Globalisation and Teamwork Dr. Peter Cullen Language and Culture for Business Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literature University of Urbino Carlo Bo www.cl4englishlistening.wordpress.com [email_address]

Teamwork: What is a team? A team is a group of people who work together to acheive a common goal via commonly established and followed procedures , processes and rules . m+m+m+m = 4m? association m+m+m+m = N? community A team has direction . A team agrees on process and rules for completing tasks. A team is a finite sphere of cultural interaction . A team may or may not have a team leader . Teams may be formal or informal .

Understanding teamwork and globalisation Globalisation: “ The process of transformation of local or regional phenomena into global ones. This process is a combination of economic, technological, socio-cultural, and political forces.” Sheila Croucher (Miami U). Global systems are NOT new. The current scale of globalisation is. “ Globalisation” as a theory developed from academic interest in capitalism and imperialism.

Understanding teamwork and globalisation Information: Information Technology ( IT ) has increased participation in global processes. “ global village ” term popularised by communications theorist M. McLuhan between 1962-1964. ICTs now influence processes of: personal communication film/TV/music marketing personal consumption (Amazon) finance transport consumption (e-tickets) management behavioural interaction language ICT development itself

Understanding teamwork and globalisation Recent globalisation has dramatically changed the field of interaction across societies. BUT: each society functions according to its own cultural learning – initially. How can culturally different people from different societies find common values and forms of communication for the purpose of acheiving a goal or goals through shared processes? Lakshmi Mittal – CEO/owner of Arcelor Mittal

Understanding teamwork and globalisation Globalised teamwork may take two forms: Division of competencies among teams across the globe (traditional multinational corporate model) Interaction within a global team. (globalisation of management) In companies, each form suggests a different approach to teamwork and LEADERSHIP

What is leadership? Leadership is the act and quality of leading other people in a common effort to acheive a goal. Leaders may be people or institutions. Leadership may be formal, informal or both. Leadership requires structures, systems and processes of communication. It is institutionalised. IT IS A FORM OF CULTURAL COMMUNCATION

Leading people In human and animal societies and communities, certain individuals or limited groups act to organise and regulate the behaviour of other group members. Conflict resolution was the prime motivator of the early functionality of leadership in human communities. It created a need for authority . This differentiation significantly changed the way primates view their cultural field , creating a culture of norms, rules and laws .

Leading people Authorities function to establish consensus and direction in group behaviour with respect to norms, rules and laws. This requires cultural negotiation between leaders and the group. Cultural negotiation may occur through linguistic communication OR Non-linguistic communication.

Language and culture The language process uses a code to communicate a message from a producer to a receiver – but: Each variable depends on its relationship to the other variables for understanding to happen. Culture operates with a similar series of feedback loops. (i.e. Bourdieu) Producer code message communication receiver understanding MEMORY Feedback loop at each stage

Leading people Authority accesses cultural feedback loops at different places for different purposes. Authority may be concentrated or distributed . Concentrated to distributed authority. Dictatorship Absolute monarchy Oligarchy Parliamentary monarchy Republican democracy Cooperatives or communes

Leading people Concentrated authority creates and imposes message, enforcing rigid interpretation of code . Why? Distributed authority creates message through active consensus, seeking legitimacy of both message and code through social accord . Why? Authority = responsibilty

Leadership in business Businesses have specific social, cultural, economic, political and historical contexts of development . Business functions and processes inform their approaches to leadership. Economic resources are the key. Corporations Public companies Large family-owned companies MSMEs US models? Euro models? Asia? Africa? Board of Directors CEO/CFO Dept. Director/Manager Middle management Owner-operator Class A shareholder Class B shareholder Stakeholders

Teamwork and leadership Global teams must understand their relationships to authority . Whose goals? Which processes to achieve these goals? Is authority concentrated or distributed ? Is the team globally interactive or divided according to competency ? Is authority internal or external to the team? Or both?

Teamwork and leadership Global teamwork may need to create new and personalised forms of communication in order to agree on processes for reaching team goals. Internal feedback loops. Forms of communication must be functional to daily practice. Values within the team must be functional to daily practice. Results of teamwork must be functional to team communication and values! Global teamwork must make diversity functional. Global teams must create community . m+m+m+m = N How can we create global communities?

Global teamwork may need to create new and personalised forms of communication in order to agree on processes for reaching team goals. Internal feedback loops.

Forms of communication must be functional to daily practice.

Values within the team must be functional to daily practice.

Results of teamwork must be functional to team communication and values!

Global teamwork must make diversity functional.

Global teams must create community . m+m+m+m = N

How can we create global communities?

What is the role of culture in the economy? Concepts : Production cost exchange Distribution price trade/exchange Consumption return value All of these concepts involve learning feedback loops. Some of them directly involve a relationship to the physical world . Some of them are abstractions created for the purpose of understanding the physical world.

What is the role of culture in the economy? The concepts and actions that we define as “ economic ” are bound by culture . What are some concepts of “economy” and “business”?

What is the role of culture in the economy? Value : The establishment of value is abstract, fluxuating, and dependent on the cultural feedback loop. It combines primary necessity with utility (abstract) Today, we use money to establish value. Luca Fantacci – money is: a means of exchange a measure of value a reserve of value All dependent on the cultural feedback loop.

What is the role of culture in the economy? TIME : a dependent variable The concept of time measures the rate of change . It is a tool . Tools are objects invented by man to interact with the internal and external environment. i.e. Memory/activity requires time production, distribution, consumption require time The approach to time is fundamental in economics. How does it function in relation to your team?

What is the role of culture in the economy? “ Time is money ” – an American concept This is not true in real terms, but the metaphor guides American business practices. Can American concepts of time, expressed and learned in their business practices, be applied in other parts of the world – such as Italy? Why? Why not? How? i.e - business quarters, cost accounting, mark to market, business planning, etc., etc., etc. Why is this an important question for Italians?

What is the role of culture in the economy? Answers to these questions are fundamental to success in global business and teamwork. Finding functional answers requires cultural contextualisations of relationships. contractual, informal, communications consumption, service, production... History can help find explanations of culturally specific behaviour in different regions. i.e. America is not Italy – why? Understand this  teamwork!

What is the role of diversity in culturally diverse teams? Teamwork in the global arena requires RESPECT for diversity. Diversity of approach to authority, time, value, labour Respect = listen identify message contextualise meaning TOWARD team functionality establish message in team context (NOT easy!) Diversity produces strong teams since cultural and linguistic feedback loops with in the group are consciousely evaluated more often. This takes a lot of work! BE patient! Fewer cultural assumptions = stronger emphasis on current group identity . Functionality = identity-building opportunity.

Food for thought Businesses are culturally formed identity systems . NO single business system is the right one for everyone. Successful GLOBAL business respects identities in transit between local, regional and global arenas. Global business is in a push/pull relationship with global teamwork opportunities. Business benefits from learning about multiple existing socio-cultural and economic systems in order to build effective NEW interactional business contexts = better teamwork  better global business!

Thank you! Dr. Peter Cullen Language and Culture for Business Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literature University of Urbino Carlo Bo www.cl4englishlistening.wordpress.com [email_address]