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Cultural synergy
The aim of synergy in teamworking is that once the right group of people is 
assembled, the resulting synergy is greater than the sum of their individual 
skills and talents.
When building a multicultural team, every effort should be made to pre-
serve rather than neutralize the cultural differences in order to exploit their 
benefits. This approach can help produce cultural synergy, building on both 
the similarities and the differences. International teams tend to thrive on 
differing traditions and cultures, and if successful synergy is achieved, the 
team will make maximum use of all the participants’ different cultural atti-
tudes. Cultural synergy can be developed by a fusion of not only the home 
and host culture but also of the corporate culture.
Issues raised by multicultural teams working together
The following list covers some of the main issues that should be addressed 
with regard to teams working together:
creating a focus, usually the agreed objectives, the common challenge, 
coupled with a sense of achievement;
encouraging the dual process of empowerment and participation;
establishing the transparency of the process which should be clear to all, 
unambiguous, with no hidden agenda and no surprises;
monitoring and using the dynamics of the group;
accounting for language, including the selection of the working language 
and the use of interpreters;
developing trust as a continuing process as members leave the team and 
new ones join it;
recognizing and making good use of differences, thus maximizing 
cultural synergy and celebrating diversity;
allowing for added stress and fatigue because of the different cultural 
dimensions. This will require more organizational effort, more time and 
more consultation.
Language issues
The following list covers issues relating to language in teams working 
together:
Use of English – it is advisable to use ‘off-shore’ or international English 
and it is important that tolerance is shown towards those who have 
English as their second language.
Summarizing, both oral and written, as an aid to understanding involves 
extra time but avoids problems later.
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148 Cross-Cultural Communication
It is important to check understanding and agreement amongst team 
members; the importance of preserving ‘face’ in many cultures should 
also be considered at this stage.
When planning language training, it is important to first carry out a 
needs analysis, to assess the time available and to decide on the standard 
of desired fluency.
The use of interpreters and translators is necessary, as is the need for them 
to be familiar with a company’s corporate culture and its objectives.