Challenges In The Workplace Case Study

Main challenges in multicultural work environments

The challenges those are prominent in multicultural work environments as opposed to same cultural work environments are:

Decision making and problem solving approach:

This challenge involved recognising differences and preferences about structuring of work arising out of cultural differences of team members. Some preferred going via a more analytical approach of problem solving focussing, thereby, on numbers and data rather than a more efficiency focussed way of problem solving. Some preferred a linear checklist approach while others concentrated on a more holistic and methodological approach. Though the challenge of establishing norms for approaching work was also faced by same culture work environments, but those teams were challenged by more routine procedural issues as opposed to fundamental problem solving techniques challenges faced by multicultural work teams.

Expectations regarding time and urgency of the project:

These challenges involved expectation differences regarding project deliverable timelines, realistic deadlines and what a reasonable timeline was. For example, in some countries a reasonable timeline for a certain project was defined as six weeks, whereas in others a reasonable timeline for the same project was six months. This discrepancy in expected

Often, the more fluent team members got an undue amount of credit since they were better able to convey their thoughts to clients and, hence, were more effective in business communication than their other counterparts who were using their second or third language. These fluent members had fast track promotions and received other undeserved benefits arising out of their being better equipped with a language. In the same culture teams, these kinds of problems did not arise since all members were roughly on the same level of expertise of a