Behavioral Differences Of Multicultural Team Working With...

Introduction The precise meaning of culture seems too difficult to grasp, but it might be described as shared values, behaviors and assumptions that distinguish one group from another and are passed on from one generation to the next (Schein. E, 1990). Culture can leave a very significant influence on cognition and perception without even being aware of it (Schneider S.C., Barsoux J.L. and Stahl G.K., 2014). So culture differs from country to country at some extent. National cultural differences is the top reason why an alarming rate of up to 70% of joint ventures fail (www.ugmconsulting.com). Also, it is of vital importance when dealing with cross-border management issues. Therefore, this reflective essay aims to critically evaluate four†¦show more content†¦1.1 Description Prior to two years, I was sitting in front of a working desk at IBM China office in Shenzhen. Much enjoyed by frequent activities with team members, such as dining out after work and playing ball games at weekends, I often tended to consult senior colleagues whenever I faced with dilemmas. In group meetings, my usual reaction was to reach consensus to avoid further discussion. But I found situations totally different in the United States when I had the chance to go on a business trip with my manager Alan in June 2014. American employees seemed more likely to go home directly after one day’s work or ate alone outside and solved the problem that encountered at work individually. From my observation, another obvious distinction between both countries was the behavioral style of managers. Chinese managers often assigned tasks to employees, while American managers allowed them more freedom. 1.2 Feelings Before I made that business trip, I originally thought IBM as an USA based corporation, employees in both countries should have showed similarity in a large extent. So it really surprised me with the fact of the existence of huge behavioral differences. 1.3 Evaluation During the cross-cultural experience,