Question

In this globalised dynamic environment of the 21st century, managers face various isues when required to lead globally dispersed teams in multi-national organisations. Discuss the key challenges with reference to relevant theory.

it should be at least 800 words. should be 4 references in APA Style

Answer 1

A company’s sphere of influence once extended only to its local community. Today, “business as usual” for startups and enterprises alike often implies working within a community that stretches across the entire globe.

There are some amazing benefits to going global. While working at SAP and Oracle, I managed teams in California, Paris, Shanghai, India and beyond. Suddenly, I wasn’t limited by geography when it came to talent recruitment and local expertise. Additionally, a “virtual environment” expanded employee flexibility and general happiness. Yet, at the same time I faced a number of obstacles that threatened my ability to lead and my team’s ability to succeed.

Here are four major challenges I’ve faced when managing global or virtual teams, along with some helpful solutions:

1. Challenge: Lack of clarity. When working with team members who have different native tongues, it’s common for key messages to get lost in translation. Add poor phone connections and multitasking team members (i.e. checking email) while on conference calls, and you start to realize why communication doesn’t always sink in the first time around.

Remedy: Put action items and key decisions in writing. Follow up conference calls with clear, written communication of the outcomes of the meeting. This ensures everyone walked away from the meeting with the same key takeaways.

2. Challenge: Slow decision making. When there are only a few hours a day of common “awake” time, it can take weeks to get a meeting scheduled that works for everyone’s calendar. Add the lack of clarity mentioned above, and decision-making can happen at a snail’s pace.

Remedy: Communicate strategy and direction face-to-face whenever possible. Video conferencing is a great tool for helping teams feel more“present” in meetings, giving participants the ability to sense each other’s body language and tone. A regular in-person meeting is also a must to boost team morale and increase collaboration. When clarity is provided through “face-to-face” meetings, the speed of business and execution is much faster.

3. Challenge: Disjointed conflict resolution. Working predominantly through email makes it difficult to deal with tough issues and get everyone on the same page. Tone and body language play a large role in communication, and without these nuances, delicate situations can be hard to manage correctly.

Remedy: Pick up the phone. Never communicate “tough messages” via email, as written messages can easily be misunderstood. By speaking live to the individual in a one-on-one conversation, you are much more likely to understand one another and communicate effectively.

4. Challenge: Conflicting corporate culture. Great company culture depends on constant interaction and team bonding among employees. Such camaraderie can be more difficult for global teams to define, implement and ultimately achieve.

Remedy: Invest in cultural training. I once hired a consultant to spend a day with my management team for cultural training. The consultant split our group into teams based on nationality. Each team had to answer the question, “What values would you want to instill in your children?” The Americans said things like self-confidence, ambition, and intellectual curiosity; whereas the Germans emphasized respect for authority and work ethic. The exercise gave each of us a better understanding of how different cultures approach situations. We started to function better as a team. We had a unifying culture that still held respect for the individual perspective.

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