This is a discussion question. There needs to be an answer for the comments in bold, in addition to a response to Sarah Ridesen responses. The answer to the questions needs to be a least a paragraph. Giving valid facts for both the responses to the questions and to Sarah Riseden response.
One challenge is the Tactical/Global approach by getting employee “buy in”. This is a great way to take the “pulse” of the employees. One way to do this is to conduct an employee survey that is easy to read and understand and translated if necessary. It needs to be made clear that the survey is non-threatening and confidential otherwise employees will either not fill it out, or answer the way in which they feel they are supposed to.
Another challenge is the language barrier. It is important that the translators hired are not only translating the words but the meaning behind the words in order to correctly portray the company’s culture. This can be achieved by having an in-country translator in addition to the company translator to be sure they are both on the same page.Bottom of Form
This article touches on the pros and cons of off shoring. Although the trend is still rising , the pros and cons always have to be analyzed. When we think of off shoring the first thing that comes to mind is cheap labor but according to the article there are many different factors like supply chain, the cost of getting the product to the US and other countries. These are factors that also need to be considered.
Answer preview
I agree that both language barrier and the Tactical/Global approach to getting employee “buy-in” are some of the challenges that face intercultural teams. This should however not cause panic in the management of such teams since the challenges can be overcome. One way to overcome language barrier is by hiring a translator who will not only translate the words to the teams’ members but also the meaning behind the word. This will benefit the company brand by making people understand it is a company that accepts diversity. On the other hand, the challenge of tactical/Global approach by getting employee “buy-in” can be taken into consideration by conducting surveys.
