Managing multicultural team on the example of «ILUKA» company
Student: Afanas`eva Evgeniya
Supervisor: Natalya I. Guseva
Faculty: Faculty of Management
Educational Programme: Bachelor
Year of Graduation: 2014
<p>In this paper the basic theoretical concepts of managing multicultural teams were reviewed, then analysis of specific multicultural team was carried out, giving practical application of theoretical principles. For the analysis, in particular, the concept of "cultural friction", "paradigm of value orientations" Hofstede, methodological approach GLOBE, method dilemmas Hampden-Turner - Trompenaars and several other theoretical models were used.</p><p>Main goal – to identify the most important features of a multicultural team and develop recommendations for managing such a team. The object of study was multicultural team of the company "АЙЛУКА" (branch of the British company «iLUKA»), to implement a client program «Gold» for "MegaFon" during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games (the team "Megafone GHP»). Thus, the study is focused on the Russian and British cultures.</p><p>Objectives: to study theoretical foundations of multicultural management team to identify the factors that have the greatest impact on the work of multicultural teams, make hypotheses about these factors, carry out empirical studies using interview method, develop recommendations to improve the effectiveness of multicultural teams, based on our analysis.</p><p>Main stages in the formation of the Russian-British team were identified, efficiency and performance of multicultural team analyzed. Then analysis of British and Russian cultures interacting in a multicultural team was carried out. Major differences were found on four cultural dimensions: power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism, neutrality – affectivity. They formed the basis of five research hypotheses.</p><p>To test the hypotheses an empirical study using the interview was conducted. 6 structured interviews lasting approximately 40 minutes each were taken. A prerequisite for the study was the maximum representation of the respondent base, the number of selection criteria included the role of a potential respondent in a multicultural team, its cultural identity, gender.</p><p>Analysis of interviews led to the following conclusions:</p><p>• Cultural leverage is additional source of efficiency and competitiveness of a multicultural team. (H1 confirmed)</p><p>• Power Distance Index of team members should be low for successful multicultural team. (H2 confirmed)</p><p>• Uncertainty avoidance in a multicultural team should be below average level for a balanced response to the changing environment. (H3 confirmed)</p><p>• For a multicultural team collectivist or individualist preference behavior of members is not proven. (H4 needs further testing)</p><p>• Team members' neutrality is more preferable than affectivity to make multicultural teams productive. (H5 has been disproved)</p><p>Additional findings and recommendations:</p><p>• If possible, recruit young multicultural team;</p><p>• Pay special attention to the process of pre-selection of team members;</p><p>• Conduct training and simulations, with three objectives:</p><p style="margin-left:92.15pt;">· cultural integration;</p><p style="margin-left:92.15pt;">· professional integration;</p><p style="margin-left:92.15pt;">· learning the basics of a foreign language.</p><p>• Introducing various methods of communication, information gathering and feedback from members of a multicultural team;</p><p>• Regularly review group processes, implement adaptation to new members and new challenges</p><p>• Use the most appropriate style of leadership for a multicultural team - focused on teamwork</p><p>Developed laws and recommendations will potentially contribute to the organization truly effective multicultural teams that are able to take up the challenge of today's global economic space.</p>
Student Theses at HSE must be completed in accordance with the University Rules and regulations specified by each educational programme.
Summaries of all theses must be published and made freely available on the HSE website.
The full text of a thesis can be published in open access on the HSE website only if the authoring student (copyright holder) agrees, or, if the thesis was written by a team of students, if all the co-authors (copyright holders) agree. After a thesis is published on the HSE website, it obtains the status of an online publication.
Student theses are objects of copyright and their use is subject to limitations in accordance with the Russian Federation’s law on intellectual property.
In the event that a thesis is quoted or otherwise used, reference to the author’s name and the source of quotation is required.