HOW TO LEAD INTERNATIONAL TEAMS SUCCESSFULLY: STRATEGIES FROM EXPERIENCE

ABSTRACT

In this article, the author discusses the subtleties of leading and managing an international team of culturally diverse professionals. He provides personal experiences based on having worked on over twenty international projects in the last five years. The article addresses the opportunities and challenges of cultural diversity in communication, professionalism, and work settings. This article provides developments to promote using diversity as a source of innovation and productivity. The author discusses key actions to support diversity: inclusive communication, a flexible workspace, trust based on cultural understanding, career development, and shared goals. It is important to highlight that leaders in an international team approached their leadership intentionally and viewed diversity as a competitive advantage.

Keywords: international teams, management, cultural diversity, communication, career development, collaboration.

In the past five years, I have lived, studied, and worked internationally, worked on more than twenty international teams. This has shaped how I approach and understand diversity insofar as a concept, but a reality of daily life that itself requires strategic leadership, flexibility, and adaptability. International teams are now the norm, rather than the exception, in this globalized world, and organizations must approach cultural differences not as challenges, but as opportunities. Research confirms that teams that encompass different perspectives, identities (e.g., cultural norms, social location, language, genders, etc.), are more productive and perform better than teams that are homogenous (Reynolds, 2018), and diversity drives innovation and problem solving in the classroom and workplace (Jankelova et al., 2021).

However, a diverse team also creates unique situations that are unfamiliar (and therefore potentially challenging) to the majority of contexts. Cultural norms, communication dynamics, and expectations for professionalism often differ by culture, and these differences, if not approached proactively, can create misunderstanding as the team relates to each others’ work. Consequently, the art is in developing strategies that not only create expectations, but leverage diversity in international teams. Following are a few strategies I found helpful in regard to my personal experiences in managing and leading international teams.

1. Prioritize Clear and Inclusive Communication

The first and most important strategy is to establish a culture of communication that prioritizes clarity, openness, and inclusivity. In international teams, language barriers are commonplace and even the use of English as a working language. Accents, slang or simple preferred norms of communication can create misunderstanding and confusion. As the leader of a team, or simply a member of a team, I recommend using clear language without jargon, and confirming understanding of the meaning of shared or used words.

In regard to inclusive communication, it is challenging to lead or follow a discussion if all members of the team do not feel comfortable engaging; therefore, be clear about welcoming comments, clarifying feedback, and prioritizing that every team member has space to share their ideas.

2. Encourage Flexibility Within the Workplace

Flexibility ranks among the most highly-prized elements for international workers. Adjusting to new surroundings, time zones, and cultural norms is challenging in its own right; therefore, maintaining a rigid work structure only adds to stress. Leaders who offer flexibility around schedules, remote work, and methods of work allow employees to balance their cultural and personal needs while performing at their best.

3. Build Trust Through Cultural Awareness

Trust is the foundation of any team, but trust is particularly important in international teams. Cultural awareness is paramount: leaders should spend time simply learning about some of the different traditions, vacations, communication customs, and even work-life balance expectations of their employees. Just acknowledging a team member's cultural vacation or other customs can build trust.

Not only that, creating an opportunity to share and swap cultures among fellow team members can go a long way to building trust. A simple team-building exercise based on informal “culture sharing” activities can increase awareness and trust while breaking down stereotypes. In my experience, culture sharing activities have transformed the diversity of a team's makeup from being a point of disconnect and divergence to a source of unity.

4.  Offer Career Development Opportunities

For many international employees, career progression can be a strong motivator to remain with an organization. Yet, they often face additional hurdles, like a lack of familiarity with promotion systems, limited opportunities to network with others, and confusion about long-term prospects. Instead of leaving employees with these feelings, managers and supervisors should engage in the conversation about career development, and provide guidance for career development, mentorship, and training for advancement.

5. Encourage Collaboration and Shared Goals

Lastly, to improve the success of international teams, collaboration over competition must be emphasized. Leaders should ascertain that the team goals are clearly communicated and shared with all team members so individuals from different backgrounds have shared goals based on a common objective. Collaboration can come in the form of assignments with cross cultural project teams, pairing employees from different countries, and celebrating group accomplishments.

When members of an international team are aligned towards shared objectives, their backgrounds become less of a division and more of a resource for innovation.

Conclusion

Intentional actions to lead and manage international teams require a fundamental acknowledgment and celebration of difference. Listening and communicating with clarity, excursion, diversity and cultural awareness, career development, and collaboration, are all elements that help address expected potential challenges, convert them into an advantage and an additional asset. My own experience has illustrated that managing diversity, even in my own experience working with more than twenty international teams, is motivated to be a key performance and innovational advantage.

With the continued evolution of globalization in the workplace organizations that continue to support diversity in all its forms will truly develop a competitive advantage.

References:

1. Jankelová, N., Joniaková, Z., & Procházková, K. (2021). Diversity management as a tool of sustainability of the human resource management in enterprises in Slovakia. Sustainability, 13(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010239
2. Reynolds, A. (2018). The diversity bonus: How great teams pay off in the knowledge economy. Princeton University Press.