Ranked #1 in the World
This summer 12 Thunderbird students obtained international internships through the University of Arizona/Conacyt Annual Technology Transfer Program. The following post is from Grace K. Reidy, Accelerated MBA, Dec 2010
Thunderbird encourages students to seek out diverse teams because, while this diversity may not result in the highest grades, it will maximize cross-cultural learning. Well, the best word to describe my team in Merida, Mexico was diverse.
Each person came from a different culture and carried a different set of values. There was our Chilean team leader, the scientist, who liked to analyze every option, wanted complete information and understood the importance of coffee breaks to foster relationships with the center’s research scientists. There was the expressive patent attorney from China, whose primary concern was identifying ideas that could make money. He understood intellectual property laws in China and the United States. There was the Korean-American Pharmacy/MBA double major, who had a realistic perspective of what our team could accomplish and perfected the art of the managing the middle ground. He cared about delivering a good product but also wanted a cohesive team. Finally, there was me. The CPA, accustomed to navigating ambiguity in the financial world, making quick decisions, delivering high-level products under tight deadlines and tracking time in 6-minute intervals.
Needless to say, there was a class of cultures in our team. Because our team did not take time to “form” properly, this “storming” phase was more dramatic than it should have been. Each person had a different conception of time. Each person had a different way of decision-making and even different ideas about “appropriate” ways to communicate their ideas. Our translator had a different concept of important information. Principles taught by Dr. Leclerc in Cross-Cultural Communication provided a framework to understand differences. The ideas of “self awareness” and a clearly defined “vision”, which Dr. Pearson relayed in Global Leadership helped identify the source of these the team issues. Because of the counsel from colleagues in Dr. Finney’s Managing Working Relationships, I made baby-steps towards bridging the communication gap. But ultimately, it was when we all began to demonstrate respect to each other, that the transition from “storming” to a productive “norming” team.
It was only because of humility that our diverse ideas began to meld into a solid final product. My key learning? Without the vision and meekness to bring out your team members’ strengths, what you know, your drive and your intelligence matter little.
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