Towards Understanding Multicultural Teams

Abstract

Chapter 1 in Effective Multicultural Teams: Theory and Practice Tirmizi briefly discusses the emergence of and research on multicultural teams. Teams in general are defined and categorized. He also discusses multicultural teams and the different factors that affect their efficiency and performance. Tirmizi introduces a model to provide a framework for studying and understanding multicultural teams. The model is very similar to the I-P-O framework model in that it encompasses team inputs, processes, and outputs. The components of the model are societal/institutional factors, organizational factors, team factors, team climate, and team effectiveness criteria. The first two components focus on cultural and organizational team inputs (i.e. culture, structure, size, economy, etc.). Organizational factors include team design and structure, members KSAs, and team processes (i.e. communication, problem solving, conflict management, leadership, etc.). Team climate refers to factors that moderate team performance (i.e. trust, cohesion, commitment, etc.). Finally, team effectiveness criteria focus on team performance, learning, and member satisfaction.

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