Question

300-400 words, APA Citation/References Assume you are holding a business meeting with five people, each from a different continent (North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia), you being one of them. Which steps would you take to ensure that everyone is comfortable and that communication is good between everyone?

Answer 1

Multicultural meetings are tactful task to lead. In order to handle such meeting it is important to first understand the major issues that might arise in multicultural meetings. Following are the two potential issues that are identified by many researchers and scholars:

• Researchers have identified as one of the major issues in multicultural meetings is that of differences in the way in which decisions are made. (Gibson. R)
• In order to address such issues it is important for managers to do some prior research on the cultural values and patterns of participants.
• Many scholars suggest that for getting prepared for such meetings training in leadership skills as well as negotiation and language prove to be beneficial.
• The difference in communication style is also identified as a potential barrier in reaching conclusion in multicultural meetings. (Knight R)

In order to ensure that participant from different continent (North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia) are comfortable and that communication is good between everyone I will take following measures:

• To understand the differences and be mindful to tackle them: It is important to understand the cultural differences and be witty to tackle these issues. For doing so it is important to understand the customs of participants and be a good observer.
• To be true to yourself: To understand the cultural norms and their impact on behaviour is one thing but being an in-charge is the most important of all. It is important to set working hypothesis and set the agenda.
• Setting expectation: It is important to set protocols and norms in the beginning. This will ensure that participants understand the importance of the meeting and the communication will be good between everyone.
• Build relationships: Encourage participants to know each other is important to make them comfortable and establish positive environment. Prior to meeting a small briefing session and a small informal meeting can be helpful in this.
• Avoiding unnecessary conversations: Building a relationship is one thing and indulging in useless conversation is another. In order to avoid conflicts it is important to define the limits in the beginning.
• Other significant factors that can be applied are:
  • Flexibility,
  • Conflict management,
  • Creativity,
  • Rewards

References:

• Gibson Robert; 2000; Intercultural Business Communication; Oxford University press; New York.
• Knight Rebecca; 2015; Cross-cultural management; How to Run a Meeting of People from Different Cultures; Harvard Business Review.