How to Be an Effective Multi-Cultural Department Manager

The laboriousness of managing a multi-cultural workforce may de described as an everlasting fight between many divergent minds competing against communication chaos. The hungry, highly competitive global arena asks for blood, with many failing to battle against the worthy. The men knowledgeable in the global fight and how it works win gold—perhaps a place next to another giant in their coterie. This essay shall discuss the importance of a multi-cultural workforce, and how to best manage cultural minds using examples of the most effective motivating approaches and leadership styles—improving productivity and efficiency. This article will discuss anxiety and uncertainty, denote how multi-cultural people expect to be treated and best practices, explain the leadership styles of Daniel Goleman, show different personality types and motivational strengths and Reddin’s leadership grid to produce effective motivational results in a multi-cultural workforce.

Department managers fulfill the needs of a company by leading a group of talented professionals. Oftentimes, managers working with assorted kaleidoscopic minds encounter a plethora of communication nuisances, which in tern, cause social anxiety. According to Em Griffin, author of A First Look at Communication Theory (2009), William Gudykunst, a communication professor, applied the axioms and theorems of uncertainty reduction theory by Berger to an intercultural setting. Gudykust’s theory of Anxiety Uncertainty Management vastly affects how multi-cultural work partners feel when dealing with new experiences. Before establishing the motivational approaches for successful culture–work dynamics, one must consider anxiety and how it plays as a key contender in the race for misunderstanding supremacy. Gudykunst defined anxiety as “the feeling of being uneasy, tense, worried or apprehensive about what might happen. (Em Griffin, pg. 132)” AUM theory claims high levels of uncertainty and anxiety lead to greater misunderstanding when strangers do not communicate mindfully (pg.132). Gudykunst “noted that strangers and in-group members experience some degree of anxiety and uncertainty in any new interpersonal situation, but when the encounter takes place between people of different cultures, strangers are hyperaware of cultural differences. (pg. 132)” Before effective communication can exist, the twin threats of anxiety and uncertainty must be defeated and well managed. Moran et al of Managing Cultural Differences (2014) denotes, “Buckley and Carter defined knowledge as the antithesis of uncertainty. Uncertainty makes decision-makers unsure about which actions to undertake to achieve desired outcomes.” The best way to burry the two threats of uncertainty and anxiety can be executed by mindfulness—the process of thinking in new categories, being open to new information, and recognizing multiple perspectives (pg. 133). The importance of perspective-understanding harnesses the power of a multi-cultural workforce. Effective communication cannot happen without first indulging in cultural variances. The Oxford Dictionary defines culture as “the ideas, customs, and social behavior of a particular people or society.” To effectively communicate one must become light-hearted and acknowledge that morals and values are different for everyone—when accepting this dictum, employees can reap the benefits of a multi- cultural workforce. A part of a Department Managers’ job consists of intertwining people of all walks of life to better solve work problems; different minds can use their decision-making collectivism to answer difficult communication puzzles.

Managing Cultural Differences (2014) makes note of Bassi and Russ-Eft who understand the importance of diversity and its benefits for superb organizational decision-making (Moran Et al, pg.193). Bassi and Russ-Eft mention that minorities who are valued are more efficient; effective work relationships will be formed if others can learn to work with others sensitively; shared power creates commonalities in goal achievement; human beings are the only sustainable competitive advantage of the future; a simple model for effective training does not exist, however the specific needs of the employees should be addressed; diversity initiatives should be system-wide; any diversity initiative should focus on information, management, process and results; diversity initiatives are not a replacement of Equal Employment Opportunity or Affirmative Action; and, diversity enriches lives and advances human potential (Moran et al, pg. 193). Proper motivation of employees, when effective communication is at an all-time low, begins with a Department Managers ability to connect people of different backgrounds. This superpower has the ability to enhance the capabilities of a company to the zenith of their success. The importance of first being an open-minded Department Manager becomes instrumental in properly leading a group of talented professionals, inclusively.

Effective motivation styles can solidify a Department Managers’ position in a company. According to Educational Business Articles, Daniel Goleman (2002) created six leadership styles for effective team performance, i.e., coercive leaders, authoritative leaders, affiliate leaders, democratic leaders, pacesetting leaders and coaching leaders. Each having their distinct advantages and disadvantages. The best answer to any question usually involves one where multiple solutions exist. Department Managers can make use of their knowledge to better solve work related problems. A coercive leader exudes aggression, they accomplish tasks by ordering and dictating—this can be effective when a job must be completed quickly, but must be used sparingly as it may spark a negative work environment. An authoritative leader sets himself/herself as an expert in their field—this method can be effective when a new vision and direction is needed, but authoritative leaders lack the ability to help team members understand how to get to a vision or goal. Affiliative leaders heal problems when dealing with stressful situations and can be effective in low morale situations where teams need bonding—this leadership style will create long-term happiness and increase performance in the workforce, however the drawbacks include a withdrawal of feedback since leaders may feel that conflict will upset the balance. Democratic leaders will use participation and listen to the good and the bad which gives employees a sense of belonging, however this leadership style can oftentimes drag on as a group decision must be made, eventually. Pacesetting leadership sets high standards and works well when employees are self motivated and skilled, however this leadership style may lack emotional intelligence. Lastly, coaching leadership aims to help people strengthen their skillset while building on their personal development, however this style of leadership only works well when the employee has a grasp of their weaknesses—these leaders can oftentimes come across as micromanaging. As one can see, the instrumentality of knowing different leadership styles has the power to vastly attain 360 holistic problem solving triumph. The prompt asks to discuss the management style and approach to motivation that would be the most effective in motivating all the employees in the department to improve productivity; however, one answer does not exist as managing a group of distinct personality types requires malleability, patience and cultural awareness.

Leadership styles immeasurably vary depending on different personality types. Myers’- Briggs denotes a person can have one of 16 different personality types. The Myers’-Briggs website offers some insight into the test as it claims, “the essence of the theory is that much seemingly random variation in the behavior is actually quite orderly and consistent, being due to basic differences in the ways individuals prefer to use their perception and judging. (The Myers & Briggs Foundation)” The following are the four measurements of the distinct psychological personality types as described by Myers’-Briggs: Extraversion or Introversion, Sensing or Intuition, Thinking or Feeling and Judging or Perceiving. The Myers’-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) can be taken to identify one’s personality type to be an effective leader. Today, “Jungian psychologist categorize leadership styles in terms of their underlying personality preferences for information processing. (Moran et al, pg. 186)” To be a better leader, one must first comprehend their personality type to understand their strengths and weaknesses when trying to motivate others. This organizational component alters success and productivity. Keisey found four basic leadership styles that are genetically based and are pre-intentional (Moran et al, pg. 187).

According to Keirsey, the four leaders are logical leaders (Sensing/Judging), strategic leaders (Intuiting/Thinking), diplomatic leaders (Intuiting/Feeling) and tactical leaders (Sensing/Perceiving). A logical leader builds complex and formal organizations, a strategic leader develops innovative and efficient organizations, a diplomatic leader builds interpersonal relationships based on cooperation and trust, and a tactical leader identifies opportunities by finding the means to grasp them quickly (Moran et al, pg.187). As one can see, Keirsey’s model closely resembles the Myers’-Briggs model, with the exception of extraversion and introversion, and one can conclude the importance of being able to understand one’s own personality type before making motivational decisions, as each personality type will utilize different motivational styles to meet the demands of the company problem. A good leader, in charge of a multi-cultural workforce, must motivate by multiple methods. Both understanding oneself and the many motivational styles available, such as those which best meet the demands of the current problem, affect the outcome of a dilemma, e.g., one where motivation and effectiveness are at an all-time low. This synergy of personal knowledge and motivational method gathering can influence productivity and push a company towards multi-cultural integration.

Since motivational styles are different for everyone, managing a multi-cultural group depends greatly on self-awareness. Reddin’s leadership grid measures ones ability to be task oriented (TO) or relationship oriented (RO). He considers four leadership styles: related leader, integrated leader, separated leader and dedicated leader. Each one is assessed using five leadership styles which include: High TO/Low RO; High TO/High RO; Low TO/High RO; Low TO/Low RO; and Medium TO and RO (Moran et al, pg. 187). Related leaders depend on relationship building, which solidifies common goals and produce self-motivation; Integrated leaders negotiate goals and provide emotional support; separated leaders rely on policies and offer little task guidance; and, dedicated leaders gave many verbal instructions giving rewards and punishments without caring about personal relationships (Moran et al, pg. 188). The best motivation style of the four would be the integrated leadership style, as it achieves positive relationships in the work environment and leads everyone towards a common goal. Now, Managing Cultural Differences notes how, “Hersey and Blanchard observed that the most appropriate leadership style depended on the maturity level of the staff persons being led and managed,” so an effective department manager will use the motivational leadership style which best suits the personality of the employee.

This essay has demonstrated the importance of understanding the world has many distinct people from all walks of like. As differences arise, motivational leadership styles must be considered to meet the demands of a company and reap the benefits of the commonalities within a multi-cultural workforce. One answer does not sustain effectiveness. Anxiety and uncertainty must be reduced regardless of any culture to spark easy working relationships, as anxiety and uncertainty spark negative and hostile work environments; department managers must reduce these two players before trying to fix a motivational dilemma. A Department manager must be open-minded and understand the importance of diversity within the workforce and how cultures want to be treated. Department Managers must assess themselves, and understand their personality type before establishing which leadership styles are available to them to better create motivation within a workforce. Best practices were given with each leadership style to produce motivation, depending on maturity levels and distinct personalities. As the battle is competitive, the last man standing will have fulfilled work integration that yields productivity and friendly working environments.

References

A Review of Companies with Autocratic Leadership. (2015, July 29). Retrieved March 06, 2017, from http://www.brighthubpm.com/resource-management/77233-examples-of- companies-with-autocratic-leadership/

Griffin, E. (2009). A First Look At Communication Theory (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw- Hill.

Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences (9th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

The Myers & Briggs Foundation - MBTI® Basics. (n.d.). Retrieved March 06, 2017, from http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/

Using six leadership styles for effective team performance. (2016, March 18). Retrieved March 06, 2017, from http://www.educational-business-articles.com/six-leadership-styles/