are those who have a tendency towards perfectionism. They deal in facts, data, logic, and details. They are sometimes slow to make decisions because they want to be sure before taking action. As a result, they may appear overly cautious and not good risk-takers. On the other hand, the decisions and information they provide are usually accurate and thoughtful. Feelings and emotions are kept inside and not revealed to others.
Driver​
Drivers are the strong, decisive, results-oriented types. They provide strong guidance for those who need it (and, unfortunately, for those who don’t). They can appear to be overly pushy at times and demanding of themselves and of others. They, like the “Analyticals”, tend to keep their emotions to themselves, are highly self- critical, and resent those who waste their time with idle chitchat and non-business oriented gossip.
Amiable​
Amiables are those more inclined towards social contracting. People and friendships mean the most to these people. They like to see others involved in any process and are usually good at recruiting others as well as juggling multiple tasks. They are genuinely concerned with the feelings of others and go out of their way not to offend. They are just as opinionated as those on the right side of the model; they just are not as inclined to tell you what is on their mind.
Expressive
Expressives are the party people. They love to have a good time, are highly enthusiastic and creative, and operate primarily by intuition. They have little tolerance for those who are not like themselves and find it a great martyred (overly dramatic) sacrifice to put up with these others. Because the expressives are easily bored and creative, keeping them on a task can be a task in itself. They have a tendency to go off on tangents, and, as a result, can be distractible.
DO​
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Know what you want to say
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Take your time, but be specific
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Prove it!
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DO​N'T
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Rush their decisions​
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Be vague
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Be disorganized
Bonus: Phone calls
(Written communcation is best so they can look back on it)
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DO​
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Be clear, specific and to the point
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Provide alternatives and choices
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Stick to business
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DO​N'T
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Don't leave all the work to them
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Ramble and waste time
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Enter the conversation with your mind made up already
DO​
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Show interest in them as people
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Present information and ideas in a non-threatening manner
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Be conscious of their feelings
DON'T​
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Manipulate or bully in agreement
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be cold or stick strictly to business
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Rush straight into the matter at hand
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The hofstede dimensions
Developed by Geert Hofestede, these are 6 dimensions of culture, rated on a scale of 1-100. Each country has their own values on the scales, and it's important to keep these in mind when managing a multicultural team.
What are they?​
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Power Distance
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How is power distributed? How do people accept it?​
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Uncertainty Avoidance
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How comfortable are people with sure things and taking risks?
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Individualism vs. Collectivism
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What's more important, the individual, or the group? Does the individual define themselves, or by the group?
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Masculinity vs. Femininity
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How are roles viewed? Are they rigid? Flexible?​
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Restraint vs. Indulgence
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Are drives and urges freely satisfied? Or are they suppressed to conform to social norms?​
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Long Term vs. Short Term
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Where are your goals and orientations set? In the past, present, or future? Are you looking for immediate, or eventual results?​
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Videos and Tools
Learn about the dimensions straight from the horse's mouth with...
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Compare Countries here
10 minutes with Geert Hofstede
Now what are they?
Creating a positive work environment
To me, good management means creating a positive working environment for all employees, so that they can be productive, passionate, and be able to work with one another cohesively.
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Nobody wants to wake up in the morning dreading spending their 9 to 5 in a place that they hate being at. Being in an uncomfortable, unwelcoming, and unpleasant workplace leads to low morale, low productivity and low results.
Let's fix that.
FLEXIBILITY
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Not everyone thrives in the 9 to 5. Make Flex Time. Offer opportunities to come in later, leave earlier. Being in the same environment all day takes a toll on productivity.
As long as the work is done, satisfactory, and on time, that's what matters.
COMMUNICATION
Communication is vital to making a positive work environment.
Allow face-to-face interaction so people aren't just words on a screen, or a voice over the phone.
OFFER INCENTIVES
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People work better when there's something to work for, something that they'll get out of this. It doesn't have to be money, opportunities for advancement and development are huge motivators as well.
GIVE AND GET FEEDBACK
People want feedback, they grow with it. When people know what they're doing right and what they're doing wrong, it gives them a direction to move forward or improve in.
GIVE PRAISE WHERE PRAISE IS DUE
Getting thanks on a job well done pushes people to keep up that quality of work, and strive to do even better. Feeling unappreciated for hard work gives rise to the "why bother" mindset.
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Building trust with a multi-cultural team
DO​
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Leave time for small talk
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Be stimulating
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Ask for their opinions and ideas​
DON'T​
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Be cold or impersonable
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Talk down to them
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Legislate or ignore their input
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Tackle conflict as soon as it arises
Understand who you're working with
Set clear norms for everyone
Connect
Trust is essential for any team to function, and even more so with a multi-cultural team.
The first step to working with and building trust in a multi-cultural team is to know the who's in it.
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Where have they been living?
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What languages do they speak?
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Know the individual
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Once you recognize these differences, it'll be easier to understand how everyone operates. How they give feedback, how they take it, concepts of time, communication styles
Everyone has different work styles, but everyone needs to give a little. It's important not to press your norms on to the team, because what works and seems logical to you, may not be the same for your team.
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Borrow practices from other cultures, and incorporate things that will work for your unique team.
If the norms conflict with someone's cultural norms, they may need more attention and reinforcement
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"keeping a consistent, clear structure regarding work styles and expectations is a critical way to create a common-ground team culture"
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Find what you have in common with your team. Build rapport. These connections don't have to be deep, but having them is important.
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Create the opportunities for these connections to happen. Encourage them.
Conflict is inevitable. What's important is to make sure that it doesn't get any bigger than it already is, because it will only be harder to solve the longer it's not addressed.
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Knowing direct and indirect communication styles will help diffuse the conflict. Not everyone communicates in the same way, and it's important to know what to say and how to say it.
increasing Efficiency
Getting to work is one thing. Being efficient is another. Here I've taken 4 strategies from David Horsager's book, The Daily Edge that most resonated with me, and will have an impact on any team, regardless of culture.
power hour
Decide now
plan tomorrow today
SEED
"We can really focus, concentrate, and serve others best by actually getting something done for them. We focus on the activities we identified as most important to our long-term success." (Horsager, 13)
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Being an analytical, having uninterrupted quiet time allows me to get and stay on track with the tasks that are important.
Everyone works differently, but everyone can benefit from at least one hour of uninterrupted work.
Think:
"When you are about to put something down, really think:
Is this where it goes?
Am I really going to get back to this?
Will I just need to throw this out later?
Will I deal with this in less than a week?" (Horsager, 21)
Take time now:
"if at all possible, do it, use it, throw it, or complete it now.
You are most likely not coming back to it". (Horsager, 22)
It’s easy to want to just go in a tackle a task. For me, planning something comes more naturally as an analytical, and makes the process that much easier.
I’d even take this a few steps further and plan your week. When you know what when and how you’re going to do something, that’s half the battle.
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“Every minute you spend planning saves you an average of approximately 10 minutes in execution”. (Horsager, 42)
A team can't function if the individual can't function. To be able to perform to the best of your ability, you need to take care of yourself.
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Sleep
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People need to recharge. When you don't get enough sleep, your mood, energy, and thought process are all negatively affected.
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Exercise
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It's important to train both your mind, and your body. Exercise keeps you healthy, increases energy levels, and increases mood. Even just walking works wonders and increases creative output.
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Eat right
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Eating the right food does wonders for you. Food is the fuel for your body and your mind, make sure you're eating, and eating right.
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Drink Water
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Drinking water has a plethora of benefits, and can curb hunger to increase focus as well.
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Adapted from:
Horsager, David. The Daily Edge: Simple Strategies to Increase Efficiency and Make an Impact Every Day. Oakland, CA: BK/Berrett-Koehler, 2015.
Knowing how countries stack up against each other on the cultural dimensions is an invaluable tool in understanding how to communicate and cooperate with a multi-cultural team.
Adapted from: State of Oregon
Department of Administrative Services
Statewide Training, Development and Recruitment Services