Multiracial teams provide a unique set of challenges and advantages given the diversity of cultural backgrounds for individuals in the team. Racial issues generally spark a lot of controversy and handling them requires sensitivity and understanding. In a multiracial team the individuals usually have different experiences and norms at how things are done based on their culture. For such a team to perform effectively, the leaders of the team need to equip themselves with conflict resolutions strategies and inspire cohesion.
One of the major issues that may arise in a multiracial team is challenge in communication among the team members. Different races communicate differently, and apart from the more extreme language barrier, other communication challenges that may arise are accent and fluency problems (Gyebi, 2016). Another complex issue in communication that could arise is how different races express their messages. Some races may be more direct in their expression while other races may be less direct causing tensions.
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Variation in the way different races perceive authority is another challenge that a multiracial team may face. In some races the culture may be of absolute obedience to authority, whereas in other races, a negotiating approach may be embraced when it comes to relation with authority (Ors & Soğancılar, 2018). It will be required of the authority to understand and appreciate the diversity in perception of authority from the different races so as to properly relate with everyone.
The decision-making process could also be very different among the team members due to the different norms and backgrounds. Cultures influence how individuals make decisions in terms of how long it takes to make decisions, how consultative the process is and how what sort of analysis goes to the process. This could be a cause of conflict among members of a multiracial team. The leaders should encourage the team members to make some compromises and learn to understand the point of view of their colleagues.
It is evident that managing a multiracial team requires an in-depth understanding of the cultural background of each team member. Multiracial teams are a representation of beauty in diversity but the challenges that come with that diversity could cause major conflicts if not handled well. It should be the duty of everyone involved in such a team to equip themselves with knowledge about the different cultures. This is the key in creating cohesion, harmony and tolerance in the team.
References
Gyebi, O. K. (2016). The Impact of Multicultural Working Environment on Employees at Workplaces. Business Economics. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/966e/644bfc3d5a878e4e4aa512becd91edc22fa6.pdf
Ors, H. & Soğancılar, N. (2018). Understanding the challenges of multicultural team management. Pressacademia. 7 (3), 259-268. https://doi.org/10.17261/Pressacademia.2018.954
