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Management Focus
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Management Focus
Managing your team
in a global environment
by
Michael Dickmann
,
Professor of International Human Resource Management
I
ncreasingly, the role of expatriate managers sent
on international assignments is being replaced
by ‘frequent business flyers’ who travel several
times a month to have face-to-face meetings but
normally remain living in the country where their
organisation has its head office or a regional hub.
At Cranfield we have a long history of exploring
international work and the organisational strategies,
policies and practices to make it successful for both
individuals and their employers. We have written much
about more traditional forms of expatriation but I will
concentrate here on how to run virtual teams.
Many senior managers within multinational organisations
have regional responsibilities with titles such as Head of
EMEA – Europe, Middle East and Africa – for example in
marketing. Their role is to co-ordinate and standardise
business practice across borders, transfer skills and
knowledge and create a cadre of global talent.
One of the main areas of my work is to help these
managers build efficient virtual teams. The challenges
are obvious: differences in geography, time, language,
diversity, culture, size and technology. Building on the
research of Govindarajan and Gupta’ (2001), the six
key activities for leaders of global virtual teams can be
identified as:
Diminish and overcome communication barriers
-
Managing within the constraints of virtual communication
such as e-mail, and Skype, managers need to ensure
they use personal contact time to ensure people have
understood the message. English is the common
business language but not everyone can use it to the
same standard. Mother tongue speakers often use
unconscious or implied meanings in their choice of words
or phrases. It is important for non-native speakers to read
between the lines. When an English person says, “That’s
interesting”, for example, they might mean, “I doubt if
your idea will work.”
To avoid ambiguity, managers should use clear, direct
language when communicating. And if organising a
meeting, they should circulate the agenda as early as
possible so that people can look up any words they are
unsure about and can prepare in advance.
Know your team and build trust among all
members
- Global team members need to have the
chance to meet professionally and personally in order
to get to know one another before the start of a project.
Managers can then initiate team-building processes.
These activities help identify and bring into the open any
misunderstandings and will enable the team leader to set
standards or norms which must be adhered to.
Establishing trust between members of the virtual team
is vital. As a leader you can structure work in a certain
way so that people can see trust develop through small
stages when shared goals are met.
Create clarity of team objectives and align
individual goals
- Problems arise when local and global
objectives are not aligned. For example, I came across
a German bank whose policy of reducing staff turnover
clashed with its London office which said it wanted a high
turnover and new blood to keep people on their toes. In
addition, it is important to set personal and professional
Managing your team in a global environment
To avoid ambiguity,
managers should use
clear, direct language when
communicating.
goals for each team member. Look out for people who
show a lack of commitment such as not attending
meetings or not being punctual.
Build appropriate team composition and
interaction
- In a globalised world, diversity is the key
to innovation. Work towards a team that has a balance
of interpersonal styles and interests. To get the input of a
diverse range of people, guide them towards interaction
that is friendly and learning oriented.
Show strong leadership to reduce ambiguity
-
A loosely based multinational team needs appropriate
guidance. Nobody likes ambiguity. Leaders of global
virtual teams need to define roles more clearly than those
in teams which can co-ordinate more easily. Charisma
and vision is appreciated in all cultures.
Watch your health and work-life balance
-
Leaders of global teams are often frequent business
travellers and there is enormous strain on managers who
fly across continents. Many companies are not good
at integrating travel time into performance appraisals.
Instead they expect almost constant work.
As companies continue to expand globally, the number of
people working in teams with colleagues and managers
separated from them by many miles and time zones will
only continue to grow so it is important they invest in getting
it right. There are benefits and disadvantages to the role.
On the one hand, frequent flyers can experience isolation
and a loss of family life and on the other hand, many enjoy
rapid careers and the perks of paid-for international travel to
places they would not normally visit.
MF