Diversity Management & Virtual Teams: Managing Team Dynamics in a Time of

Uncertainty

For the French-American

Chamber of Commerce

New York

April 9, 2020

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AGENDA

DR. MICHELLE MIELLYASSOCIATE PROFESSOR,

GRENOBLE ECOLE DE MANAGEMENT INTERIM DIRECTOR, DOCTORAL SCHOOL

Michelle MIELLY is an American development anthropologist and interculturalist, active in international education (Latin America, West Africa, Europe).

My work on identity, diversity, and community,exploring how identity (cultural, gender, professional) intersects with different organizational and cultural environments. This includes writing and research on organizational diversity, migration, self-initiated expatriates, nomadic entrepreneurs, foreignness and strangeness in organizations, and gender-related questions of leadership & professional mobility.

In GEM’s Doctoral School Michelle has served as interim director (presently), Academic director for the Switzerland program, the USA program, and the India program, and she is responsible for the development of the Doctoral School’s presence in the United States.

Michelle holds degrees from Southwestern University (BA Hons 1989), Université de Grenoble (Maitrîse 1991), Pennsylvania State University (MA 1994), and Harvard University (Ph.D. 2004).

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students

- L’Étudiant

number one city for quality of life in

France- Le Parisien

most attractive city in France for

companies - Challenges

of bike trails

mountain ranges

Question 1

Given the COVID-19 epidemic, we're all

massively working online. What specific

aspect(s) of this transformation have you

found most difficult, in terms of working in a

team, with a team?

Making sure the team is doing well. We have daily

touch-points, but they just look bored (we do video chats

on Microsoft Teams).

Sticking to a schedule, almost impossible with all the

bad news that's coming out of NYC.

Day to day interactions, face to face contact. While working

with a team virtually is indeed better than working in an

isolated setting, the feeling of being on a team is an

easier concept to digest when you are physically

surrounded by your colleagues.

Question 2

Independent of Covid-19, when working in a

virtual team, or geographically distributed team,

we have to learn new behaviors and

approaches to work relationships. Do you have

1/ a specific challenge you'd like to discuss in

the workshop

2/ a specific tip or approach that has worked

well for you

How to draw boundaries between work and personal life

Knowing how to take breaks. It feels like to takes more energy to work alone when

you do not have team members there to help energize you.

How to stay focused?

Challenge in working across various time zones.

Take breaks when you need to....self care is very important especially during

Covid 19 times.

When we were in the office, we took stretch breaks every other day together. I would

like to do this still…..

What timeline software do people like to use, ie basecamp, trello, clickup and what's

your favorite.

Having worked virtually with teams in Asia, Europe and North America, I find it important

to understand that approach and communication style

Question 3

Whether you are in a co-located team on one

site, or in a geographically distributed global

team, managing diversity within a team can

pose challenges. A Diversity & Inclusion

mindset is important, but we as individuals

cannot possibly master the variety of topics

under this large banner. Are there any

particularly difficult experiences, scenarios, or

issues connected to diversity management that

you'd like to explore during the webinar?

I find that a lack of a diversity can lead to "groupthink," which in turn

can leads to less innovation and creative problem solving. Convincing

others of the dangers of "groupthink" is one of my biggest challenges.

People with more experience and people with less experience, all on

the same team. How best to honor everyone's viewpoints and

experience?

Prejudice and discrimination should never be tolerated in the workplace

(or anywhere else). Internal company policies with clear and objective

regulations should be put in place to prevent employees from

demonstrating prejudice. Cultural sensitivities training and diversity

awareness programs in the workplace can really help address this

issue.

I believe that talking about Diversity and Inclusion is great but what is

even more effective is allowing people who are at the core of the

issue (People of color and minorities) to take the stage and talk

about their perspective on how to effectively apply diversity

management tactics and strategies.

Questions 4

What do you enjoy about working in a diverse

team of people? Which aspects of it are

enriching and rewarding?

A diversity of backgrounds lends itself to a diversity of ways to see the

world and solve problems. Our given culture seems to "wire" us in

a unique way, and I think its important to understand how our culture

can both strengthen and weaken our ability to solve various

problems.

The various different perspectives I get - from different

cultures, from various levels of experience, from different world

view points.

When you work with a diverse team you truly see the benefits and any

company that promotes diversity and remains unbiased will win

out over a non diverse team, in profit and harmony. Has

anyone ever used AI machine learning technology for this purpose?

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So we seem all agree that:• We in a specific historical moment

• The scale and magnitude of the

lockdown creates a strange new

normal

• Culture Matters

• Co-located eams are hard work

• Distributed Teams are harder work

• Diversity is rewarding—and messy

Keys for Better Understanding

You cannot open …

other people’s doors …

with your own keys.

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Meta-Cognitive Ability

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Metacognition is the process of thinking aboutthinking, watching yourself in action, of being aparticipant and an observer.

It is the process of developing self-awareness and the ability to self-assess by asking oneselfquestions.

• Where am I in my learning curve?

• What is strange or different in my team?

• What makes me uncomfortable?

• How am I feeling right now?

• What is my role in the current situation?

• How am I influencing others in my team?

Terms

Employers use

to Define

Intercultural

Skills

Source:British Council,

“Culture

AT WORK

The value of

intercultural skills in

the workplace”

www.britishcouncil.org

Ranked Value

of Technical

and Soft Skills

Tested

Globally

Source: British

Council, “Culture

at work: The value of

intercultural skills in the

workplace”

www.britishcouncil.org

Ethnocentrism vs Ethnorelativism

Ethnocentrism:

A tendency to judge

behaviors and

situations through our

own perspective,

considering it to be

universally shared

Ethnorelativism

A tendency to judge

behaviors and

situations through

multiple perspectives

and questioning one’s

own assumptions

Cultural Intelligence…the last word?

“Cultural intelligence: an outsider’s seemingly

natural ability to interpret someone’s unfamiliar

and ambiguous gestures the way that person’s

compatriots would.”

--Christopher Earley & Elaine Mosakowski,

HBR 2004

Misunderstandings vs. Disagreements

Nick Scheele, President and COO of FORD,

stated “The problem with cultural differences

is that they don’t lead to disagreements, they

lead to misunderstanding. Disagreements are

obvious immediately and can be dealt with.

But you tend to discover misunderstandings

when it’s too late, when each party has

tackled an action plan in its own way”.

Manifestations of culture:

different levels

Values

Symbols

Heroes

Rituals

Practices

Source: G. Hofstede

THE ICEBERG MODEL

Culture is…………

“A pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group learned as it

solved its problems of external

and internal , that has worked well enough to

be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members

as the correct way to perceive, think and feel in relation to those

problems.”

Edgar Schein,

Organizational Culture and Leadership

One definition

“Culture is a set of solutions to problems of internal integration and external adaptation.”

--Ed Schein

Schein’s Reverse Pyramid of Culture

Hofstede’s Dimensions of

Culture

Power Distance Individualism vs Collectivism Feminine Orientation (Equity) vs

Masculine Orientation (Contest Culture) Uncertainty Avoidance Long Term Orientation

GLOBE Study: 9 Key Dimensions Power Distance

Uncertainty Avoidance

Humane Orientation

Collectivism I: (Institutional)

Collectivism II: (In-Group)

Assertiveness

Gender Egalitarianism

Future Orientation

Performance Orientation

"Culture and Leadership

across the World: The

GLOBE Book of In-Depth

Studies of 25 Societies”

(2007)

Power Distance

The degree to which

members of a collective

expect power to be

distributed equally.

POWER DISTANCE:

IMPACT IN THE WORKPLACE

Corporate org chart (hierarchy)

How decisions are made

Information flow

Dress Codes

Status (offices, perks, etc.)

Uncertainty Avoidance

The extent to which a society,

organization, or group relies

on social norms, rules, and

procedures to alleviate

unpredictability of future

events.

UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE

The extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by uncertain or unknown situations.

In cultures with LOW uncertainty avoidance:

Few guidelines, few rules

Informal relationships

Taking risks and initiative is encouraged

Little (less) regard for structure and/or control

In cultures with HIGH uncertainty avoidance:

Strict guidelines, lots of rules and processes

Employment stability highly valued

High regard for structure and rituals

UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE:

IMPACT IN THE WORKPLACE

Risk-taking

Autonomy

Taking initiative

Attitude toward failure

Willingness to follow rules/authority

Uncertainty Avoidance & Dealing

with the Future

Humane Orientation

The degree to which a

collective encourages and

rewards individuals for

being fair, altruistic,

generous, caring, and kind

to others.

Collectivism I & II Collectivism I: (Institutional) The degree to

which organizational and societal

institutional practices encourage and

reward collective distribution of

resources and collective action.

Collectivism II: (In-Group) The degree to

which individuals express pride, loyalty,

and cohesiveness in their organizations

or families.

Assertiveness

The degree to which

individuals are assertive,

confrontational, and/or

aggressive in their

relationships with others.

Assertiveness & Conflict Styles

There is a close relationship between

cultural values and conflict

management styles, which have to be

taken into consideration by the

manager in order to pursue an

appropriate approach in different

cross-cultural environments

--Shiyong Peng (2000)

ConflictIn the West:

It’s an essential

step in solving

difficult questions.

It can be an

enriching learning

experience

Opposition of Good

versus Evil

MBA FT 18 Grenoble 40

Conflict in China

Is a mistake and is in contradiction

with the general world economy

Good and Evil are complementary

forces

The ‘clan’ takes precedence over the

individual

A Seek out mediation

A Use indirect communication

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Gender Egalitarianism

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The degree to which

a collective

minimizes gender

inequality.

Future Orientation

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The extent to which

individuals engage in future-

oriented behaviors such as

delaying gratification,

planning, and investing in

the future.

Performance Orientation

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The degree to which a

collective encourages and

rewards group members for

performance improvement

and excellence.

Country

Clusters

based on

GLOBE

study

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CULTURAL COMPARISONS

https://www.hofstede-insights.com/product/compare-countries/

CULTURAL COMPARISONS

https://www.hofstede-insights.com/product/compare-countries/

CULTURAL COMPARISONS

https://www.hofstede-insights.com/product/compare-countries/

Monochronic vs. Polychronic

behavior

Monochronic Polychronic

Social

orientation

Time is crucial

Punctuality

Get to the point

A then B then C then D

Time is an asset

Time is not ours to manage

Events have their own time

A & B or C, D or B

Talk business, but also

football, food, friendship

Task, linear Task & Relational, circular

SPACE

Availability of space

Use of space

Personal vs. public space

HIGH CONTEXT VS.

LOW CONTEXT

HIGH CONTEXT vs. LOW CONTEXT

HIGH CONTEXTBelow the water line– IMPLICIT

(much of Middle East, Asia, Africa, South America)

Emphasizes personal relationships

Developing trust is a critical first step in business

Decisions governed more by intuition and feeling than by reason

Words not as important as « context »: tone of voice, facial expression,gestures, posture, family history, status

More indirect and formal

Think « handshakes »

HIGH CONTEXT VS. LOW CONTEXT

Low ContextAbove the water line - EXPLICIT

(North America, much of Western Europe)

Logical, linear, individualistic and action-oriented

Value facts, logic, directness

Decisions based on facts rather than intuition

Discussions end with actions

Communication expected to be straightforward, concise

Think « contracts »

Explicit & implicit communication

Low

Context

High

Context

Implicit

Communication

North Americans

Scandinavians

French

British

Germans

Swiss

Explicit

Communication

Arabs

Latin Americans

Russians

Japanese

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The Future is Complex….

and

Intercultural

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Working in Teams

= Tolerance of our others, resisting ‘othering’

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Internationalization involves changing

positions –from the familiar to the strange,

or unsettling, or ambiguous

Study of Otherness= Alterity theory

Ethics of Alterity: strives to accept the

strangeness of the other that I may see in

myself

Let’s be leaders in resisting Othering.

But wait…..What is ‘Othering’?

“We define “othering” as a set of dynamics, processes, and

structures that engender marginality and persistent

inequality across any of the full range of human differences

based on group identities.

othering includes religion, sex, race, ethnicity,

socioeconomic status (class), disability, sexual orientation,

and skin tone.”

Although they vary considerably and are deeply contextual,

they contain a similar set of underlying dynamics.

UC Berkeley Haas Institute

http://www.otheringandbelonging.org/the-problem-of-othering/

Identity and Group Membership

“We inhabit a place of actual and psychic

tension between un-belonging and

belonging, as well as recognition, invisibility,

and stigma” (Goffman, 1963).

Goffman, Erving. Stigma. Prentice-Hall: Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1963.

Cultural Diversity &Identity

K. Anthony Appiah,in Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers (2006) notes that

“Diversity matters because freedom is about options and a diversity of options is important for people to shape their lives.”

Appiah’s ‘Golden Rule’:

“I am human: nothing human is alien to me”

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Identity Diversity and Cognitive

Diversity create problems in Orgs.

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Linguistic problems: which language does

the group adopt?

Cognitive style problems: diversity of

learning & problem-solving styles creates

difficulties in teams

Individual personality style / DNA: variable

creating the most variance across

organizations

Scott Page: Diversity and Cognitive Diversity

Cognitive Diversity is an advantage

because it links:• Knowledge & Skills diversity (plurality of relevant

knowledge & skills present in one group),

• Perspective diversity (differing points of view on the

• same question),

• Interpretive Diversity (different ways of approaching a

problem and understanding results),

• Heuristics diversity (different strategies / tools for

• solving a problem or task),

• Predictive diversity (different methods used to

establish causal relationships)

In The Difference, Scott E. Page, Princeton University Press, 2007.

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Scott Page : Cognitive Diversity

generates better results

A heterogeneous group of individuals of normal

intelligence, chosen randomly, obtains consistently

better results in the resolution of complex

problems than a group of experts, each recognized

individually for his/her superior cognitive skills.

This does not mean that intelligent people do not

produce excellent results. Rather, the more that

these individuals resemble each other, the less

they will perform well together, because they will

lack differing perspectives on a problem and will not

have the same diversity of solution sets at their

disposal as a heterogeneous group.

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Counterproductive Work Behaviour

CWB “is behaviour intended to hurt the

organisation or other members of the

organisation” (Spector & Fox, 2002, p. 271).

It can be as serious as physical aggression

and verbal hostility or simply avoiding work.

Spector & Fox suggest that a situation which

causes negative emotions increases the

likelihood of CWB.

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Organizational Citizenship Behavior

OCB is “prosocial behaviour intended to help”

the organisation and its employees.

Spector & Fox (2009) propose boredom and

the lack of thought-provoking tasks as direct

contributors to either OCB or CWB where the

employee is either motivated to enhance their

tasks or simply resort to “horseplay” and

delinquency.

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Lessons from OB:

Influence of Groups

Patterns of

Behavior in Groups

Social Striving

Social Loafing

Social Facilitation

De-individuation

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Influence of Groups

Social Striving People work harder

when they are in

groups, then when

they are alone.

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Influence of Groups

Social Facilitation

The presence of

others can enhance

an individual’s

performance for

simple or well

rehearsed tasks.

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Influence of Groups

Social LoafingPeople tend to expend

less effort on group tasks

then when performing the

same task alone.

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The Challenge of Managing

Global Business Teams

Importance of task* Task Ease ordifficulty of

accomplishing task†

6.52 Cultivating trust among team members 6.06

6.35 Overcoming communication barriers 5.56

6.04 Aligning goals of individual team members 5.44

5.62 Ensuring that the team possesses necessary 4.66

6.05

knowledge and skills

Obtaining clarity regarding team objectives 4.61

*Ranking is based on a 1-7 scale, where 1 = “not at all important” and 7 =

“very important.”

†Ranking is based on a 1-7 scale, where 1 = “very easy” and 7 = “very difficult.”

(Govindajaran & Gupta MIT Sloane)

Multi-cultural Teams

“For multi-cultural teams to deliver on the

promise of a better performance through

diversity, there is a need to develop culturally

appropriate strategies to manage the task as

well as the process. ”

--Susan C. Schneider & Jean-Louis

Barsoux, Managing Across Cultures

Characteristics of a Global Leader

1/ Perception Management non-judgmentalness,

inquisitiveness, tolerance of ambiguity, cosmopolitanism

category inclusiveness

2/ Relationship Management perceptiveness,

relationship interest, interpersonal engagement,

emotional sensitivity, self-awareness, social flexibility

3/ Self-Management: optimism, self-confidence,

emotional resilience, non-stress tendency, interest

flexibiity.

Exercise on Cultural incidents (to be used for role

plays/simulation)

CI #1

You are taking over from the General Manager (an

Irishman) of a Chinese joint venture, he holds a briefing:

’I’m not sorry to be leaving actually. It’s not that anyone

questions my decisions… quite the opposite… whatever I say

they just accept. For instance, when I asked my production

manager to say a few words to the board on his objectives for

the next phase, he timidly said, ‘My objectives are theGeneral Manager’s objectives.’ It’s really strange. All the time I’ve been here, I’ve never felt I could draw on my people’s experience. I’m not even sure they know how to learn from experience since theyjust seem to obey and agree and carry out orders without thinking about what it means.’

Comments & Analysis:

What are the cultural assumptions of the Chinese? What do they expect in terms of relations, behavior between manager &employees?

What is the impact on the Irish manager in relation to his own cultural expectations and behavior?

As the new manager, what would you do?

CI #2

You are discussing recruitment with a German colleague working in North Africa and he confides:

’In North Africa, every-time I ask for someone to be hired, it turns out

to be the foreman’s cousin or a good friend of the senior supervisor’s

sister’s husband! Of course half the time they’re not even

qualified. And I have to be very careful, there’s been some difficulty

with the Government over foreign companies treating local workers

badly and showing a lack of respect for the local culture. This project

is important. We don’t want an incident!’

Comments &Analysis:

What are the cultural assumptions of the North Africans? What do they expect when hiring or being hired?

What is the impact on the Germans in relation to their own cultural expectations and behavior?

As the manager, responsible for hiring, what would youdo?

CI #3

An American colleague draws you aside during a Global Project Manager’s meeting and asks a

’second opinion’ on a problem he is experiencing as site manager of a large project in the

Philippines.

’It’s driving me nuts! They seem willing and friendly when I talk to

them… but they’ve just no idea of ’going for it!’ Last week I told one

of our supervisors to make sure the shift finished wiring up the

installation so the rest of the crews could get started on Monday.

We’ve got a real tight deadline. When we got it in on Monday there

was only half the shift and the job was hardly touched. I got really

mad, bawled the supervisor out and demanded an explanation. After

a whole lot of humming and hawing, he finally told me some old guy

in one of the villages had died. Half the shift came fromthere so they went back to pay their respects. He wasn’t even a close relative! I told him he’d better fire the lot at the end of the month. There’s plenty more where they came from.’

Comments & Analysis:

What are the cultural assumptions of the Filipinos? What is the expected behavior in such circumstances?

What is the impact on the Americans in relation to their own cultural expectations and behavior?

As the site manager, you have to get the Filipinos working and the project going. How?

CI #4You are the Manager of a Brazilian working on a South Korean project. You

know the local senior supervisor is unhappy about him. During a discussion on

something else, you bring the subject up indirectly and he immediately

responds:

’I know what you’re trying to tell me… he doesn’t like me. I

guessed as much. In fact that’s what I find so hard here… no

offence to you… but nobody says outright what they feel or

think. Why didn’t he come and tell me himself instead of

creeping behind my back moaning to you? It’s not as if he

can’t be direct when he feels like it. He’s forever asking me

where I’m going, what I had for lunch and stuff like that. We

Brazilians are really friendly, and I’ve tried to be open and

approachable, but now I’ve had it up to here!”

Comment & Analysis:

What are the cultural assumptions of the South Koreans? What is their behavior and expectations in such cases?

What is the impact on the Brazilian in relation to his own cultural expectations and behavior?

As the team manager, you have to get the South Koreans and Brazilian working together better. How?

CI #5

You are French, leading a highly skilled, senior team of which most are Swedish and two are

American. The Americans have not worked with the Swedes before. They pull you aside after one

of the team meetings where you have noticed there was growing tension between the Americans

and the rest:

’We have to do all the talking in these meetings! The Swedes hardly input. No one except us asks any

questions or argues a new point of view. And the presentation… what a pain! We spent hours getting

everything just right and it went down like a lead balloon. Not a question or a comment! We find the

long silences incredibly hostile. And when we try to stir it up a bit to get some response, it just gets

worse… they back off and sit stone-faced till we quit.’

Comments & Analysis:

What are the cultural assumptions of the Swedes? What do they expect to happen in meetings?

What is the impact on the Americans in relation to their own cultural expectations and behavior?

As the team manager, you have to get the Swedes and Americans working together better. How?

CI # 6

Three senior managers from a telecoms company in France went to meet a big critical supplier (ABC Telecom) inRiyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. The French were the customers, with a perspective of a customer (i.e.demanding what they want; attitude the ‘customer is always right’). They met the Saudis and directly asked whatthey wanted in what the Saudis perceived as an aggressive tone. Once they started the meeting with the Saudicounterparts, they went directly into their request without taking time for ‘small talk’ any kind of properintroduction. They asked for a percentage discount on their business agreements and threatened to take theirbusiness to another supplier in case the request was ignored. The Saudi counterparts stopped speaking, gave noanswers, and together decided to stand up and actually leave the room. They left the French managers in themiddle Riyadh, feeling very confused and not aware of what really happened. Even the taxi that drove them to themeeting site left them there.

Comments & Analysis:

What are the cultural assumptions of the French? What do they expect to happen in meetings?

What is the impact on the Saudis in relation to their own cultural expectations and behavior?

You’re the manager of the French team. How do you suggest to help repair the situation between the French and Saudis and get them working together better?

More resources and programs

https://theconversation.com/the-predicament-

of-diversity-re-boot-for-diversity-3-0-97109

https://www2.thtconsulting.com/

https://hi.hofstede-insights.com/en/introduction-

to-cross-cultural-management123

https://hi.hofstede-insights.com/brands

Thank you for you attention!

Keep in touch, NY friends:

Michelle.mielly@grenoble-em.com