Effective Multicultural Teams: Theory and Practice

Multicultural and multinational teams have become an important strategic and structural element of organizational work in our globalized world today. These teams are demonstrating their importance from the factory floors to the boardrooms of contemporary organizations. The emergence of multicultural teams is evident across a variety of organizations in the private, public, and civil society sectors. These developments have led to an increasing interest in the theory and practice of multicultural teams. Management educational and training programs are giving increasing attention to these developments. At the same time, there is emerging interest in research about and study of multicultural teams. This book emerged from our teaching, research, and consulting with multic- tural and diverse teams in multiple sectors over the last several years. In particular, we have developed and refined our ideas about the concepts in this book from teaching an advanced course called Effective Multicultural Teams in the Graduate Program at the School for International Training (SIT) in Vermont. We have learned from the rich background of students who are from, and have worked in, six con- nents, and who are, or plan to be, working in the public, educational, not-for-profit, and for-profit sectors. Additionally, we have engaged with a variety of teams through our consulting and training, providing consultation to teams in a variety of sectors and continents as they struggled to become more effective.

This book offers something that few other textbooks do: an accessible and understandable approach to discern the implications of complicated research.  It will be a useful resource in courses on team building, multicultural and international issues at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. I was most impressed with the use of research from so many different cultures. Too often we take a Western, or even a U.S., perspective and assume that our way is the best way without understanding the cultural contexts. This material certainly avoids that trap.

Roger Ritvo, Ph.D., Distinguished Research Professor of Management, Auburn University Montgomery, Montgomery, Alabama, USA

Using a fascinating journey of real life stories, a solid theoretical overview, and practical tools, Halverson and Tirmizi take us deep into the setup of different cultures, how they function, sources of potential collisions, and how best to benefit from this wonderful diversity that
today's globalization provides.  In today's growing globalization, this unprecedented comprehensive book is a must have for all individuals, teams, and organizations that seek to capitalize on the rich diversity of culturally diverse teams.

Nader Tadros, Founder and Director, People’s Advocacy, Fairfax, Virginia, USA, Formerly Middle East Director, America's Development Foundation, Cairo, Egypt
 

Effective Multicultural Teams: Theory and Practice is a profound, powerful and fascinating text for graduate students who want to have a better understanding of the basics of multicultural teams. This book is the result of several years of teaching, consulting and researching by the authors on various relevant issues of multicultural teams. The breadth and depth of coverage of this book are extraordinary and its educational importance cannot be over estimated. It offers a comprehensive approach for creating an effective bridge between theory andpractice. In today’s globalized market economy, both profit and non-profit sectors are emphasizing performance improvement at all levels of their activities and this cannot be achieved without maximizing the benefits of cultural diversity. On many aspects this publication goes beyond the simple quick fixes of high performing multicultural teams by adding life experiences which are inspirational and practical.

Md. Golam Samdani Fakir, Ph.D, Visiting Professor, School for International Training, Brattleboro, Vermont, USA, Director, BRAC Training Division and, Adjunct Faculty at BRAC University, Bangladesh