Question

Economics A Multicultural Virtual Team

You work for Nike, which is a global company. You just learned that you were assigned to a virtual team whose mission is to assess the feasibility of Nike making an inexpensive shoe that can be sold in Brazil. The team consists of 12 members. Three of the members work in the United States (two in Beaverton, Oregon and one in New York). Two team members work in England, two work in China, two work in India and three work in Brazil. All are Nike employees and all were born in the country in which they work. All speak English although some speak it better than others.

1. What challenges do you anticipate the team will face because of its multicultural make-up?
   
2. Will there be any additional challenges because of the "virtual" nature of the team?
   
3. How could these challenges be overcome?

Answer 1

There are many challenges facing a multicultural group. There are time gaps, lack of shared cultural awareness, and agreed behavior differences. But this is so just by combining with urban New Yorkers a group with some rural Beaverton leaders. The team must face shared communication challenges. It's not just the use of English, it's the finesse with which you can use it.

Naturally, a native speaker has more experience and establishes nuances of language comprehension that are different from those who have learned the language in school. It is also possible that work habits will be different. Can country has different social mores about reasonable working hours, working day lengths, and breaks. During the Chinese New Year, it is hard to get anything done in China.

When it comes to communication, everybody has different preferences. Some people prefer being contacted by email while others are doing their best via instant messaging.

You need to handle the entire team's communication style efficiently and create a cohesive framework. Make sure that your workers understand what contact level is required. When someone faces a problem, like a physical team, welcome teamwork and brainstorming.

A lack of established structure, like communication, may put a team at a disadvantage. Make sure that your system and processes are regularly updated to be as efficient as possible. You can better understand how the process works by performing a workflow analysis.

It is critical to have clearly defined standards and a process-supporting online workflow. There are many online tools that make it easy for teams around the world to work together. There is no resource that will work for everyone, but many digital teams have found it helpful to have a central hub for information.

It's hard to ignore obvious gaps in necessary technology when you're all working in a physical office. When they have access to the best resources, the teammates will excel.

Keep things up-to-date even if, due to location, you never see a person using these devices. Many business owners add a loan clause for equipment to their contracts for workers. These workers would obtain their own work equipment after a brief trial period. Through investing in the right tools, you can increase the ability of your company to deliver great services. And make sure you have a plan to keep your staff up-to-date with technology.