Managing Intercultural Teams: The eOrganization Exercise
Michelle Humes
and
Anne H. Reilly*
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: areilly{at}luc.edu.
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Abstract |
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In today’s global environment, intercultural teams may become the most effective teams in an organization when their diversity is managed as an asset. However, because of miscommunication and conflict, intercultural teams often become dysfunctional. This experiential group exercise demonstrates how cultural dimensions such as individualism and collectivism affect the performance of intercultural teams—in particular, globally dispersed virtual teams. Five cultural dimensions are applied in a hypothetical project team working in the fictional eOrganization. Using either group or role-play format, participants analyze the situation and propose solutions for this dysfunctional project team. Participants are encouraged to apply their personal experiences with intercultural teams, and the authors provide a set of best practices to supplement their recommendations.
