Potential Problems in a Multicultural Team

New York Copiers (NYC) manufactures photo copying machines and fax machines for businesses. It has had steady growth since it started and successfully started a venture in the Netherlands using the same managerial style as in USA which worked well. Later on it went to operate in Brazil to take advantage of low labour costs and resources. Lance (CEO) appointed Mary to get the business going and to recruit managers to run it. Lance told to Mary to create the organisation of the same values and managerial systems in Brazil that had been so successful in the USA and Netherlands. When setting up the business in Brazil, managers were recruited from America, Holland and Brazil.
The USA team members were given only basic knowledge of Portuguese so business dealings still needed to be in English or through translator. One member of Dutch team also had a basic knowledge of Portuguese, but other team members spoke only English. The meetings soon were in trouble as very little progress was being made. The USA and Dutch teams thought that Brazilians are not serious enough as they are sometimes late and refuse too many things. Also Dutch didn’t seem to have as much input as they did earlier. NYC’s ethnocentric approach and lack of understanding of Brazilian culture was to be its downfall.

Adler’s theory helps to explain multicultural team problems and solutions to them.…