Many Cultures, One Team: Build Your Cultural Repertoire

Catherine Mercer Bing

Jan 2015 · Technics Publications

About this ebook

Many Cultures, One Team is an essential aid for anyone who leads, is a member of, consults with, or supports global teams. Starting from the premise that the concept of team is culturally bound, Catherine Mercer Bing provides guidance for improving team function and performance. Drawing on her extensive experience in supporting global teams, she challenges team leaders and members to reflect on their cultural assumptions – to improve their cultural metacognition – and provides key advice concerning engagement, productivity, and human process interactions on teams. Global competition is fierce, and the timeframe within which businesses maintain their competitive advantage is now counted in months rather than years. One important source of competitive advantage is human behavior. Team leaders that manage the subtle, but powerful, forces of group dynamics and culture achieve better business outcomes. Team leaders that fail to identify and manage these subtle forces in real-time risk having their plans thwarted. “Many Cultures, One Team” is based on Cass Mercer Bing's extensive experience helping virtual and multi-cultural teams achieve their full potential. “Many Cultures, One Team” provides extensive advice for team leaders and consultants in a ready-to-use format. It is a crucial guide to anyone who wishes to gain a better handle on a crucial source of competitive advantage: human dynamics on global and virtual teams. Dr. Amitai Touval, Zicklin School of Business My favorite part is the case box. It raises questions and makes me think, ‘darn, I don’t really know!’... The explanations tend to give me a ‘Yes, yes, I know’ feeling. Gert Jan Hofstede, Associate Professor at Wageningen UR, The Netherlands Cass has presented a framework for global leaders to go beyond their own comfort zone allowing leaders to recognize and appreciate the cultural challenges involved in leading cross cultural teams. The leader is able to recognize and identify the cultural dynamics and utilize these techniques and strategies in making the organization function more effectively. This approach and the techniques outlined can be applied at multiple levels in the organization which makes a compelling case for leaders and HR professionals who operate in the complex network of cultural behavioral preferences present in global teams. John E. Warren III, Global Human Resources Executive

About the author

Catherine Mercer Bing is the CEO of ITAP International, Inc., a global consulting firm that specializes in the impact that cultural differences have on business interactions. Ms. Bing has 30+ years in human resources development. She spent more than eight years working as an internal corporate HR professional, and 16 years as an outside communications, HR and cross-cultural consultant. She has travelled and worked with international partners in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Holland, India, Ireland, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the UK.