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1. Claire Neel, 06/01/2023
Leadership and organizational behaviour
An attempt to challenge yourself as a leader or implement a unique strength – how to
shape my leadership style to forge an organizational culture that allows a high profile
diversity to flourish.
What happened?
In this essay, I will focus on the concepts of leadership, organizational culture and team
management to establish links that would allow me to understand my leadership type better. I
would like to point out that I chose these themes because I did my two internships at the EHL
Hospitality Business School onboard yachts with a mix of nationalities and cultures: 6 different
nationalities for 17 crew members on my first yacht; 9 nationalities for 20 crew members on my
second yacht. As I am considering continuing my career in this industry, I must understand how to
shape my leadership style to create an organizational culture where this diversity can flourish.
UNESCO defines cultural diversity as "the manifold ways in which the cultures of groups and
societies find expression".1
What were the results?
According to the article "What is an organization's culture?" (Christensen, 2006), organizational
culture affects and governs how members think, feel and act within the organization.
The book Organizational Behavior complements this characterization and defines organizational
culture according to seven characteristics (S.P Robbins, T.A. Judge, 2007):
- innovation and risk-taking
- attention to detail
- results orientation
- people orientation
- team orientation
- aggressiveness
- stability
The notion of diversity is thus a common thread within these definitions, as demographic diversity
influences how individuals interact with each other: 'someone who encounters a diversity climate
will feel more comfortable collaborating with coworkers regardless of their demographic
backgrounds' (Organizational Behavior, p. 569). Moreover, the reception and integration of this
diversity are governed by the company's culture.
Why did this happen?
The company culture starts at the recruitment stage, and so does the establishment of diversity.
However, the factors of this diversity are not limited to nationality and the specific culture that
usually accompanies it; they also consist of gender, age, background, education, etc. The role of
the corporate culture then becomes predominant so that diversity is organized vertically and
horizontally within the organization. The article "Diversity in the company: from ethical imperative
to creativity lever", published in 2011, highlights the need for differentiation of profiles in all strata
within an organization to lead to: "states in this regard: an increase in the cognitive performance
of teams by stimulating their creativity, responsiveness and capacity for anticipation".
What class concepts are relevant to this situation?
I mentioned many in this essay. I also used my knowledge from a class I followed during my
Bachelor, named Organisational Capital and Leadership. The simulations that I will mention along

2. the essay, Climbing the Everest and Tip of the Iceberg, were conducted during my Bachelor
course.
What did you learn from this?
The article "Diversity in the company: from ethical imperative to creativity lever" (2011) underlines
the benefits linked to the diversity of company profiles. It is a real managerial performance lever
thanks to the prevention of the risk of discrimination, in-depth work on communication and, thus
on, cooperation within the company, and the development of a culture of collaboration and
creativity.
It positively impacts attracting the best talent and stimulating the skills and creativity of each
individual, thanks to a wide range of career paths. Another significant benefit is the impact of
cultural diversity on teamwork. Indeed, diversity allows a wide range of ideas to be brought in. The
team then benefits from the different backgrounds of each person, which often benefits the
company. The Climbing the Everest simulation illustrates how much the achievement of a common
goal depends on each team member.
The "Tip of the Iceberg" simulation I did during my course at EHL Hospitality Business School,
revealed an organization's disadvantages. It reinforced my belief that language differences can
lead to serious communication difficulties. I experienced this myself during my two placements.
The first of them brought me face to face with this obstacle quite suddenly: without ever having
been in an English-speaking environment, I found myself surrounded by people whose mother
tongue was English and who also used a specialized vocabulary specific to the field of maritime
navigation. This situation complicated my integration.
How do I, as a team leader, deal with diversity?
As we saw along this course, the leader has a role in the work environment. The Cultural
Intelligence Survey test shows my high score in Action (31 points), which values good
communication in multicultural situations. My equally high scores in Knowledge (35 points) and
Drive (32 points), once again, highlight the benefits I attribute to diversity in business. Studying
cultural diversity in its many expressions, with genuine curiosity and understanding it: is the most
appropriate solution to understanding it better, to make different cultures live together and make
the most of it.
Sources et annexes
1 Voir : https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000260710_fre.page=12. Résultats Blake &
Mouton Managerial Grid
Results – Cultural Intelligence Survey

3. Reesults – Cultural Intelligence Survey
Bruna, M. (2011). Diversité dans l'entreprise : d'impératif éthique à levier de créativité.
Management & Avenir, 43, 203- 226. https://doi.org/10.3917/mav.043.0203
Christensen, Clayton M., and Kristin Shu. "What Is an Organization's Culture?" Harvard Business
School Background Note 399-104, February 1999. (Revised August 2006.)
Diversité culturelle | UNESCO UIS. (2005). UNESCO.
http://uis.unesco.org/fr/glossary-term/diversite-culturelle

4. L’importance de la diversité culturelle en entreprise. (2020, 17 mars). Thomas International.
https://www.thomas.co/fr/resources/type/articles/limportance-de- la-diversite-culturelle-en-
entreprise
S. Robbins & T. Judge, (2017). Chapitre 16: Organizational behavior.