Leading Global Teams: Translating Multidisciplinary Science to Practice
Developing Cross-Cultural Competencies Through Global Teams (Paula Caligiuri & Kyle Lundby, 2014). In this invited chapter for Wildman and Griffith’s Leading Global Teams, Paula and I discussed global teams as an experience-based approach to developing culturally agile employees and leaders. Provided that they possess several key features, global teams can be a valuable way to promote cultural agility and intercultural competence for team leaders and the members of those teams.
In order to promote cross-cultural competence, global teams should:
1) Be a Stretch Challenge – In other words, it should provide the opportunity to apply ones knowledge, skills and abilities in different cultural contexts and with colleagues from different cultures.
2) Include Meaningful Peer-Level Collaboration – Members work together as peers and a free flow of information is not only allowed but actively encouraged.
3) Provide Opportunities to Receive Feedback and Support – Here the global team leader must play an active role in creating a climate of trust and cohesion. He/she should work to prevent the natural tendency to gravitate toward one’s own culture, as well as encourage members to create their own team-level norms and identity, and facilitate trust-building.
Although intercultural competence remains a key success factor for expatriates and those who travel internationally for work, the increasingly interconnected global workplace means that all employees – not just expatriates - can interact with colleagues and clients from different cultures. Thus, participation in global teams – when designed with certain characteristics in mind – can serve as a powerful developmental experience for future expatriates and global leaders, as well as employees who may never leave their country of origin but still interact with a variety of cultures.
If you would like to learn more about the book or this chapter specifically, contact Global Aspect or click here to be redirected to the publisher's website.
In order to promote cross-cultural competence, global teams should:
1) Be a Stretch Challenge – In other words, it should provide the opportunity to apply ones knowledge, skills and abilities in different cultural contexts and with colleagues from different cultures.
2) Include Meaningful Peer-Level Collaboration – Members work together as peers and a free flow of information is not only allowed but actively encouraged.
3) Provide Opportunities to Receive Feedback and Support – Here the global team leader must play an active role in creating a climate of trust and cohesion. He/she should work to prevent the natural tendency to gravitate toward one’s own culture, as well as encourage members to create their own team-level norms and identity, and facilitate trust-building.
Although intercultural competence remains a key success factor for expatriates and those who travel internationally for work, the increasingly interconnected global workplace means that all employees – not just expatriates - can interact with colleagues and clients from different cultures. Thus, participation in global teams – when designed with certain characteristics in mind – can serve as a powerful developmental experience for future expatriates and global leaders, as well as employees who may never leave their country of origin but still interact with a variety of cultures.
If you would like to learn more about the book or this chapter specifically, contact Global Aspect or click here to be redirected to the publisher's website.
The Oxford Handbook of Organizational Climate and Culture
A Tall Order and Some Practical Advice for Global Leaders: Managing Across Cultures and Geographies (Lundby, Moriarty & Lee, 2014). In this invited chapter for Schneider and Barbera’s Oxford Handbook of Organizational Climate and Culture, my colleagues and I argue that leaders in multinational organizations are more likely to be effective when they understand:
1) The Complex Global Environment – The interplay of organizational and national culture, as well as myriad other characteristics (languages, customs, economic and political conditions, etc.) that are present and influence employees of multinational corporations.
2) The Global Employees – What employees from different geographies seek in the employment “deal” (job stability, financial security, a better life, etc.) and what engages them (career development opportunities, teamwork, respect, etc.).
3) Themselves – Their own values, personality characteristics and experiences that interact to promote “cultural agility” and an appreciation of global differences.
Though there is no one "best" way to promote understanding of all three (after all, no two global organizations are exactly alike), the chapter offers recommendations that can be adapted to the situation. As it relates to cultural agility, recommendations are also provided for promoting agility through various assessment and development methodologies (e.g., personality assessment, action-based short-term projects, development centers with a focus on cultural agility, etc.).
If you would like to learn more about the handbook or this chapter, contact Global Aspect or click here to be redirected to the publisher's website.
1) The Complex Global Environment – The interplay of organizational and national culture, as well as myriad other characteristics (languages, customs, economic and political conditions, etc.) that are present and influence employees of multinational corporations.
2) The Global Employees – What employees from different geographies seek in the employment “deal” (job stability, financial security, a better life, etc.) and what engages them (career development opportunities, teamwork, respect, etc.).
3) Themselves – Their own values, personality characteristics and experiences that interact to promote “cultural agility” and an appreciation of global differences.
Though there is no one "best" way to promote understanding of all three (after all, no two global organizations are exactly alike), the chapter offers recommendations that can be adapted to the situation. As it relates to cultural agility, recommendations are also provided for promoting agility through various assessment and development methodologies (e.g., personality assessment, action-based short-term projects, development centers with a focus on cultural agility, etc.).
If you would like to learn more about the handbook or this chapter, contact Global Aspect or click here to be redirected to the publisher's website.
Cultural Agility Climate Measure in the News
Leveraging Organizational Climate to Understand Cultural Agility and Foster Effective Global Leadership, which was published in the special fall issue of The Human Resource Planning Society’s People & Strategy Journal, discusses Cultural Agility Climate and its implication for global organizations and their leaders. Measuring employees’ opinions in five areas, the results of this global study suggest that senior leaders play the greatest role in creating a culturally agile work climate and are generally perceived as doing a good job. Like senior leaders, managers also play an important role in establishing a culturally agile climate and they too receive decent marks. There appears to be room for improvement in regards to facilitating global work, particularly with regard to having tools and training to work effectively in a global environment.
Among the recommendations to better promote a culturally agile workplace, the authors reinforce the importance of selecting the right leaders (i.e., those that are culturally agile themselves) and setting the right tone at the top of the organization – one that emphasizes the importance of global work and cross-cultural collaboration. However, employees must also be provided with the tools and the training to help them work effectively across cultures and time zones.
Clock on the file below to download a copy of this article.
Among the recommendations to better promote a culturally agile workplace, the authors reinforce the importance of selecting the right leaders (i.e., those that are culturally agile themselves) and setting the right tone at the top of the organization – one that emphasizes the importance of global work and cross-cultural collaboration. However, employees must also be provided with the tools and the training to help them work effectively across cultures and time zones.
Clock on the file below to download a copy of this article.
| lundby_caligiuri_cultural_agility_climate_hrps_people___strategy.pdf |
Cultural Agility Climate - Recent Results from a Global Study
Early this year, Global Aspect Human Capital Advisors and Caligiuri and Associates teamed up to assess the Cultural Agility Climate of organizations across the globe. Measured from the employee perspective, the cultural agility climate instrument asks employees to rate their senior leaders, local leaders, immediate managers, and immediate coworkers on cultural agility and readiness to operate in a global environment.
Initial results were presented at 3M's global headquarters in Saint Paul Minnesota. Among the many interesting findings, we learned that while supervisors and individual contributors believe their organization has what it takes to be successful globally, senior leaders rate this area significantly lower. Given that Cultural Agility Climate correlates significantly with such important organizational health measures as employee engagement and Return on Assets (ROA), global and aspiring-to-be-global organizations are advised to think about whether they are creating the right type of climate to support their global strategy.
Initial results were presented at 3M's global headquarters in Saint Paul Minnesota. Among the many interesting findings, we learned that while supervisors and individual contributors believe their organization has what it takes to be successful globally, senior leaders rate this area significantly lower. Given that Cultural Agility Climate correlates significantly with such important organizational health measures as employee engagement and Return on Assets (ROA), global and aspiring-to-be-global organizations are advised to think about whether they are creating the right type of climate to support their global strategy.
Practical Advice for Global Talent Management
Going Global (Jossey-Bass, 2010) is Dr. Lundby’s latest published book. This volume was designed to serve as source of practical advice for HR leaders and organizational psychologists in global organizations.
"The very concept of globalization is evolving, and this book provides a useful toolkit to those who want to capitalize on the opportunities that the global workplace offers."
--Wayne F. Cascio, Ph.D.,
Order Here: Going Global
"The very concept of globalization is evolving, and this book provides a useful toolkit to those who want to capitalize on the opportunities that the global workplace offers."
--Wayne F. Cascio, Ph.D.,
Order Here: Going Global
Attracting, Engaging and Retaining Your Global Talent
In the latest volume from William Mobley's series on global leadership (Advances in Global Leadership), Dr. Lundby's invited chapter explores what it takes to attract, engage and retain talent in a global environment.
The chapter (Leadership Essentials to Attract, Engage and Retain Global Human Talent) looks at the drivers of employee engagement and individual values across multiple cultures. It provides recommendations for leaders in those cultures as well as general advice for leaders operating in a global environment.
If you would like to learn more about the Advances in Global Leadership series or order reprints of this and other articles, you can visit the Emerald Research website: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/books.htm?issn=1535-1203&volume=7
The chapter (Leadership Essentials to Attract, Engage and Retain Global Human Talent) looks at the drivers of employee engagement and individual values across multiple cultures. It provides recommendations for leaders in those cultures as well as general advice for leaders operating in a global environment.
If you would like to learn more about the Advances in Global Leadership series or order reprints of this and other articles, you can visit the Emerald Research website: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/books.htm?issn=1535-1203&volume=7
Engaging and Retaining Your International Assignees (expatriates)
In this South China Morning Post article, Dr. Lundby compared the workplace attitudes of expatriate leaders to those of local nationals. Given the high cost of expatriate turnover, this research sought to uncover some of the areas where expatriates struggle as well as key areas of engagement.
Helping expatriates succeed while on assignment and then retaining them after the assignment ends is of paramount importance from both a financial and practical standpoint for global organizations. This article hinted at some possible solutions but more can be found in Dr. Lundby's recent presentations to the American Chambers of Commerce in Singapore and Hong Kong, as well as in an upcoming invited chapter on global organizational climate and culture (A Tall Order and Some Practical Advice for Global Leaders: Managing Across Cultures, Climates, Geographies, in press).
Helping expatriates succeed while on assignment and then retaining them after the assignment ends is of paramount importance from both a financial and practical standpoint for global organizations. This article hinted at some possible solutions but more can be found in Dr. Lundby's recent presentations to the American Chambers of Commerce in Singapore and Hong Kong, as well as in an upcoming invited chapter on global organizational climate and culture (A Tall Order and Some Practical Advice for Global Leaders: Managing Across Cultures, Climates, Geographies, in press).
Understanding Positive and Negative Customer-Employee
Interactions in a Service Environment
We have all had positive and negative interactions at work, whether they are with supervisors, peers, subordinates or even external customers. In this new volume from SIOP’s Frontier Series – Personal Relationships at Work - editors Eby and Allen asked contributors to share what we currently know about positive/negative interactions at work.
In our chapter (Service Relationships: Nuances and Contingencies), Benjamin Schneider and I focus on the interaction between customers and front-line employees of service organizations. Specifically, it reviews current thinking about positive and negative interactions, then considers those findings against the backdrop of what we also know about different service characteristics (power relationships, frequency of interaction, service tangibility-intangibility). Practical advice for service organizations and theoretical implications for researchers are provided.
If you would like a copy of the volume, you can order here: http://www.amazon.com/Personal-Relationships-Attitudes-Well-being-Organizational/dp/0415876478
In our chapter (Service Relationships: Nuances and Contingencies), Benjamin Schneider and I focus on the interaction between customers and front-line employees of service organizations. Specifically, it reviews current thinking about positive and negative interactions, then considers those findings against the backdrop of what we also know about different service characteristics (power relationships, frequency of interaction, service tangibility-intangibility). Practical advice for service organizations and theoretical implications for researchers are provided.
If you would like a copy of the volume, you can order here: http://www.amazon.com/Personal-Relationships-Attitudes-Well-being-Organizational/dp/0415876478