High-Performing Teams: Lessons from Cultural Synergy

We have all worked in teams and experienced those team members who are wonderful to work with and those who seem to be the most difficult people regardless of concessions offered.  I know that the teams I have been part of had a consistent desire to want to perform well.  There are those times when we would rather be working on our own on a project or not want to work on the project itself, but overall, the desire is to perform well.  One of the ways to increase performance is to develop synergy among the team members.  This can be accomplished by understanding the cultural diversity within the team and committing to an individual learning plan (Moran, Abramson, & Moran, 2014).

Synergy is a process of adapting and learning by two or more individuals to create a solution that is better than a solution created by each individual separately (Moran, Abramson, & Moran, 2014).  The point is that by working together, the team can provide a better solution.  One item to note is that it is a process.  Developing synergy among teams takes time.  Another item to note is that synergy starts with the individual and their willingness to learn and adapt which then flows to the rest of the team and eventually to the rest of the organization (Moran, Abramson, & Moran, 2014).

Global leadership discusses the need for corporations to study and learn about the cultures in which they wish to do business; to understand the national culture, local customs, religious practices, and individual preferences (Moran, Abramson, & Moran, 2014).  The purpose of understanding the culture is to be able to communicate better with the individuals crucial to negotiations and eventually, the employees of the new facility.  The reality is that deals will not get done, relationships cannot be forged, and an organization will not do business in a country if they do not take the time to learn about the people with whom they will be engaging.

Some of those cultural learning lessons involve starting with a global frame of mind, involve people from the host country, and incorporate ideas from those individuals into the decision process (Adler & Bartholomew, 1992).  This involves recognizing that diversity in decision-making produces better results.  It then tries to involve diverse people into the decision-making process and incorporating their ideas.  It is the understanding that stability is based on diverse relationships and the “golden rule” applies of treating others as you want to be treated (Hofstede & Bond, 1988).

Highly synergized teams practice these concepts. They are focused on cooperation, promoting individual and group learning and development, and striving for solutions where everyone benefits (Moran, Abramson, & Moran, 2014).  Transnational corporations spend a large part of their training on cultural and global topics and work to keep these trained employees due to the nature and breadth of what has been learned (Adler & Bartholomew, 1992).  These individuals then recognize the value of a global mindset.

So if you are part of a team where all the members are from the same town, you should recognize that each member is a unique individual with individual preferences regardless of the local customs, religious affiliation, gender, or culture.  As a member of this team, you can help by committing to a learning and development plan, spending time learning about the other team members, learning about their preferences, and treating everyone with the respect you wish in return.  You then become one of those people that other team members want to work with and hopefully, your mindset will spread to the rest of the team.

 

References

Adler, N. J., & Bartholomew, S. (1992). Managing globally competent people. The Executive, 6(3), 52-65.

Hofstede, G. & Bond, M. H. (1988). The Confucius connection: From cultural roots to economic growth. Organizational Dynamics, 16(4), 5–21.

Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing cultural differences. New York, NY: Routledge.