The Challenges of Working in a Multicultural Team
Author: Ehvone Avila, BSc nursing student, Novia UAS
Supervisor: Anita Wikberg, RN, RM, PhD, Senior lecturer, Novia UAS
Abstract
Individuals working in a multicultural team are often faced with advantages and disadvantages. Positive instances include learning about a new culture, tradition, and language. Thus, negative instances could also arise which could also lead to misunderstandings and miscommunication.
The significance of interdependence, efficacy of communication and language barrier including their influence are challenges exhibited when working collaboratively in a multicultural environment. The necessary knowledge in understanding how the challenges appear and contribute to issues when working in a multicultural team is essential especially in finding resolution, such as overcoming the challenges.
One commonly discussed challenge is meeting the expectations on how to navigate in a multicultural team such as encompassing cross-cultural competence in communication. In cultivating cross-cultural competence, communication with individuals belonging to different e.g., cultures, can be recognized and properly approached. Regardless, the eloquence on the imposed challenges of working in a multicultural team could be counteracted in overcoming the challenges.
Introduction
Being in a multicultural team provides a great experience and learning in an individual’s life. Along with the beneficial outcomes are the different hurdles that develop in the course of time. Challenges such as cultural diversity, difference in perspectives, and beliefs could potentially influence our behaviour for instance in collaborative work. This might impose consequences especially when working in a multicultural team e.g., the different approaches and attitudes towards problem solving.
Interdependency influences the harmony of individuals who belong in a group. An understanding of how different individuals interact with interdependency within a multicultural team can help explain the issues within the group. Through this, shortcomings and differences could be addressed and resolved in promotion of collaborative work within a team.
The significance of communication is explained, as it is one of the biggest fragments in working together. Moreover, communication entails that we are social beings who are constantly surrounded by our environment thus getting our point across and how we understand each other could very much differ. This could have an impact on how we correspond to each other and how it can influence our multicultural working life (Goutam, 2013).
Yet, there are presented complexities in becoming a leader or a member of a group. There is a commonly expected and anticipated level of performance to be continuously met, that is to contribute to acquiring information. In a multicultural context, the consistency in continuous learning evidently presents the recognizable challenges an individual could encounter when working in a multicultural setting (Cseh, 2003).
Effects of Individualism vs. Collectivism on Collaborative Work
The differences in the social belonging play a role in the ability to cooperate, which is especially significant while working in a multicultural team. The flexibility in performing collaborative work depends on whether an individual self-perception is independent, individualist or as a member of a group, collectivist (Cseh, 2003).
Individualism is defined as the knit, which is relatively considered as a social framework. The social and primary orientation of an individual who is an individualist is towards oneself (Cseh, 2003). Countries that support and encompass individualism are Canada, Australia, Denmark, and Finland. In addition, individualists are described to have apparent values of autonomy, self-interest and performance (Matveev & Nelson, 2004)
As for collectivism, it is defined as a solid social framework whereas an individual’s primary orientation is to confer within the common goal of the group e.g., are collectivists from countries of Greece, Philippines, Pakistan and India (Cseh, 2003). With cultures that present collectivism, they are described to present more emotional dependence towards their common group. Collectivists are also considered to be more conforming, traditional, orderly, particularistic and team-oriented (Matveev & Nelson, 2004).
The social framework and social orientation of individuals are described by specific cultures. Individuals who are determined to merge within groups of organizations and society thus stay within their independence highly reflect their culture of origin as well as explains their individualism or collectivism orientation (Matveev & Nelson, 2004).
Challenges arise as individuals who are from the two aforementioned social orientations come to work together in a team. Dividing team roles and norms within a multicultural context could be difficult as respective orientations demonstrate different perspectives in e.g., the senses of individual responsibility and organizational responsibility (Matveev & Nelson, 2004).
Collectivism on Interdependency
Interdependency in a collectivist orientation displays various kinds of support. This includes technical equipment for the benefit of one’s own health whilst providing care for the fragile patients as well as having enough time to act upon nursing thus caring for the patients (Egede-Nissen et al., 2019).
In a working team of collectivists, each member is cooperating and striving. This means being able to stand on oneself without playing roles since one is visible and can have ease in sharing about self-lived experiences. Being in a team means to be able to find an individuals’ meaning in a new path of cooperating as well as helping each other hand in hand (Egede-Nissen et al., 2019).
Individualism on Interdependency
The interdependence of the minority healthcare providers expressed their feelings of asking for assistance as rather embarrassing or difficult even if the assistance needed presented difficulties in performing patient work e.g., mobilising a patient. For individualists, asking for help is associated with ignorance and bullying, as to why one cannot perform tasks or duties independently. This explains how an individualist thinks too much about simply asking for help from others. Collaboratively working within a team and participating in cooperation presented individualists a challenge. For the individualists who participated in the study, asking for help is an evident demonstration of weakness and incompetence. However, they thought of the whole experience as a positive occurrence due to the supportive attitude and attention they were presented by their colleagues without further arguing or discussions. This is a positive illustration in the depiction of working collaboratively despite differences and the hardship it came with (Egede-Nissen et al., 2019).
The Efficacy of Communication
The apparent delivery of relevant knowledge or information at the right time towards the right individual is what defines effective communication. The significance in the process of conveying messages between every individual is crucial especially in establishing a relationship whether it may be personal or professional. The tendency of needing to exchange perspectives, share opinions, and seek relationships to feel comfort, love, support and security – are the factors that influence human individuals as considerably social beings (Goutam, 2013).
Utilising effective communication is highly demanded in workplaces. If this method is pursued correctly e.g., attaining goals, objectives, and bringing points across, could be considered as beneficial outcomes. Therefore, higher efficacy of communication can assist in having enhanced outcomes in achieving work goals as well as improved work performance (Goutam, 2013).
On the other hand, it is not always impeccable in reality since there are challenges that could come along the way. One could be that someone has just recently joined a new team in which could prompt difficulties in forming a respectful and professional relationship.
Influences of Culture in Communication
A variety of diversities offered by working in a multicultural team could serve both advantages and disadvantages to an individual. It could be that a distinct method from one workplace is considered efficient and reliable. While considered otherwise in another workplace e.g., methods in mobilising a patient. Thus, commonly anticipated intricacies that could contribute negatively towards communication may arise.
The Role of Intercultural Communication
One of the challenges in communication is the representation of mindful intercultural communication. The application and promotion in the continuous learning of mindful intercultural communication have been recognised specifically in many of the present-day organisations. The deficit in knowledge about the components of intercultural communication influences the efficacy and transparency in the delivery of communication, especially within multicultural teams (Cseh, 2003).
The role of intercultural communication stems from its core, which is the identity negotiation theory. Understanding the significance of the core provides clarity as to why it is represented and described as mindful. To provide a better comprehension, the disintegration of the core presents to offer a simpler explanation. Identity in the identity negotiation theory is described as the reflective self-images, which are composed, experienced, and communicated by each individual in a culture within a specific circumstance. Whilst the latter part of the theory that is, negotiation refers to an intercultural circumstance where each individual executes a transactional process. The process includes the depiction in the act of asserting, defining, modifying, challenging and/or supporting the desired self-image of another individual. In addition to, mindfulness influences the process by providing a focal point that is, the attention of an individual to their self-awareness as well as others’ behaviour during the communication. Lastly, an individual degree of motivation and level of skills also play a role in the depiction of successful intercultural communication (Cseh, 2003).
The understanding of the role of mindful intercultural communication results in accurately portrayal and interpretation of how culture influences the process of communication. Thus, knowledge concerning intercultural communication is expected to have when working within a multicultural team. Methods to overcome the challenges that mindful intercultural communication brings are continuous collaborative working and maintenance in the consistency of learning (Cseh, 2003).
The Role of Cross-Cultural Competence in Communication
One of the capabilities that are expected while working within a multicultural team is competence. Regardless of being in a multicultural team, possession of competencies in different areas is highly expected in a number of various workplaces. To have the ability in performing an assigned duty, together with a high degree of efficacy is by incorporating competence. Thus, within a multicultural context, the attainment of information from another colleague craves such a high degree of expertise within cross-cultural communication (Matveev & Nelson, 2004).
An individual or a team withholding a cross-cultural communication competency are capable of transparently expressing including having an enhanced understanding of diversity in culture. Having to encompass great capabilities in cross-cultural communication means having improved problem solving and decision making, which is beneficial for a multicultural team Additionally, an individual who encompasses the expertise in cross-cultural communication within a multicultural environment is able to successfully create interpersonal relationships. It could be either through verbal and/or non-verbal degree of behaviours e.g., through talking, verbal or facial expressions, non-verbal. Thus, add on to the efficacy of communication performed with either a foreign national (Matveev & Nelson, 2004).
A study regarding cross-cultural communication by nurses in the US and Finland were compared in demonstration of certain competencies needed in care culture and infant feeding. The comparison in the role of space-dependent nursing support and culture from the aforementioned countries suggested different approaches to lactation. The Finnish nurses encompassed support by directing towards the relational potential of breastfeeding in enhancing closeness between parent-infants. On the other hand, nurses in the US considered breast pumping as the primary method for parents. The nurses in the US approach to lactation are established from the medical needs of the infants for milk (Holdren, Fair, & Lehtonen, 2019).
The parents in the US expressed the feeling a sense of failure since there were boundaries in the nursing approach and nursing support offered by nurses in the US. Parents of the infants were not allowed to do much and if they were, it was within a timeframe. This led to parents not being able to interact with their infants as they acknowledged believing their insufficiency in medical knowledge in contrast to nurses. However, the unit in Finland resulted in parents feeling a sense of autonomy. The nurses helped and encouraged the parents to become acquainted with their infants. This had led to parents being able to familiarise themselves with the needs of the infants, as well as themselves as new parents. The outcome of this study contributed to an extent how relational feeding is successfully implemented in some neonatal care intensive units, NICU but not in others (Holdren, Fair, & Lehtonen, 2019).
Consequences of Language Barrier
Communication difficulties in a work environment could be quite challenging. Thus, the challenges might impose negative outcomes, especially within a multicultural team.
In providing healthcare, the differences in the native language between a patient and a health care provider could result in impairment in communication. Misunderstandings could arise due to poor consistency in communication yet, might bring even more serious issues. With insufficiency in commonly spoken language, the provision of healthcare could potentially contribute to harming the outcomes in the health of the patient. Moreover, negative outcomes concerning high-quality care given as well as high satisfaction levels for both parties might arise (Bischoff et al., 2010).
Language barriers have been found to contribute to the consequences affecting the entirety of different healthcare organisation systems. The failure in the delivery of high-quality care and degree of satisfaction level in both patients and healthcare provider has contributed to the distress of whole of the healthcare systems. This is due to the extensive negative impacts of not being able to communicate properly leading to neglect in proper and equal delivery of healthcare. In a study concerning miscommunication, the access to healthcare between a local individual and a foreign individual were compared. It was found how a foreign individual had disadvantages in the access to healthcare leading to negative and poorer health outcomes in comparison with a local individual. The results of a single fault in communication due to the language barrier could have contributed to both the cost and quality of healthcare provided for an individual (Floyd, 2017).
Subsequently, other factors have been found to indirectly contribute to the negative outcomes of healthcare. The cause of high cost and length of duration in hospital visits has been found related to the utilisation of interpreter services. The services also included inefficiency and slower provision of healthcare due to poor translation services. In contrast to actual interpreter services are the available online translation services that could be accessed for free, faster, and efficiently. Especially in the present day, online services are far more accessible and affordable for patients. However, the resurfacing questions concerning the reliability of online translation services still arise. It could be that not every word or expression is translated properly thus, the available access within convenience e.g., Google Translate or MediBabble are still more preferable than interpreter services. Thus, the use of online translation services evidently shows higher chances of enhancement and improvement of the overall outcome of the entirety of healthcare (Al Shamsi, 2020).
Conclusion
The effects of collectivism and individualism are significant to the interdependency of an individual. The reason behind how and why an individual has a harder time participating in cooperation towards collaborative work compared to another individual is due to an individual’s social orientation of belonging. Thus, working together collaboratively between two individuals who belong in different social orientation may present some difficulties. However, overcoming these challenges are possible through an understanding of the individual background and offering a hand in familiarizing with methods in improving collaborative work.
Culture and language demonstrated its heavy influence in the process of communication. With intercultural knowledge application to communication, understanding of self-awareness and awareness towards other individuals are achieved. By utilising intercultural communication, the introduction towards cultivating and encompassing cross-cultural communication is provided for. Despite the challenges brought by intercultural communication and cross-cultural communication in the efficacy of communication, the effort in the combination of the two illustrates methods to overcome the challenges of working in a multicultural setting.
Overall, the knowledge behind understanding the challenges within a multicultural context influences each other as well as suggests ways to overcome these hurdles. The contribution of setting an emphasis on continuous learning and acquiring new information helps in the improvement of working and overcoming challenges in a multicultural team. Yet, further studies and research are recommended in understanding the depth of the influences of challenges in a multicultural team.
References
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