MG105 Organisational Behaviour and Leadership
Class 5 (Week 7)
The Multicultural Workplace
Agenda
• Review of Readings
• Quiz
• Presentation – Team 7
• Feedback
Brett, J., Behfar, K., and Kern, M. C. (2006). Managing multicultural
teams. Harvard Business Review, November, 85-91.
1. What is the type and purpose of this reading?
Empirical/theoretical: To develop a framework of four strategies for managing
conflict in multicultural teams
2. What are the main conclusions?
There are four strategies that managers can use: Adaptation, Structural
Intervention, Managerial Intervention and Exit. Each should be used under the right
circumstances and all have their pros and cons. When possible, adaptation is the
best strategy because it requires the team to solve its own problems.
3. What method did the authors use to reach these conclusions?
The authors conducted interviews with managers and members of multicultural
teams and also used their own prior research on dispute resolution and teamwork.
4. Why does this matter?
Multicultural teams can be particularly difficult to manage because of language
barriers and cultural differences.
Cole, M.S., Carter, M.Z., and Zhang, Z. (2013) Leader-Team congruence in
power distance values and team effectiveness: The mediating role of
procedural justice climate. Journal of Applied Psychology, 98, 962-973
1. What is the type and purpose of this reading?
Empirical: To examine the effect of Power Distance congruence (between leaders and
teams) on team effectiveness
2. What are the main conclusions?
A mismatch between leaders’ and teams’ Power Distance creates a feeling of
unfairness (reduced Procedural Justice) which leads to poorer performance and lower
OCB. This is exacerbated when the leader has higher Power Distance than the team.
3. What method did the authors use to reach these conclusions?
Studied 78 teams in 2 companies in China. Performance was measured by an external
manager. OCB was measured by the team leader for each team member.
4. Why does this matter?
Power Distance affects leadership style and expectations (high PD = more directive,
low PD = more participative). Leaders need to adjust their style to the team, and the
team needs to adjust their expectations to the leader.
Mid-term Quiz
• Indicate if the following statements are TRUE or FALSE:
1. The Big 5 is the most widely used personality instrument for
research.
2. Prospect Theory predicts that people who focus on possible gains
will choose the riskier option.
3. A “heuristic” is a mental shortcut that can lead to biased decision-
making.
4. Pay for Performance incentive systems will always lead to better
performance.
5. Power Distance is a cultural difference that explains why some
people accept hierarchy more readily than others.
• Name all five factors of the Big 5:
• Name all three facets of Organisational Justice:
Mid-term quiz – Answers, part 1
1. TRUE
2. FALSE. People who focus on losses will choose the riskier option
because humans fear loss more than they desire gain.
3. TRUE
4. FALSE. It will not “always” lead to better performance. For example:
(1) if the employee does not have the skills required to perform
better, (2) if the employee is not interested in the reward, (3) if the
unintended consequences such as lack of cooperation outweigh the
performance gains.
5. TRUE
Mid-term quiz – Answers, part 2
• Name all five factors of the Big 5:
– Openness,
– Conscientiousness,
– Extraversion,
– Agreeableness,
– Neuroticism (or Emotional Stability)
Tip: use the acronym OCEAN to remember this
• Name all three facets of Organisational Justice:
– Distributive Justice
– Procedural Justice
– Interactional Justice (comprised of Informational and Interpersonal
Justice)
Presentation (Team 7)
“Employees working in the same company
should not worry about cultural differences.
As long as they adhere to the company
culture, everything will be fine.” Discuss.
Points to focus on when giving
feedback:
1. Is the main argument clear?
2. Are arguments supported by evidence/readings?
3. Is there a good structure and flow to the presentation?
4. How was the presentation style? (e.g., eye contact,
pace, volume)
5. As a listener, are you convinced?
