How a leader can lead his/her team with different cultural back grounds

2. Group Members
• Maimoona Azhar 2013-ag-4848
• Zunaira Ijaz 2013-ag-4846
• Khadeeja 2013-ag-4861
• Azka Riaz 2013-ag-4878
• Iqra Tasleem 2013-ag-4829

3. Leading Team
In Cultural
Diversity

4. What is Cultural Diversity ?
• Diversity is nothing more than a difference
from the majority.
• Culture is a set of norms that set standards
for a society of what is acceptable behavior.
• Cultural diversity (also known as
multiculturalism) is a group of diverse
individuals from different cultures or
societies. Usually, cultural diversity takes
into account language, religion, race, gender,
age and ethnicity.

5. Importance of Cultural Diversity
• Cognitive Flexibility & Problem Solving
• Roles and Motivation
• Productive Conflict
• Increased Productivity

6. Challenges to Lead Cultural Diverse Team
1. Understanding why people behave differently than expected:-
Developing the understanding is the most challenging task leaders of cultural diverse
teams are facing. Our behavior is always an expression of our values, so when you are
leading people from a different culture you have to understand their norms and values in
order to understand their behavior.
2. Avoid getting frustrated and angry:-
We always compare other people’s behavior with our own norms and values. If the
behavior makes sense we accept it but if it doesn’t, we reject it. Sometimes that rejection
leads to frustration and hostility. As a manager you should of course avoid showing
frustration or hostility towards your employees behavior. It is however a challenging task.

7. Cont….
3. Motivating a cultural diverse team:-
What we regard as motivation is closely related to culture and it is often the case that what
serves as a motivation factor in one culture is de-motivating people from another culture
or other people might feel de-motivated by factor that you find extremely motivating.
4. Achieve the desired level of efficiency:-
It is difficult to reach the desired level of efficiency in the multicultural team because too
much time is spent on sorting out misunderstandings, setting expectations and make
everyone on the team pursue the same goals.

8. Cont….
5. Lack of proper training on leading a cultural diverse team:-
Finally the cross-cultural managers feel that they need the right tools to
manage and lead a culturally diverse team.

9. How to Lead Cultural Diverse Teams to High
Performance
• Dr. Martha Maznevski introduced MBI Model that consist of 3 stages.
• She is a professor and MBA Program Director at IMD Business School in
Switzerland as well as an author of numerous articles and books on the
subject of organizational behavior, specializing in leadership, teams, and
diversity.
• She states that there are three important stages that leaders must know and
implement in order to build high performing cultural diverse teams.

10. 3 Stages of MBI Model
Mapping
Understand the
Similarities &
Differences
Bridging
Communicate and
Take Differences
into Account
Integrating
Work Togather in
New ways

11. Cont...
1. Mapping :-
Dr. Martha Maznevski claims that in order to lead diverse teams to high performance, mapping is
required as the first step in achieving such a goal. Mapping means identifying each member’s
differences and similarities, such as personality, gender, culture, profession, work experience, skill
abilities, strengths, and weaknesses.
2. Bridging :-
Bridging includes communicating effectively through active listening, speaking, and understanding
with consideration for the member’s differences.
3. Integrating :-
The final step to building a high performing diverse team is integrating. At this stage leader have to
direct the beahvior of team members to achieve the common Team Goals. Integrating consists of
building team participation, resolving conflict, and creating innovation.

12. Cont….
• These three stages that Dr. Martha Maznevski outlines are sequential. If a
team does not complete the mapping stage, then the team is never able to
move on to the bridging stage. Likewise, if a team does not complete the
bridging stage, then the team is never able to move on to the integrating
stage.

13. Examples
1. IBM :-
• Virginia M. Rometty (Chairman, President and
CEO )
• Lindsay-Rae McIntyre (Chief Diversity Officer )
• IBM describes itself as “a company united by its
values and the strength of character of every
person that is an IBMer.”
• One way the company portrays this belief is
through its diversity councils.These groups,
which are headed by senior-level executives,
meet monthly.

14. Cont...
2. Toyota Motors North America :-
• Jim Lentz ( CEO )
• Latondra Newton ( Chief Diversity Officer )
• Toyota Motor North America believes that in
order to best serve its customers and keep
communities strong, Toyota’s workforce,
dealers and suppliers should reflect the diverse
world in which we all live.

15. Cont….
3. General Motors :-
• Mary T. Barra ( Chairman and CEO )
• Ken Barret ( Global Chief Diversity Officer )
• For General Motors, a commitment to
diversity starts at the top with Chairman and
CEO Mary Barra, who chairs the company’s
global diversity council. The council meets
once a month.

16. References
• http://www.ethnoconnect.com/articles/1-what-is-cultural-
diversity
• https://www.saylor.org/site/wp-
content/uploads/2013/02/BUS208-4.3.1-Leading-Diverse-
Teams-FINAL.pdf
• http://classroom.synonym.com/advantages-diversity-teams-
7494.html
• http://www.diversityinc.com