Leadership CaseIn the case study āManaging a Global Teamā, Greg James is the Global Manager of Sun Microsystems, Inc.; a large IT multinational which provides complete network and systems technology solutions to companies. For the past year he has led a diverse customer implementation team consisting of 45 highly skilled individuals based in the US, France, UAE and India. Under his elected Open Work Program much of his team either work from their homes, or under a flexible option, alternating between working at home or in their domestic office. Despite his hopes of this virtual team being effective, with globally localised customer interaction; he has overlooked the fundamental cultural and work differences between members. Recently these underlying problems have come under scrutiny following the disastrous mishandling and breach of the HS Holdings Group contract. The key issues facing Jamesās team are formidable and include; a lack of solidarity with no shared goals, a lack of cultural empathy, poor communication, a lack of accountability, and unequitable work expectations.
My analysis will address these problems by arguing that the ultimate responsibility for the groupās mismanagement lies with James and his inexperience in global leadership. To do so I will use the MBI model developed by Maznevski & DiStefano (2000) where I will analyse how the role of diversity plays out in the dynamics of the group by applying the framework for mapping cultural dimensions, developed by; Hofstede (1980; 1991).Following this I will address what role the āOpen Workā environment played in the case. I will then examine how best to bridge the in-group differences and finish by analysing methods of integration incorporating short and long term recommendations for James and his team.
[Table of Contents]
The Case of the MBI model
1.1. Using a simple model of multiculturalism
We will examine the dynamics of a non-multicultural identity ā a global identity in which diverse groups are increasingly engaged in the work of the individual. In my approach, my model assumes that the role of diversity is most definitely at play as the dominant position for multiculturalism among individuals.
The model includes:
It is not the case that diversity cannot be a single entity or of individuals, but is rather a combination of elements that create a multilevel structure, with many of them acting in concert.
A group can be defined as a ‘national’, ‘caucasian’, ‘white’, ‘black’, ‘Muslim’, or any combination of the above.
We will use this definition to argue that diversity is at its core a ‘national identity’ so that individuals of different ethnicities, or at least some with different social and socio-economic backgrounds, should be included in a diversity network.
We will also examine why, if this definition should be applied to non-multiculturalism, it will provide a unique opportunity to ‘get back to working towards this’ because of the diversity dynamics, the ‘multiculturalisation’, and the diversity that has already occurred in the community.
Our model is similar to those of Daniel and co; based on the principle that a single entity can shape and shape all multidimensional social or socio-economic environments. The aim here is to find out how many individuals there are within diversity groups to build networks of integrated, interlinked individuals. What these individuals are is that they are all members of a community, and not just members of a single group; that one of them is a member of a multicultural group.
In turn this will allow the multiversity to change through new forms of inter-group harmony; including, for example, the movement of white and black ethnic and ethnic communities.
In terms of the model, diversity is central and it is only by combining that combination that inter-group harmony can build.
The model of the MBI
2.2. What I am going to analyse is the role it played in a multidimensional network of local communities within a broad multilanguages group
In this respect, MBI has the same role as any previous model of community diversity but it is one that has been used in different contexts ā in other contexts by our researchers in the fields relating to Multiculturalism, Ethnicity, Diversity, and Nationality.
The following table has provided an analysis of the MBI model developed by Maznevski and colleagues. In short, the first