Assignment Sample on Cross-Cultural Management Portfolio
Introduction
This task is all about reflection on strengths and areas for development as a member of a diverse team to foster a professional development plan. In this study, as an individual, the study explores the experience of working in a team during a poster presentation task on a non-UK company, Louis Vuitton. The study evaluated conflicts and cultural differences within the ream and ways they were overcome using theories and frameworks such as Toomey’s Mindfulness theory, Hofstede, Hall and many more. Additionally, as an individual, I will cover my leadership experience and its effectiveness considering different leadership styles and theories such as Autocratic, Democratic, Transformational, trait and Behavioural Theories. The Belbin Model will be used as well to identify roles observed in myself and the team and the ways we complemented each other’s strengths. At last, the study covers all the strengths and weaknesses for development in future group projects.
2.2. Main Body
2.2.1 Discussion on managing cultural Differences and conflict in Team
Cultural differences can lead to misunderstandings and misinterpretations during team interactions and it is important to manage these differences using which team members can communicate in a more effective way. Working in globally diverse teams, developing a climate of trust is one of the major challenges and to spreading information and discussing problems, cultures become crucial [Referred to Lecture Material Unit 7]. During the poster presentation task on Louis Vuitton, my team encountered conflicts and cultural differences that presented many serious challenges to our communication as well as collaboration. The company operates in diverse markets with innovative norms and practices and this was one of the important reasons for facing such challenges both individually and as a team. Conflict resolution, communication barriers, work style and norms were major challenges that have been identified by our side. Different team members has different cultural backgrounds and had varying communication styles as well which led to misunderstandings during serious discussions and brainstorming sessions. Additionally, as a multinational team, we also faced the challenges of coordinating meetings and deadlines across different time zones (Wu, 2022). On the other hand, providing and receiving feedback is culturally influenced due to different work styles and norms in each team member’s cultural background. In this way, conflicts emerged as well due to differences in opinions and decision-making processes and also added complexity to resolving disagreements within a team.
In order to address these conflicts and cultural differences challenges, we took the help of Toomey’s mindfulness theory which delivered information regarding being present and aware of cultural variations. This theory refers to being fully aware, empathetic in observation, sensitive, listening, and proper communication and that personally motivated me to understand all the concepts from new perspectives (Tkachenko & Khukhlaev, 2022).
As a group, we also recognised that effective cross-cultural communication requires active listening as well as empathy which allowed us to understand each other’s perspectives in a better way. Moreover, Hofstede’s cultural dimensions were also instrumental in understanding and navigating cultural differences. We recognised that the company’s culture is deeply rooted in French heritage and that is why we considered some effective elements such as power distance, and individualism versus collectivism to anticipate potential challenges and find common ground [Refereed to Appendix 1]. Additionally, high-context and low-context played a crucial role while forming poster presentations on such an important topic. As an individual, I understood that some team members can prefer indirect communication while others preferred direct and explicit communication. In this way, being aware of these preferences as a group we adjusted our communication styles to avoid any misunderstandings. Trompenaars’ cultural dimension theory was also considered by our side which helped in appreciating different vulture values and approaches to solving problems (Pîrlog, 2021). In this way, we also had regular team meetings to ensure everyone’s input and that helped in fostering a supportive atmosphere.
2.2.2 Leadership effectiveness and overall experience during managing team
Through the process of working with other team members on preparing poster presentation tasks for a non-UK-based company, Louis Vuitton, I have learned different leadership skills, approaches, eyes, and leadership styles. During conducting the task, I had the opportunity to explore different new things about leadership and cultural difference in different regions of the world. Moreover, I have tried to understand the contrast between the manhunt and leadership and analyse appropriate leadership theories suitable for different situations. In-depth analysis of leadership theories and skills has allowed me to implement and adapt different types of variable leadership theories such as behavioural theory, trait theories, transformational leadership theory and more that have helped me and other team members to get a successful outcome for the poster presentation task. [Refer to Appendix 2]
In addition, during working on the topic I have found that leaders play a crucial role in planning, organizing, and maintaining the overall business organization effectively which creates a positive effect on the organisation’s overall business growth. As stated by Attar & Abdul-Kareem (2020), there are different types of leadership styles including autocratic, democratic, transformational leadership style and more and there need to adopt a suitable leadership style as per the current organizational situation. Therefore, we acknowledged that the leadership role is not limited to its role, and style but rather encompasses different types of creative unique strengths that hold the business organization to fulfil organizational success. Therefore, by gaining effective knowledge about the different available leadership roles and responsibilities I have also tried to understand my personal leadership style and act as a leader to successfully complete the poster presentation on time.
During conducting the task some of the team members showed their natural ability to inspire and motivate other team members to gain more knowledge about the topic and reach more to get quality output. During finding about Louis Vuitton’s leadership styles, it has been found that in some of the areas synch as Japan, France and Australia the leaders need to adopt some effective leadership styles such as transformational style, laissez-faire leadership and more (Epelde & Artetxe (2022). From this analysis, we have gained knowledge that to boost the effectiveness of leadership there need to adopt relevant leadership strategies that can handle the present issue in man bent the organisation in that specific region. Moreover, it has been found that in most of the cases for Louis Vuitton, they need to adopt a transactional leadership style as it prioritises setting clear organisational goals, motivating employees, implementing suitable relations and more [Referred to Lecture Learning material Unit 3].
In addition, contrasting management and leadership styles were vital in simplifying our team’s efforts throughout the process. As a team manager, I have understood the requirement of the effectiveness of leaders. As stated by Fachrunnisa et al. (2020), leaders help to manage all the teamwork and provide the required resources to complete any organizational tasks. Therefore, leadership is important for setting up duties and guaranteeing efficiency, leadership exceeds that by motivating and persuading the team to reach greater goals. In addition to overseeing work, I made sure to offer inspiring leadership that motivated the team to perform to the best of their abilities. This made it possible for us to achieve a balance between attaining our goals and encouraging a supportive and enthusiastic team atmosphere.
2.2.3 Identification of Belbin roles observed in a team and in an individual
During conducting the task related to making poster presentations and reports I understood the distinction between the terms “Group” and “team”. As stated by Aranzabal, Epelde & Artetxe (2022), a team is a coherent entity that collaborates interdependently, with members possessing complementary abilities and a common objective, as opposed to a group, which is a collection of people brought together for a particular reason. During Mangaung my team members during conducting the task I ensured that we played the role of the team rather than as a group. With effective collaboration and cooperation, we have successfully found relevant information and employed the information to improve the poster and report quality. I have understood the different types of roles, and responsibilities that were crucial to handling the team to get a successful outcome. we had tried to implement diverse team roles by aligning them with Belbin Team Roles [Refer to Appendix 3]. For example, one team member effectively acted as a Plant, coming up with fresh ideas for the presentation, while another successfully took on the role of a Coordinator, setting up team meetings and assigning duties. I promoted a positive team atmosphere and made sure all opinions were heard by recognising and valuing the various skills and contributions of each Belbin job [Referred to Lecture Materials Unit 7].
In addition, I have tried to identify improvement areas and to adopt effective practices for capitalise the team’s strengths. As stated by Monsalves, Cornide-Reyes & Riquelme, (2023), understanding team dynamics is essential and it can be preferred by maintaining some stages such as streaming, norming and performing. Moreover, to reduce any conflict within the team I developed a democratic leadership style using behavioural leadership theory, promoting candid conversations and consensus-based decision-making. Our team became stronger and more united as a result of the method we used to handle issues. Moreover, in some cases, cultural differences also significantly influenced teamwork during performing poster presentation and report about the business culture analysis for Louis Vuitton, a non-UK-based business organization. As stated by Schneider, Barsoux & Stahl (2014), members from various ethnic origins ensured that communication and working methods were different. I accepted these differences by using cultural knowledge and creating an inclusive atmosphere where every team member felt respected and understood. For example, I have provided the role of resource investigator to one of the team members with cultural expertise. This technique has helped us to understand the role of cultural nuances and it became helpful; to find suitable management, leadership, and organizational performance strategies for Louis Vuitton for its overall business growth in the global market.
2.2.4 Personal Strengths and Opportunities for Development
During the poster presentation task on Louis Vuitton, I identified numerous personal strengths as well as weaknesses that will be beneficial for me to deliver the projects individually or in a group in the future. One of the important areas that need to have in an individual is leadership skills to manage tasks in a successful way. As an individual, I believe that I effectively balanced both management and leadership roles which motivated and inspired team members while ensuring effective task allocation and goal attainment. I also recognised personally that I actively fostered a collaborative team environment by valuing each team member’s contributions and promoting open discussions and that shows my collaboration skill that I have. Additionally, I demonstrated adaptability and mindfulness by observing theories such as Toomey’s Mindfulness theory which helped in reducing conflicts as well as misunderstandings. Cultural differences and their impact on communication and decision-making were recognised by my side and that shows cultural awareness in me which I encouraged a respectful and inclusive team atmosphere.
In retrospect, I still believe that there is still a need for improvement in handling conflicts more effectively, especially in high-pressure situations and that will help me to deliver the project in a successful way in future. While I adopted different leadership styles during the task, I observed an opportunity to further enhance my leadership flexibility and adaptability to different team dynamics. In order to deliver more presentation tasks on such topics, it needs to have a better knowledge of cultural understanding and due to this, I intend to invest more time in acknowledging the cultural nuances and the way it influences team dynamics and decision-making.
2.3. Conclusion
Through this reflection, I have learned valuable lessons in managing cultural differences and conflicts in diverse teams. Embracing mindfulness, active listening and cultural awareness helped me to overcome different challenges. Additionally, I understood different leadership styles which allowed me to effectively lead a team. Identifying Belbin’s roles and fostering a collaborative team atmosphere were key factors in gaining success. In this way, these learn to approach teamwork with greater adaptability, improved conflict resolution skills and a deeper appreciation for cultural nuances and enhancing overall team effectiveness in future projects.
References
Attar, M., & Abdul-Kareem, A. (2020). The role of agile leadership in organisational agility. In Agile business leadership methods for industry 4.0 (pp. 171-191). Emerald Publishing Limited. DOI; https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80043-380-920201011
Fachrunnisa, O., Adhiatma, A., Lukman, N., & Ab Majid, M. N. (2020). Towards SMEs’ digital transformation: The role of agile leadership and strategic flexibility. Journal of Small Business Strategy, 30(3), 65-85. DOI: https://jsbs.scholasticahq.com/article/26349.pdf
Monsalves, D., Cornide-Reyes, H., & Riquelme, F. (2023). Relationships Between Social Interactions and Belbin Role Types in Collaborative Agile Teams. IEEE Access, 11, 17002-17020. DOI:10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3245325.
Pîrlog, A. (2021). Intercultural profile of managers in the republic of Moldova in the context of the trompenaars and hampden-turner theory of cultural dimensions. Economy and Sociology, (2), 70-84.DOI: https://doi.org/10.36004/nier.es.2021.2-06
Schneider, S., Barsoux, J.-L. & Stahl, G. K. (2014). Managing across cultures (3rd ed.). London: Pearson Financial Times Prentice Hall.
Tkachenko, N. V., & Khukhlaev, O. E. (2022). Mindfulness in intercultural communication: A qualitative analysis experience. RUDN Journal of Psychology and Pedagogics, 19(1), 110-127.https://journals.rudn.ru/psychology-pedagogics/article/download/30743/20608
Wu, T. (2022). Digital project management: rapid changes define new working environments. Journal of Business Strategy, 43(5), 323-331.
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