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TRANSCRIPT
Diversity Management & Virtual Teams: Managing Team Dynamics in a Time of
Uncertainty
For the French-American
Chamber of Commerce
New York
April 9, 2020
2
AGENDA
DR. MICHELLE MIELLYASSOCIATE PROFESSOR,
GRENOBLE ECOLE DE MANAGEMENT INTERIM DIRECTOR, DOCTORAL SCHOOL
Michelle MIELLY is an American development anthropologist and interculturalist, active in international education (Latin America, West Africa, Europe).
My work on identity, diversity, and community,exploring how identity (cultural, gender, professional) intersects with different organizational and cultural environments. This includes writing and research on organizational diversity, migration, self-initiated expatriates, nomadic entrepreneurs, foreignness and strangeness in organizations, and gender-related questions of leadership & professional mobility.
In GEM’s Doctoral School Michelle has served as interim director (presently), Academic director for the Switzerland program, the USA program, and the India program, and she is responsible for the development of the Doctoral School’s presence in the United States.
Michelle holds degrees from Southwestern University (BA Hons 1989), Université de Grenoble (Maitrîse 1991), Pennsylvania State University (MA 1994), and Harvard University (Ph.D. 2004).
5
students
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number one city for quality of life in
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Question 1
Given the COVID-19 epidemic, we're all
massively working online. What specific
aspect(s) of this transformation have you
found most difficult, in terms of working in a
team, with a team?
Making sure the team is doing well. We have daily
touch-points, but they just look bored (we do video chats
on Microsoft Teams).
Sticking to a schedule, almost impossible with all the
bad news that's coming out of NYC.
Day to day interactions, face to face contact. While working
with a team virtually is indeed better than working in an
isolated setting, the feeling of being on a team is an
easier concept to digest when you are physically
surrounded by your colleagues.
Question 2
Independent of Covid-19, when working in a
virtual team, or geographically distributed team,
we have to learn new behaviors and
approaches to work relationships. Do you have
1/ a specific challenge you'd like to discuss in
the workshop
2/ a specific tip or approach that has worked
well for you
How to draw boundaries between work and personal life
Knowing how to take breaks. It feels like to takes more energy to work alone when
you do not have team members there to help energize you.
How to stay focused?
Challenge in working across various time zones.
Take breaks when you need to....self care is very important especially during
Covid 19 times.
When we were in the office, we took stretch breaks every other day together. I would
like to do this still…..
What timeline software do people like to use, ie basecamp, trello, clickup and what's
your favorite.
Having worked virtually with teams in Asia, Europe and North America, I find it important
to understand that approach and communication style
Question 3
Whether you are in a co-located team on one
site, or in a geographically distributed global
team, managing diversity within a team can
pose challenges. A Diversity & Inclusion
mindset is important, but we as individuals
cannot possibly master the variety of topics
under this large banner. Are there any
particularly difficult experiences, scenarios, or
issues connected to diversity management that
you'd like to explore during the webinar?
I find that a lack of a diversity can lead to "groupthink," which in turn
can leads to less innovation and creative problem solving. Convincing
others of the dangers of "groupthink" is one of my biggest challenges.
People with more experience and people with less experience, all on
the same team. How best to honor everyone's viewpoints and
experience?
Prejudice and discrimination should never be tolerated in the workplace
(or anywhere else). Internal company policies with clear and objective
regulations should be put in place to prevent employees from
demonstrating prejudice. Cultural sensitivities training and diversity
awareness programs in the workplace can really help address this
issue.
I believe that talking about Diversity and Inclusion is great but what is
even more effective is allowing people who are at the core of the
issue (People of color and minorities) to take the stage and talk
about their perspective on how to effectively apply diversity
management tactics and strategies.
Questions 4
What do you enjoy about working in a diverse
team of people? Which aspects of it are
enriching and rewarding?
A diversity of backgrounds lends itself to a diversity of ways to see the
world and solve problems. Our given culture seems to "wire" us in
a unique way, and I think its important to understand how our culture
can both strengthen and weaken our ability to solve various
problems.
The various different perspectives I get - from different
cultures, from various levels of experience, from different world
view points.
When you work with a diverse team you truly see the benefits and any
company that promotes diversity and remains unbiased will win
out over a non diverse team, in profit and harmony. Has
anyone ever used AI machine learning technology for this purpose?
1
4
So we seem all agree that:• We in a specific historical moment
• The scale and magnitude of the
lockdown creates a strange new
normal
• Culture Matters
• Co-located eams are hard work
• Distributed Teams are harder work
• Diversity is rewarding—and messy
Keys for Better Understanding
You cannot open …
other people’s doors …
with your own keys.
1
5
Meta-Cognitive Ability
1
6
Metacognition is the process of thinking aboutthinking, watching yourself in action, of being aparticipant and an observer.
It is the process of developing self-awareness and the ability to self-assess by asking oneselfquestions.
• Where am I in my learning curve?
• What is strange or different in my team?
• What makes me uncomfortable?
• How am I feeling right now?
• What is my role in the current situation?
• How am I influencing others in my team?
Terms
Employers use
to Define
Intercultural
Skills
Source:British Council,
“Culture
AT WORK
The value of
intercultural skills in
the workplace”
www.britishcouncil.org
Ranked Value
of Technical
and Soft Skills
Tested
Globally
Source: British
Council, “Culture
at work: The value of
intercultural skills in the
workplace”
www.britishcouncil.org
Ethnocentrism vs Ethnorelativism
Ethnocentrism:
A tendency to judge
behaviors and
situations through our
own perspective,
considering it to be
universally shared
Ethnorelativism
A tendency to judge
behaviors and
situations through
multiple perspectives
and questioning one’s
own assumptions
Cultural Intelligence…the last word?
“Cultural intelligence: an outsider’s seemingly
natural ability to interpret someone’s unfamiliar
and ambiguous gestures the way that person’s
compatriots would.”
--Christopher Earley & Elaine Mosakowski,
HBR 2004
Misunderstandings vs. Disagreements
Nick Scheele, President and COO of FORD,
stated “The problem with cultural differences
is that they don’t lead to disagreements, they
lead to misunderstanding. Disagreements are
obvious immediately and can be dealt with.
But you tend to discover misunderstandings
when it’s too late, when each party has
tackled an action plan in its own way”.
Manifestations of culture:
different levels
Values
Symbols
Heroes
Rituals
Practices
Source: G. Hofstede
THE ICEBERG MODEL
Culture is…………
“A pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group learned as it
solved its problems of external
and internal , that has worked well enough to
be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members
as the correct way to perceive, think and feel in relation to those
problems.”
Edgar Schein,
Organizational Culture and Leadership
One definition
“Culture is a set of solutions to problems of internal integration and external adaptation.”
--Ed Schein
Schein’s Reverse Pyramid of Culture
Hofstede’s Dimensions of
Culture
Power Distance Individualism vs Collectivism Feminine Orientation (Equity) vs
Masculine Orientation (Contest Culture) Uncertainty Avoidance Long Term Orientation
GLOBE Study: 9 Key Dimensions Power Distance
Uncertainty Avoidance
Humane Orientation
Collectivism I: (Institutional)
Collectivism II: (In-Group)
Assertiveness
Gender Egalitarianism
Future Orientation
Performance Orientation
"Culture and Leadership
across the World: The
GLOBE Book of In-Depth
Studies of 25 Societies”
(2007)
Power Distance
The degree to which
members of a collective
expect power to be
distributed equally.
POWER DISTANCE:
IMPACT IN THE WORKPLACE
Corporate org chart (hierarchy)
How decisions are made
Information flow
Dress Codes
Status (offices, perks, etc.)
Uncertainty Avoidance
The extent to which a society,
organization, or group relies
on social norms, rules, and
procedures to alleviate
unpredictability of future
events.
UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE
The extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by uncertain or unknown situations.
In cultures with LOW uncertainty avoidance:
Few guidelines, few rules
Informal relationships
Taking risks and initiative is encouraged
Little (less) regard for structure and/or control
In cultures with HIGH uncertainty avoidance:
Strict guidelines, lots of rules and processes
Employment stability highly valued
High regard for structure and rituals
UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE:
IMPACT IN THE WORKPLACE
Risk-taking
Autonomy
Taking initiative
Attitude toward failure
Willingness to follow rules/authority
Uncertainty Avoidance & Dealing
with the Future
Humane Orientation
The degree to which a
collective encourages and
rewards individuals for
being fair, altruistic,
generous, caring, and kind
to others.
Collectivism I & II Collectivism I: (Institutional) The degree to
which organizational and societal
institutional practices encourage and
reward collective distribution of
resources and collective action.
Collectivism II: (In-Group) The degree to
which individuals express pride, loyalty,
and cohesiveness in their organizations
or families.
Assertiveness
The degree to which
individuals are assertive,
confrontational, and/or
aggressive in their
relationships with others.
Assertiveness & Conflict Styles
There is a close relationship between
cultural values and conflict
management styles, which have to be
taken into consideration by the
manager in order to pursue an
appropriate approach in different
cross-cultural environments
--Shiyong Peng (2000)
ConflictIn the West:
It’s an essential
step in solving
difficult questions.
It can be an
enriching learning
experience
Opposition of Good
versus Evil
MBA FT 18 Grenoble 40
Conflict in China
Is a mistake and is in contradiction
with the general world economy
Good and Evil are complementary
forces
The ‘clan’ takes precedence over the
individual
A Seek out mediation
A Use indirect communication
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Gender Egalitarianism
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The degree to which
a collective
minimizes gender
inequality.
Future Orientation
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The extent to which
individuals engage in future-
oriented behaviors such as
delaying gratification,
planning, and investing in
the future.
Performance Orientation
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The degree to which a
collective encourages and
rewards group members for
performance improvement
and excellence.
Country
Clusters
based on
GLOBE
study
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CULTURAL COMPARISONS
https://www.hofstede-insights.com/product/compare-countries/
CULTURAL COMPARISONS
https://www.hofstede-insights.com/product/compare-countries/
CULTURAL COMPARISONS
https://www.hofstede-insights.com/product/compare-countries/
Monochronic vs. Polychronic
behavior
Monochronic Polychronic
Social
orientation
Time is crucial
Punctuality
Get to the point
A then B then C then D
Time is an asset
Time is not ours to manage
Events have their own time
A & B or C, D or B
Talk business, but also
football, food, friendship
Task, linear Task & Relational, circular
SPACE
Availability of space
Use of space
Personal vs. public space
HIGH CONTEXT VS.
LOW CONTEXT
HIGH CONTEXT vs. LOW CONTEXT
HIGH CONTEXTBelow the water line– IMPLICIT
(much of Middle East, Asia, Africa, South America)
Emphasizes personal relationships
Developing trust is a critical first step in business
Decisions governed more by intuition and feeling than by reason
Words not as important as « context »: tone of voice, facial expression,gestures, posture, family history, status
More indirect and formal
Think « handshakes »
HIGH CONTEXT VS. LOW CONTEXT
Low ContextAbove the water line - EXPLICIT
(North America, much of Western Europe)
Logical, linear, individualistic and action-oriented
Value facts, logic, directness
Decisions based on facts rather than intuition
Discussions end with actions
Communication expected to be straightforward, concise
Think « contracts »
Explicit & implicit communication
Low
Context
High
Context
Implicit
Communication
North Americans
Scandinavians
French
British
Germans
Swiss
Explicit
Communication
Arabs
Latin Americans
Russians
Japanese
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The Future is Complex….
and
Intercultural
55
Working in Teams
= Tolerance of our others, resisting ‘othering’
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Internationalization involves changing
positions –from the familiar to the strange,
or unsettling, or ambiguous
Study of Otherness= Alterity theory
Ethics of Alterity: strives to accept the
strangeness of the other that I may see in
myself
Let’s be leaders in resisting Othering.
But wait…..What is ‘Othering’?
“We define “othering” as a set of dynamics, processes, and
structures that engender marginality and persistent
inequality across any of the full range of human differences
based on group identities.
othering includes religion, sex, race, ethnicity,
socioeconomic status (class), disability, sexual orientation,
and skin tone.”
Although they vary considerably and are deeply contextual,
they contain a similar set of underlying dynamics.
UC Berkeley Haas Institute
http://www.otheringandbelonging.org/the-problem-of-othering/
Identity and Group Membership
“We inhabit a place of actual and psychic
tension between un-belonging and
belonging, as well as recognition, invisibility,
and stigma” (Goffman, 1963).
Goffman, Erving. Stigma. Prentice-Hall: Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1963.
Cultural Diversity &Identity
K. Anthony Appiah,in Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers (2006) notes that
“Diversity matters because freedom is about options and a diversity of options is important for people to shape their lives.”
Appiah’s ‘Golden Rule’:
“I am human: nothing human is alien to me”
881
Identity Diversity and Cognitive
Diversity create problems in Orgs.
60
Linguistic problems: which language does
the group adopt?
Cognitive style problems: diversity of
learning & problem-solving styles creates
difficulties in teams
Individual personality style / DNA: variable
creating the most variance across
organizations
Scott Page: Diversity and Cognitive Diversity
Cognitive Diversity is an advantage
because it links:• Knowledge & Skills diversity (plurality of relevant
knowledge & skills present in one group),
• Perspective diversity (differing points of view on the
• same question),
• Interpretive Diversity (different ways of approaching a
problem and understanding results),
• Heuristics diversity (different strategies / tools for
• solving a problem or task),
• Predictive diversity (different methods used to
establish causal relationships)
In The Difference, Scott E. Page, Princeton University Press, 2007.
61
Scott Page : Cognitive Diversity
generates better results
A heterogeneous group of individuals of normal
intelligence, chosen randomly, obtains consistently
better results in the resolution of complex
problems than a group of experts, each recognized
individually for his/her superior cognitive skills.
This does not mean that intelligent people do not
produce excellent results. Rather, the more that
these individuals resemble each other, the less
they will perform well together, because they will
lack differing perspectives on a problem and will not
have the same diversity of solution sets at their
disposal as a heterogeneous group.
62
Counterproductive Work Behaviour
CWB “is behaviour intended to hurt the
organisation or other members of the
organisation” (Spector & Fox, 2002, p. 271).
It can be as serious as physical aggression
and verbal hostility or simply avoiding work.
Spector & Fox suggest that a situation which
causes negative emotions increases the
likelihood of CWB.
63
Organizational Citizenship Behavior
OCB is “prosocial behaviour intended to help”
the organisation and its employees.
Spector & Fox (2009) propose boredom and
the lack of thought-provoking tasks as direct
contributors to either OCB or CWB where the
employee is either motivated to enhance their
tasks or simply resort to “horseplay” and
delinquency.
64
Lessons from OB:
Influence of Groups
Patterns of
Behavior in Groups
Social Striving
Social Loafing
Social Facilitation
De-individuation
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Influence of Groups
Social Striving People work harder
when they are in
groups, then when
they are alone.
66
Influence of Groups
Social Facilitation
The presence of
others can enhance
an individual’s
performance for
simple or well
rehearsed tasks.
67
Influence of Groups
Social LoafingPeople tend to expend
less effort on group tasks
then when performing the
same task alone.
68
The Challenge of Managing
Global Business Teams
Importance of task* Task Ease ordifficulty of
accomplishing task†
6.52 Cultivating trust among team members 6.06
6.35 Overcoming communication barriers 5.56
6.04 Aligning goals of individual team members 5.44
5.62 Ensuring that the team possesses necessary 4.66
6.05
knowledge and skills
Obtaining clarity regarding team objectives 4.61
*Ranking is based on a 1-7 scale, where 1 = “not at all important” and 7 =
“very important.”
†Ranking is based on a 1-7 scale, where 1 = “very easy” and 7 = “very difficult.”
(Govindajaran & Gupta MIT Sloane)
Multi-cultural Teams
“For multi-cultural teams to deliver on the
promise of a better performance through
diversity, there is a need to develop culturally
appropriate strategies to manage the task as
well as the process. ”
--Susan C. Schneider & Jean-Louis
Barsoux, Managing Across Cultures
Characteristics of a Global Leader
1/ Perception Management non-judgmentalness,
inquisitiveness, tolerance of ambiguity, cosmopolitanism
category inclusiveness
2/ Relationship Management perceptiveness,
relationship interest, interpersonal engagement,
emotional sensitivity, self-awareness, social flexibility
3/ Self-Management: optimism, self-confidence,
emotional resilience, non-stress tendency, interest
flexibiity.
Exercise on Cultural incidents (to be used for role
plays/simulation)
CI #1
You are taking over from the General Manager (an
Irishman) of a Chinese joint venture, he holds a briefing:
’I’m not sorry to be leaving actually. It’s not that anyone
questions my decisions… quite the opposite… whatever I say
they just accept. For instance, when I asked my production
manager to say a few words to the board on his objectives for
the next phase, he timidly said, ‘My objectives are theGeneral Manager’s objectives.’ It’s really strange. All the time I’ve been here, I’ve never felt I could draw on my people’s experience. I’m not even sure they know how to learn from experience since theyjust seem to obey and agree and carry out orders without thinking about what it means.’
Comments & Analysis:
What are the cultural assumptions of the Chinese? What do they expect in terms of relations, behavior between manager &employees?
What is the impact on the Irish manager in relation to his own cultural expectations and behavior?
As the new manager, what would you do?
CI #2
You are discussing recruitment with a German colleague working in North Africa and he confides:
’In North Africa, every-time I ask for someone to be hired, it turns out
to be the foreman’s cousin or a good friend of the senior supervisor’s
sister’s husband! Of course half the time they’re not even
qualified. And I have to be very careful, there’s been some difficulty
with the Government over foreign companies treating local workers
badly and showing a lack of respect for the local culture. This project
is important. We don’t want an incident!’
Comments &Analysis:
What are the cultural assumptions of the North Africans? What do they expect when hiring or being hired?
What is the impact on the Germans in relation to their own cultural expectations and behavior?
As the manager, responsible for hiring, what would youdo?
CI #3
An American colleague draws you aside during a Global Project Manager’s meeting and asks a
’second opinion’ on a problem he is experiencing as site manager of a large project in the
Philippines.
’It’s driving me nuts! They seem willing and friendly when I talk to
them… but they’ve just no idea of ’going for it!’ Last week I told one
of our supervisors to make sure the shift finished wiring up the
installation so the rest of the crews could get started on Monday.
We’ve got a real tight deadline. When we got it in on Monday there
was only half the shift and the job was hardly touched. I got really
mad, bawled the supervisor out and demanded an explanation. After
a whole lot of humming and hawing, he finally told me some old guy
in one of the villages had died. Half the shift came fromthere so they went back to pay their respects. He wasn’t even a close relative! I told him he’d better fire the lot at the end of the month. There’s plenty more where they came from.’
Comments & Analysis:
What are the cultural assumptions of the Filipinos? What is the expected behavior in such circumstances?
What is the impact on the Americans in relation to their own cultural expectations and behavior?
As the site manager, you have to get the Filipinos working and the project going. How?
CI #4You are the Manager of a Brazilian working on a South Korean project. You
know the local senior supervisor is unhappy about him. During a discussion on
something else, you bring the subject up indirectly and he immediately
responds:
’I know what you’re trying to tell me… he doesn’t like me. I
guessed as much. In fact that’s what I find so hard here… no
offence to you… but nobody says outright what they feel or
think. Why didn’t he come and tell me himself instead of
creeping behind my back moaning to you? It’s not as if he
can’t be direct when he feels like it. He’s forever asking me
where I’m going, what I had for lunch and stuff like that. We
Brazilians are really friendly, and I’ve tried to be open and
approachable, but now I’ve had it up to here!”
Comment & Analysis:
What are the cultural assumptions of the South Koreans? What is their behavior and expectations in such cases?
What is the impact on the Brazilian in relation to his own cultural expectations and behavior?
As the team manager, you have to get the South Koreans and Brazilian working together better. How?
CI #5
You are French, leading a highly skilled, senior team of which most are Swedish and two are
American. The Americans have not worked with the Swedes before. They pull you aside after one
of the team meetings where you have noticed there was growing tension between the Americans
and the rest:
’We have to do all the talking in these meetings! The Swedes hardly input. No one except us asks any
questions or argues a new point of view. And the presentation… what a pain! We spent hours getting
everything just right and it went down like a lead balloon. Not a question or a comment! We find the
long silences incredibly hostile. And when we try to stir it up a bit to get some response, it just gets
worse… they back off and sit stone-faced till we quit.’
Comments & Analysis:
What are the cultural assumptions of the Swedes? What do they expect to happen in meetings?
What is the impact on the Americans in relation to their own cultural expectations and behavior?
As the team manager, you have to get the Swedes and Americans working together better. How?
CI # 6
Three senior managers from a telecoms company in France went to meet a big critical supplier (ABC Telecom) inRiyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. The French were the customers, with a perspective of a customer (i.e.demanding what they want; attitude the ‘customer is always right’). They met the Saudis and directly asked whatthey wanted in what the Saudis perceived as an aggressive tone. Once they started the meeting with the Saudicounterparts, they went directly into their request without taking time for ‘small talk’ any kind of properintroduction. They asked for a percentage discount on their business agreements and threatened to take theirbusiness to another supplier in case the request was ignored. The Saudi counterparts stopped speaking, gave noanswers, and together decided to stand up and actually leave the room. They left the French managers in themiddle Riyadh, feeling very confused and not aware of what really happened. Even the taxi that drove them to themeeting site left them there.
Comments & Analysis:
What are the cultural assumptions of the French? What do they expect to happen in meetings?
What is the impact on the Saudis in relation to their own cultural expectations and behavior?
You’re the manager of the French team. How do you suggest to help repair the situation between the French and Saudis and get them working together better?
More resources and programs
https://theconversation.com/the-predicament-
of-diversity-re-boot-for-diversity-3-0-97109
https://www2.thtconsulting.com/
https://hi.hofstede-insights.com/en/introduction-
to-cross-cultural-management123
https://hi.hofstede-insights.com/brands