This article discuss about the challenges come into practice because of cultural differences between team and possible strategies to resolve situation created by those difference among team members while managing a multicultural team.

Multicultural teams often generate frustration management dilemmas, cultural differences can create substantial obstacles to effective teamwork. Wrong kind of intervention from manager to resolve the situation can create more problem. Like create resistance which can result in poor team performance.

Four categories of challenges has been discussed in this article

Direct Versus indirect communicationDirect communication means on the surface communication listener doesn’t have to know much about the context or speaker to interpret it. Difference between direct and indirect communication can cause serious damage to relationship.

Trouble with accents and fluency

Although the language of international business is English, misunderstanding or deep frustration may occur because of nonnative speaker’s accent, lack of fluency, or problems with translation or usage.

Non-fluent team members may well be most experts on the team, but difficulty communicating knowledge makes it hard for team to recoganize and utilize their expertise.

Differing attitudes towards hierarchy and authority

Teams with flat structure when working along with team members from some other cultures where people are treated differently according to their status in an organization, are uncomfortable on flat teams.

Conflicting norms for decision making

Cultures differ enormously when it comes to decision making-particularly, how quickly decision should be made and how much analysis is required beforehand.

Four strategies has been suggested to deal with challenges posed by cultural differences

Adaptation

Finding ways to work with or around the challenges they face