英文原文
The proliferation of cross-cultural teams presents challenges, but it can be handled successfully with sensitivity and respect for other cultures. Most people understand and accept cultural differences in the workplace. So, you need to understand and accept them, too, and should institute a framework that makes it easier to understand each other and collaborate. However, more work is needed to navigate cultural diversity in the workplace successfully. We should leverage it. Embrace differences, new perspectives and various ways of doing things. Having a cross-cultural team presents opportunities for creativity, innovation and learning from others of diverse backgrounds. It’s time to start considering cross-cultural teams as an asset, not a liability. How to build stronger cross-cultural teams. It is challenging to manage a culturally diverse team. Here are 10 tips for you to maximize your group’s talent, communication skills and ability to collaborate. 1. Acknowledge and respect cultural differences. The first step is acknowledging cultural diversity within the team addressing the existence of diverse cultural backgrounds and the necessity of navigating those differences to optimize team performance. Cultural diversity can manifest itself in different ways Language, culture, disability, behavioral differences due to norms and values and different meanings attached to words, ideas or actions. So, it’s essential to learn what those differences are because one’s cultural background informs how we interact with others. Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimension model is useful for understanding cultural differences. The model highlights six dimensions of value perspectives between national cultures power distance, individualism vs. collectivism, masculinity vs. femininity, uncertainty avoidance, long-term orientation vs. short-term orientation, indulgence vs. restraint. This model provides a great starting point for understanding what drives people from different cultures and how we can adapt our working and communication styles to work better in a cross-cultural team. Jennifer Pawlewicz, a business outreach specialist on the development and dissemination team for EARN, stated that cross-cultural teams can “increase problem-solving abilities, enhance empathy and strengthen team resilience.” One way to encourage this understanding of cultural diversity is to discuss cultural differences in a team meeting where everyone can share their cultural background and expectations about communication and working style. You can informally do this through activities, such as icebreakers. Select activities where team members know more about each other by asking questions and sharing their backgrounds. 2. Establish norms for the team. The next step is establishing team norms once cultural differences and everyone’s expectations are laid out. The key is to get everyone to contribute to forming the norms. Getting their buy-in strengthens the norms and ensures everyone feels committed to living up to them. Depending on its makeup and other factors that affect collaboration, each team will need its own set of rules and norms. For example, consider issues, such as standard operating procedures for timeliness of email replies, email/document templates to ensure clear communication, frequency of team meetings and the structure of team reporting. Building norms specific to your team enhances collaboration and improves workplace performance. Once team norms have been established, check in with your team regularly to see their effectiveness. Be flexible when amending any norms that need to be fixed. Something that may sound good in theory may not work in practice. Listening to your team’s feedback can improve performance. 3. Develop a team identity and outline roles and responsibilities. Everyone must know what they’re working toward in any team, but it is doubly important in a cross-cultural team. Having a shared goal and a common vision of how to achieve it gives your team an identity that can unite them and promote teamwork. Break down your common goal into actionable steps and outline each individual’s role and responsibilities. This action step reduces the chance of misunderstandings and lets everyone know that their contribution matters. Clarity of each team member’s contribution makes it easier to address team performance. In addition, it sets expectations for what needs to be done, by whom and when. Developing a team identity also entails finding commonalities between team members. Encourage your team to get to know each other in a social context. Some teammates may share the same taste in movies, music or TV shows. Some may bond over hobbies or share information about their families and children. Personal connections within the team make it easier to work together. 4. Overcommunicate. Overcommunicating is a good thing on a culturally diverse team. We often take for granted that our colleagues completely understand what we say because they have the same frame of reference or cultural background. But if you’re interacting with team members of different ethnicities, nationalities or backgrounds, something acceptable in your culture could cause a misunderstanding. Those of us who are native English speakers tend to assume that someone who speaks English can understand us perfectly. Unfortunately, this may not always be the case. Someone who learned English as a second (or third) language, even though they are proficient in the language, may get different nuances, expressions or subtext. The inability to deduce tone or body language can cause misunderstandings when it comes to electronic communication. The solution? Err on the side of overcommunicating and be careful with word choice. Use simple language when communicating and check that the other party fully understands what you said. Then, ask them to rephrase to confirm their understanding. It’s also crucial to cultivate an environment where asking questions and clarifying doubts is OK. Minimize any information gaps in your cross-cultural team. Everyone should be on the same page so the team can achieve its goal. Giving everyone the bigger picture and the information they need to do their part successfully will reduce conflict and team dysfunction. Don’t underestimate the value of patience and courtesy. Remind your team that each person’s cultural background informs his behavior and communication style in different ways. Treating each other with kindness and giving your teammates the benefit of the doubt can make working in a cross-cultural environment much more pleasant. 5. Build rapport and trust. Building trust takes time. When done right, the tips outlined above can help bond your team and form the basis of trust between team members. Create an environment where your team feels safe so they can collaborate better. Respecting differences, following through on group norms and having a common goal help build unity within a team. “You should first start with trust in yourself and having trust in your team,” said Shaylae Dupriś, human resources consultant and founder of Blu Prospects Consulting. “Trust and respect have to be at the foundation and be at the forefront. Creating an environment of inclusivity can enable individuals to thrive in the workplace. Seeing, hearing and appreciating your team will help build the foundation of a strong cultural team.” Face-to-face interaction is especially crucial for cross-border or remote teams where employees spend most of their time separate from their team members. While there are ways to ensure that your cross-cultural team can work efficiently even when they’re located in different parts of the world, nothing beats some face time. Real-life interaction provides nuances, such as tone of voice, eye contact and body language, making communication easier. Plus, it’s helpful to see that the person you’ve been communicating with via email is an actual person. If in-person meetings are impossible, try occasional online meetings using video conferencing platforms. If you have more time or budget, consider organizing a team-building session or retreat. Having a shared experience helps to connect people. Moreover, you can use the review section of the activities to gather feedback on how communication can be improved, better cooperation can be harnessed or if cultural differences affected how the activity played out. 6. Appreciate diverse gender roles. Depending on the culture, men and women can carry diverse gender roles. While some cultures may be progressive and champion women leaders, others may still follow a more traditional approach in which men are expected to manage a team. In more traditional societies, women may not seek leadership roles, be afraid of speaking up and cover up mistakes in fear of losing their jobs. Women in leadership roles may also have a difficult time asking for days off for personal reasons including maternity leave in fear of being passed over for future promotions. Men can also have difficulty taking time off for paternity leave, thriving under a woman leader and feeling alienated for having different hobbies than their co-workers. It’s vital that managers can support gender equality and educate employees so that all team members can feel safe and heard. 7. Leadership should reflect a diversified workforce. Leadership should reflect the diversity within your workforce. So, fill high-level positions with various races, ages, genders and education credentials. Take this a step further and fill leadership roles with candidates who also have experience in cross-cultural team management. 8. Take constructive criticism seriously. Different cultures deal with conflict differently. If you have constructive criticism for an individual or a team, be professional and respectful. Be direct with your intentions and consider your audience when speaking to employees, choosing your language precisely. You can also consider consulting a mediator to manage conflict in the workplace. 9. Working remotely has its pros and cons. Diversifying a remote workforce can make good business sense. However, collaborating with a global team remotely can come with its own set of challenges. With different time zones, geographic locations and cultural holidays, deciding on universal time off and scheduling meetings can be difficult. Always pay attention to religious and national holidays your employees may celebrate. Use a cloud-based calendar that all workers can access for observed holidays to plan project deadlines and company-wide meetings. If you prepare for moments when you may have fewer workers, you can better manage your expectations, recognize and celebrate multiple cultures and decrease turnover. 10. Invest in comprehensive DEI training. Facilitating continued learning in the workplace can help all employees feel included and valued. While diversity can boost creativity and problem-solving, it can only do so if you continuously focus on unity and not division. While baseline DEI training is readily available, going beyond a one-time module can help your company employees bond on a deeper level. Investing time in improving communication can help unify goals, get feedback from all employees (even the quiet ones) and increase empathy. Businesses are in an essential position to educate and inform all employees including those who are underrepresented to break down systemic barriers. By investing in comprehensive training, businesses can help positively shape society not only at work but also in the personal relationships of their employees. The benefits of strong cross-cultural teams. Strong cross-cultural teams can create a positive work environment that meets goals, instills trust and ensures value in each employee. With businesses investing in remote employees internationally, the benefits of developing a global team far outweigh the hurdles. Specifically, they can help you attract and retain top employees, boost creativity, create high engagement, enhance positive brand reputation, gain a competitive edge, make fewer marketing mistakes.
中文翻译
跨文化团队的普及带来了挑战，但通过敏感性和对其他文化的尊重，可以成功应对。大多数人在工作场所理解并接受文化差异。因此，你也需要理解并接受它们，并应建立一个框架，使彼此更容易理解和协作。然而，要成功驾驭工作场所的文化多样性，还需要更多努力。我们应该利用它。拥抱差异、新观点和各种做事方式。拥有跨文化团队为创造力、创新和向不同背景的人学习提供了机会。是时候开始将跨文化团队视为资产，而不是负担了。如何建立更强大的跨文化团队。管理一个文化多元的团队具有挑战性。这里有10个技巧，可以帮助你最大化团队的才能、沟通技巧和协作能力。1. 承认并尊重文化差异。第一步是承认团队内的文化多样性，即认识到不同文化背景的存在以及驾驭这些差异以优化团队绩效的必要性。文化多样性可以以不同方式表现出来语言、文化、残疾、由于规范和价值观导致的行为差异，以及对词语、想法或行动的不同含义。因此，了解这些差异至关重要，因为一个人的文化背景会影响我们与他人的互动方式。吉尔特·霍夫斯泰德的文化维度模型对于理解文化差异很有用。该模型突出了国家文化之间价值视角的六个维度权力距离、个人主义与集体主义、男性气质与女性气质、不确定性规避、长期导向与短期导向、放纵与克制。这个模型为理解是什么驱动来自不同文化的人以及我们如何调整工作和沟通风格以在跨文化团队中更好地工作提供了一个很好的起点。EARN发展和传播团队的商业拓展专家詹妮弗·波莱维奇表示，跨文化团队可以“提高解决问题的能力，增强同理心并加强团队的韧性。”鼓励这种文化多样性理解的一种方法是在团队会议上讨论文化差异，每个人都可以分享他们的文化背景以及对沟通和工作风格的期望。你可以通过活动非正式地做到这一点，例如破冰活动。选择那些通过提问和分享背景让团队成员更了解彼此的活动。2. 为团队建立规范。下一步是在文化差异和每个人的期望都明确后建立团队规范。关键是让每个人都参与制定规范。获得他们的支持可以加强规范，并确保每个人都感到有责任遵守它们。根据团队的构成和影响协作的其他因素，每个团队都需要自己的一套规则和规范。例如，考虑诸如电子邮件回复及时性的标准操作程序、确保清晰沟通的电子邮件/文档模板、团队会议的频率和团队报告的结构等问题。建立特定于团队的规范可以增强协作并提高工作场所绩效。一旦团队规范建立，定期与团队检查其有效性。在修改任何需要调整的规范时要灵活。理论上听起来不错的东西在实践中可能行不通。倾听团队的反馈可以提高绩效。3. 发展团队认同并明确角色和职责。在任何团队中，每个人都必须知道他们在为什么而努力，但在跨文化团队中这一点加倍重要。拥有共同的目标和实现目标的共同愿景，可以给你的团队一个能够团结他们并促进团队合作的认同感。将共同目标分解为可操作的步骤，并明确每个人的角色和职责。这一行动步骤减少了误解的机会，并让每个人知道他们的贡献很重要。每个团队成员贡献的清晰度使得更容易解决团队绩效问题。此外，它设定了需要做什么、由谁做以及何时做的期望。发展团队认同还包括寻找团队成员之间的共同点。鼓励你的团队在社交环境中相互了解。一些队友可能对电影、音乐或电视节目有相同的品味。一些人可能通过爱好建立联系或分享关于他们家庭和孩子的信息。团队内的个人联系使合作更容易。4. 过度沟通。在文化多元的团队中，过度沟通是一件好事。我们常常想当然地认为同事完全理解我们说的话，因为他们有相同的参考框架或文化背景。但如果你与不同种族、国籍或背景的团队成员互动，在你文化中可以接受的东西可能会引起误解。我们这些以英语为母语的人倾向于认为会说英语的人能完美理解我们。不幸的是，情况并非总是如此。将英语作为第二（或第三）语言学习的人，即使他们精通这门语言，也可能理解不同的细微差别、表达方式或潜台词。在电子通信中，无法推断语气或肢体语言可能导致误解。解决方案？宁可过度沟通，并注意措辞。沟通时使用简单的语言，并检查对方是否完全理解你所说的。然后，让他们复述以确认他们的理解。培养一个可以提问和澄清疑问的环境也至关重要。尽量减少跨文化团队中的任何信息差距。每个人都应该在同一页面上，这样团队才能实现其目标。给每个人大局观和他们成功完成自己部分所需的信息，将减少冲突和团队功能障碍。不要低估耐心和礼貌的价值。提醒你的团队，每个人的文化背景以不同的方式影响他的行为和沟通风格。以善意对待彼此，并给予队友怀疑的好处，可以使在跨文化环境中工作更加愉快。5. 建立融洽关系和信任。建立信任需要时间。如果做得正确，上述技巧可以帮助你的团队建立联系，并形成团队成员之间信任的基础。创造一个让你的团队感到安全的环境，这样他们可以更好地协作。尊重差异、遵守团队规范并拥有共同目标有助于在团队内建立团结。人力资源顾问兼Blu Prospects Consulting创始人谢莱·杜普里斯说，“你应该首先从信任自己和信任团队开始。”“信任和尊重必须作为基础并处于前沿。创造一个包容性的环境可以使个人在工作场所茁壮成长。看到、听到和欣赏你的团队将有助于建立强大文化团队的基础。”面对面互动对于跨境或远程团队尤其重要，这些团队的员工大部分时间与团队成员分开。虽然有方法确保你的跨文化团队即使位于世界不同地区也能高效工作，但没有什么比一些面对面时间更好。现实生活中的互动提供了细微差别，例如语调、眼神交流和肢体语言，使沟通更容易。此外，看到你一直通过电子邮件沟通的人是一个真实的人是有帮助的。如果面对面会议不可能，尝试使用视频会议平台进行偶尔的在线会议。如果你有更多时间或预算，考虑组织团队建设活动或静修。共享经验有助于连接人们。此外，你可以使用活动的回顾部分收集关于如何改进沟通、如何利用更好的合作或文化差异如何影响活动进行的反馈。6. 欣赏不同的性别角色。根据文化，男性和女性可能承担不同的性别角色。虽然一些文化可能进步并支持女性领导者，但其他文化可能仍然遵循更传统的方法，即期望男性管理团队。在更传统的社会中，女性可能不寻求领导角色，害怕发言，并因害怕失去工作而掩盖错误。担任领导角色的女性也可能难以因个人原因请假，包括产假，因为害怕错过未来的晋升。男性也可能难以请假陪产假，在女性领导下茁壮成长，并因与同事有不同的爱好而感到疏远。管理者能够支持性别平等并教育员工至关重要，以便所有团队成员都能感到安全和被倾听。7. 领导层应反映多元化的员工队伍。领导层应反映你员工队伍中的多样性。因此，用不同种族、年龄、性别和教育背景的人填补高级职位。更进一步，用具有跨文化团队管理经验的候选人填补领导角色。8. 认真对待建设性批评。不同文化处理冲突的方式不同。如果你对个人或团队有建设性批评，要专业和尊重。直接表达你的意图，并在与员工交谈时考虑你的听众，精确选择你的语言。你也可以考虑咨询调解员来管理工作场所的冲突。9. 远程工作有其利弊。多元化远程员工队伍可能具有良好的商业意义。然而，与全球团队远程协作可能带来自己的一系列挑战。由于不同的时区、地理位置和文化节日，决定统一的休假时间和安排会议可能很困难。始终注意员工可能庆祝的宗教和国家节日。使用所有员工都可以访问的基于云的日历来规划项目截止日期和公司范围的会议。如果你为可能员工较少的时候做好准备，你可以更好地管理你的期望，认可和庆祝多种文化，并减少人员流动。10. 投资全面的DEI培训。促进工作场所的持续学习可以帮助所有员工感到被包容和重视。虽然多样性可以促进创造力和问题解决，但只有当你持续关注团结而不是分裂时才能做到。虽然基线DEI培训很容易获得，但超越一次性模块可以帮助你的公司员工在更深层次上建立联系。投资时间改进沟通可以帮助统一目标，从所有员工（即使是安静的那些）那里获得反馈，并增加同理心。企业在教育和告知所有员工（包括那些代表性不足的员工）以打破系统性障碍方面处于重要位置。通过投资全面培训，企业可以帮助积极塑造社会，不仅在工作场所，而且在员工的个人关系中。强大跨文化团队的好处。强大的跨文化团队可以创造一个积极的工作环境，实现目标，灌输信任并确保每个员工的价值。随着企业在国际上投资远程员工，发展全球团队的好处远远超过障碍。具体来说，它们可以帮助你吸引和留住顶尖员工，促进创造力，创造高参与度，增强积极的品牌声誉，获得竞争优势，减少营销错误。
文章概要
本文围绕“多元文化团队目标协作的规模化方法”这一关键词，探讨了如何建立更强大的跨文化团队。文章首先指出跨文化团队既是挑战也是机遇，应被视为资产而非负担。接着，文章提供了10个具体技巧，包括承认并尊重文化差异、建立团队规范、发展团队认同、过度沟通、建立信任、欣赏不同性别角色、领导层多元化、认真对待建设性批评、管理远程工作挑战以及投资DEI培训。这些方法旨在最大化团队才能、沟通和协作能力。文章还强调了强大跨文化团队的益处，如吸引顶尖人才、促进创造力、提高参与度、增强品牌声誉和获得竞争优势。整体上，文章通过实用建议和理论模型（如霍夫斯泰德文化维度），为多元文化团队的目标协作提供了规模化框架。
高德明老师的评价
用12岁初中生可以听懂的语音来重复翻译的内容：这篇文章就像在说，当一群来自不同国家、有不同习惯的人一起工作时，可能会有点难，但如果我们互相尊重、多聊天、定一些大家都同意的规则，就能变成超级团队！比如，大家分享自己的文化故事，一起玩游戏来认识对方，这样就能更好地合作，想出更多好点子。记住，每个人的不同都是宝藏哦！
焦点解决心理学理论评价：从焦点解决心理学视角看，这篇文章完美体现了“目标导向”和“资源取向”原则。它没有聚焦于跨文化团队的问题或冲突，而是将文化差异视为团队创造力和创新的宝贵资源。文章提出的10个技巧，如建立团队规范和过度沟通，都是构建解决方案的实用步骤，强调从“如何做”而非“为什么不行”出发。这符合SFBT的核心理念，即关注未来可能性和已有优势，通过小步骤改变实现大目标。文章赞美了团队的多样性和协作潜力，展现了积极正向的视角。
在实践上可以应用的领域和可以解决人们的十个问题：这篇文章的规模化方法可应用于职场管理、教育团队、国际项目合作、社区服务、非营利组织、远程工作环境、创业团队、文化交流活动、多语言环境和全球市场营销等领域。它可以解决人们的十个问题：1. 跨文化沟通中的误解和冲突；2. 团队协作效率低下；3. 员工归属感和参与度不足；4. 创新思维受限；5. 领导力在多元环境中的挑战；6. 远程工作中的孤立感；7. 性别角色差异导致的职场不平等；8. 品牌国际化中的文化失误；9. 人才流失和招聘困难；10. 社会包容性和多样性的提升。通过应用这些方法，人们可以构建更和谐、高效和创新的团队环境。