Training and Development Strategies for Managing Cross-Cultural Diversity in Global Teams

This presentation discusses the challenges faced by managers with culturally diverse teams and how to resolve them through effective training and development strategies. The strategies discussed include creating an empowered atmosphere, providing orientation, outlining acceptable job descriptions, offering intercultural communication training, and conflict management training for individuals and teams. The presentation also emphasizes the importance of developing a process for creating and chartering global teams, training for improved coordination, and motivation. The case study presented involves a team of people from two different countries and cultures working together for new product development in an international software development company.

HUMAN RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT
(STUDENT NAME)
DATE: 10-10-18

INTRODUCTION
Cross-cultural diversity at the workplace, in a team there are
people of various cultural background working together for a common
objective. In this case, the project manager for new product
development in an international software development company,
where a team is assembled that includes employees from the United
States and India. The major challenges are faced by a manager with a
culturally diverse team like the conflict in decision making and
communication gap. This issue can be resolved through effective
training and development. The strategies of training and
development that must be implemented to resolve this issue will be
discussed in this presentation(Sohal, 2008).

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
STRATEGIES
•Create an
empowered
atmosphere
•Provide
orientation

•Outline acceptable job descriptions
In a training program, a clear description of the skill set
an employee, its roles and responsibility of an individual that
will be required to perform in the project implementation
must be included(Nichols, Horner, & Fyfe, 2015).
•Free flow of communication
In the training program, communication plays an
important role. The organization must allow free flow of
communication among a team, team leader, and other
superiors(Herd, Cumberland, Herd, Alagaraja, & Kerr, 2016)

•Determine one’s preconceptions
A leader before reaching to their employees, his or
her own conceptions should be clear, so the team is
not reaching at conflicting decision.
•Offer intercultural communication training
Global team members must be able to
communicate with personnel from different cultures.
To enhance the understanding and value cross-cultural
differences, skills and knowledge must be developed
through training program provided by the
organization(Ang & Van Dyne, 2015).

Offer conflict
management training for
individuals and teams
For the globally diverse
team, conflicts is a major
challenge due to the difference
in culture, languages, the
difference in time zones,
reliance on technology, lack of
face to face interaction. The
conflict management training
must be provided for this
reason.

•Develop a process for creating and
chartering global teams
A training program must include a module to ensure
project teams have a clarified and clear scope, goals, and
sponsors of the project.
•Training for improved coordination
The training program must include activities that will
help teams to improve coordination among them, and the
ability to enhance decision making in a team
•Motivation
Working with different cultures in a single team for a

CONCLUSION
To conclude, in this case, employees were working for
new product development in a team of people from two
different countries and culture that is India and the United
Kingdom. This lead to opportunities and challenges in an
organization, among which one of the major challenges arise
is conflict. In this case, the conflict arises due to a decision
regarding the schedule of the project. This could be resolved
by various tools and methods adopted by the organization.
Training and development play an important role in this issue.

REFERENCES
•Ang, S., & Van Dyne, L. (2015). Handbook of cultural intelligence. London: Routledge.
•Curry, C. (2018). Managing Conflict in Global Teams. Retrieved from trainingmag:
https://trainingmag.com/trgmag-article/managing-conflict-global-teams/
•Herd, A., Cumberland, D., Herd, A., Alagaraja, M., & Kerr, .. (2016). Assessment and
development of global leadership competencies in the workplace: A review of
literature. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 301.
•Marsick, V., & Watkins, K. (2015). Informal and Incidental Learning in the Workplace
(Routledge Revivals). Routledge.
•Nichols, P., Horner, B., & Fyfe, K. (2015). Understanding and improving communication
processes in an increasingly multicultural aged care workforce. Journal of aging
studies.
•Sohal, A. (2008). Human resource practices and workforce diversity: an empirical
assessment. International Journal of Manpower, 530.