Leading Multicultural Teams

Richard Hibbert, Evelyn Hibbert

Description

Churches and mission agencies are increasingly characterized by cultural diversity. As a result, many Christians find themselves working as part of a multicultural team. Leading these teams is a complex challenge that requires team leaders to understand how to help multicultural teams thrive. Team leaders need to know how to help team members grow in particular qualities and acquire specific skills related to multicultural teamwork. This book integrates insights from the Bible, team theory, leadership, and intercultural studies to explain how leaders of multicultural teams can help their teams become enriching and enjoyable contexts to work in, at the same time as achieving their purpose.

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Philosophie et théologie
• Growth
• Christian Church

Informations

• Publié par: William Carey Publishing
• Date de parution: 28 mai 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781645080961
• Langue: English

Extrait

We appreciated very much all that you have written in this book. It is a very comprehensive guidebook that covers all the essential areas. This book is very helpful in understanding the complexity of a multicultural team, the challenge to leading such a team, and how an organization can restructure, support, and help those involved, whether they are leaders, members, or mentors/coaches. The book has given many good examples-it is very well written and presented, and very meaty.
- Chiew Yoke and Phaik See Lee, Asia-Pacific Regional Directors, WEC International
The chapter on conflict is much the best presentation I ve seen of cross-cultural ways of dealing with conflict. Greatly needed material!
- Ministry Trainer with the Church Missionary Society, Middle East
I think this is the best book I have read on the subject, because it is up to date, with lots of references to the most recent research and abreast with all the latest theory. The bibliography is a gold mine. At the same time it is very practical. There are lots of tips and insights for team leaders. It is also realistic about the pain and difficulty of establishing multicultural teams that are really synergistic.
- Julyan Lidstone, Area Leader, Operation Mobilization, Western and Central Asia

Leading Multicultural Teams
Copyright 2014 by Evelyn and Richard Hibbert
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise-without prior written permission of the copyright owner, except in brief quotations used in connection with articles and reviews in magazines or newspapers.
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION , NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Published by William Carey Library
1605 E. Elizabeth St.
Pasadena, CA 91104 | www.missionbooks.org
Aidan Lewis, editor
Brad Koenig, copyeditor
Hugh Pindur, graphic design
William Carey Library is a ministry of the
U.S. Center for World Mission
Pasadena, CA | www.uscwm.org
Digital eBook Release BP2014
ISBN 978-0-87808-971-0

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hibbert, Evelyn.
Leading multicultural teams / Evelyn Hibbert, Richard HIbbert.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-87808-541-5
1. Christian leadership. 2. Multiculturalism-Religious aspects-Christianity. 3. Teams in the workplace. 4. Interpersonal relations-Religious aspects-Christianity. 5. Leadership-Religious aspects-Christianity. 6. Leadership. I. Title.
BV652.1.H535 2014
253-dc23
2014000627
CONTENTS
Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: The Challenge of Leading Multicultural Teams
Chapter 2: How Cultural Differences Affect Teams
Chapter 3: A Vision for Multicultural Community
Chapter 4: Building Healthy Multicultural Team Community
Chapter 5: Clarifying the Team s Purpose and Approach
Chapter 6: Appreciating Team Members Personalities, Roles, and Gifts
Chapter 7: Managing Team Conflict
Chapter 8: Character Qualities to Nurture
Chapter 9: Skills to Work On
Chapter 10: How Organizations Can Support Team Leaders
Appendix 1: Leadership Discussion Questions
Appendix 2: Identifying Your Assumptions and Expectations
Appendix 3: Multicultural Team Leader Inventory
Bibliography
PREFACE
We began our quest to be part of a synergistic multicultural team over twenty-five years ago. Since that time we have been part of many groups that called themselves teams, but only two that achieved synergy-one multicultural and one monocultural. We have visited, coached, and advised teams, and taught about teams in many different countries and contexts across the globe. Highly effective teams, monocultural or multicultural, are the exception rather than the rule in all the contexts we have seen. High-performing multicultural teams are very rare, but they do not have to be.
There is a wonder and joy in being part of a team that achieves synergy. You want to get up every morning and be with your colleagues. There is a confidence that you can overcome obstacles together. There is anticipation about what you will be able to achieve together. There is security in feeling that your teammates are 100 percent there for you and will always back you up in front of others. There is joy in seeing each team member grow and develop, and a genuine, ever-continuing delight in discovering the different strengths each member brings to the team. Being part of a team that becomes what a team is meant to be is an awesome privilege. Too few teams reach this state of synergy, but it is within reach of most teams. Achieving synergy in multicultural teams requires disciplined commitment to building relationships, especially during team formation, and dogged perseverance through the major storms that arise.
This book is designed to help leaders and organizations help their teams become highly effective. We have developed the ideas in this book through reflecting on our experiences and through studying what others have written in many fields of human knowledge. These fields include intercultural studies, cultural anthropology, missiology, business, management, organizational studies, peace and conflict studies, Whiteness and indigenous studies, multiculturalism, education, and social justice. Sometimes Christians can think that they do not need to learn from secular fields of study. But many people have spent many years researching and thinking about human interaction in many different contexts and have gained insights that can help us understand the interpersonal and intercultural dynamics that occur in the hotbed of a multicultural team. Multicultural team leaders as well as their team members need to be continual learners, and we have much to learn from the research in these areas.
If you are not a Christian or you work in a secular organization, we believe that the principles described in this book about how to facilitate reflective teamwork, healthy community, and good relationships apply to all teams. You may not find the biblical and theological discussions about multicultural community so relevant, but the emphasis on relationships and equity in human organizational structures is essential for all teams, as are the insights concerning intercultural differences. We interviewed team members, leaders, and supervisors from Christian mission agencies and secular organizations as part of the research behind this book. Our interviewees stressed character qualities such as humility and patience; these were as much a concern for non-Christian team supervisors, leaders, and members as for Christian.
This book begins by describing what a healthy team looks like and extends this to multicultural teams by considering how cultural differences affect multicultural teams and what healthy multicultural community looks like. It then explores the implications of understanding these insights for leaders of multicultural teams, including the things the leader needs to do to establish the team, build a healthy team community, balance personalities and roles on the team, and manage conflict. The characteristics and competencies of good multicultural team leaders are then described, and ways leaders can develop these are explored. The book concludes with recommendations for organizations about how to select and train multicultural team leaders and how to develop and strengthen multicultural teams.
We recommend the adventure of being part of a multicultural team to everyone who wants to experience the wonder of synergy that can develop when people of very diverse backgrounds learn to appreciate each other and work together. However, be prepared for a bumpy ride! And only set out on the journey if you are convinced the destination is worth arriving at, as it will take a great deal of commitment and perseverance to get there. Multicultural teams are wonderful, but they are also hard work.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We could not have written this book without the help of several groups of people. First we would like to thank our teammates who worked with us in the Middle East, Bulgaria, England, and Australia. You gave us the privilege of experiencing what it is like to achieve more together than we could ever have done on our own. This book is the product of your struggling together with us to discover how to work together in multicultural teams.
Thank you too to all the people we interviewed about their experiences of working in other multicultural teams. You have given us hope that multicultural teams can work and be a deeply enriching experience. Your experiences and insights have formed a vital part of this book. Thank you especially for being willing to share the difficulties and pain you experienced in the process.
A dedicated band of busy people who have many years of experience in working in and leading multicultural teams carved time out from their busy lives to review the first draft of this book. Your comments and suggestions have made the final product much better than it would otherwise have been. Thank you so much! One of this group of reviewers reminded us that working in a multicultural team is a transformative experience. Even when it is difficult, we can be confident that God s Spirit is at work in us to mold us into the image of Jesus.
Finally we want to thank everyone who has believed in us and encouraged us over the years. Without your encouragement we would not have attempted this task. Thank you especially to Elizabeth Hentschel, who conduct