How Does a Multicultural Workforce Affect Teamwork and Communication in Large Companies?
Cross-cultural communication is such a broad area of study that entire books and courses have been devoted to understanding its many implications. When it comes to large companies, especially in Corporate America, most challenges and opportunities arise from three basic cultural preferences: Our approach to work, the way we share information, and how we view time. All three of these preferences have an enormous impact on teamwork effectiveness. Our Approach to Work People of different cultures may view work from different perspectives. They often grow up in communities where the greater good is more important than individual pursuits, and relationships are valued over tasks, data, and knowledge. Latinos and other diverse groups, even when born and raised in the United States, share those cultural preferences. They make great team members because they place the collective goals of the team above their own. But this emphasis on relationships also presents challenges. It means that work i
