Leading Multicultural Teams: Authenticity+ Permeability+ Contingency+ Consistency

By |2017-01-13T11:27:51-07:00February 28th, 2012|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

I recently came across a question in LinkedIn about leaders adjusting their style to work with different cultures.  What is raised for me is the dilemma of authenticity + permeability + contingency + consistency. As our teams grow increasingly diverse, we are all challenged to find a way of colleagueship and leadership that is open to other ways of seeing the world, approaching problems, and formulating solutions. At the same time, we also need to be true to ourselves and the strengths we bring to the party. This argues for an openness to growing through our daily interactions, generally through an action/reflection learning cycle where we are openly engaged in considering how we manifest our own cultural set and exploring with others their alternative values and approaches. If we engage in this collaborative exploration with our colleagues, we can move toward greater understanding of each other’s styles, as well as how we each can draw on the other’s strengths and perspectives for team and organizational success.

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