My Personal Experience of Working in a Multicultural Team - Essay Example

?This was one of the greatest experiences of my life because I worked with a team of people who were tremendously supportive in every way. Furthermore, the team functioned like a well oiled machine, working efficiently and at a fast pace in order to complete the tasks which had been assigned to us. While, in previous experiences, I had found it hard to work within a team, this team made me feel welcome and needed, encourage me to give my best to ensure that it was successful. During the time of our first meeting, all the team members were strangers, but in time, as we got to know each other, we became friends. By the time we were ending our project, we had become so close, that if one did not know us better, he or she would have thought that we had known each other all our lives. I believe that our diverse cultural backgrounds played a significant role in the formation of the bonds of work and friendship which made our team such a success. One of the greatest benefits that I personally reaped from being within this team is the confidence in my ability to do all the tasks that are assigned to me, most especially those concerned with the promotion of the principles and practices within Belif. This new confidence in myself has enabled me to think of a greater role for myself in future than I had previously considered. Moreover, through the team work, I have managed to attain the skills which I think are necessary for dealing with prospective issues concerning the promotion of various products that are offered by Belif. I have found that the only way to convince stakeholders to accept a proposed product is by making it as attractive, creative, and cost effective as possible (Stevens, Williams and Smith 2000 p.607). I have learnt that this is the only way through which these stakeholders can develop any interest in what one has to offer them. In the course of my stay at the Belif, several group and individual tasks have been completed. This was the most exciting part of the work, and all of the activities being important, individuals were given the opportunity to share what they had done individually and also as teams. It was, indeed, a privilege to work and share activities and experience with a group of people who were not only friendly, but also supported me whenever I experienced any problems. Moreover, all members within the work group were willing and able to help each other out to finish all the work that had been assigned to us. All the people involved in the work put in as much effort as they could to do it, and because of this, all the team members were able to work effectively together to ensure that the work was done successfully (De Sousa, Pellissier and Monteiro 2012, p.31). Belif is a unique company because it has facilities which are dedicated to making the lives of all it employees, as well as those individuals who are related to them, comfortable in their environment. Among these facilities are those which are designed to make their children and guests feel at home in their new environment by encouraging them to participate in such programs as health education and dialogue between members of diverse groups and backgrounds (Scotton, 2002 pp.276). Despite this, there are also some problems which are faced by the staff of Belif and among these is the shortage of staff especially when there is an influx of new products in the market and orders for them might overwhelm the Belif staff. One of the most fulfilling aspects of being a staff member of Belif is being able to work with my fellow employees to make sure that the working environment is as comfortable and efficient as possible (Schyns 2006, p.192). In addition, I have found that at Belif, the six thinking hats theory is applied in almost every aspect of the business and this is perhaps the reason why the company has displayed such a high level of success. Education is one of the most important aspects that dominate the world today and it has become essential for individuals to have a good education in order to prosper. This is the reason why at Belif, the management encourages the employees to ensure that they have as much information concerning a product as they can in case this information is needed at a future date (De Beer and Whitlock, 2009 p.212). For credible information to be achieved, it is a fact that the employees have to have the best sources of information which are best placed to help them when need arises. Belif, therefore, encourages its employees to make a self examination to see whether they have qualities which make them effective in the workplace, to strengthen these qualities, and finally, work on developing those qualities which they do not have (Varvoglis 2003, p.5). This is perhaps the reason why Belif has become one of the most successful skincare product companies of its size in the world. I found it interesting that at Belif, a supervisor had to display the qualities which are most desirable in order to encourage his or her subordinates to work towards excellence. According to the company’s management, there are many qualities which make an effective supervisor but these qualities are often very difficult to cultivate and it may take even years to master them (Seligman 2005, p.295). Before being promoted to supervisor within this company, individuals have to undertake the best kind of training in order to be effective and in the training process, they are made to understand that each and every one of their employees is unique with distinctive capabilities. These supervisors are often encouraged to note that not all situations in their areas of authority can be handled in the same way and that these situations may instead require the supervisor’s flexibility. The consideration of the supervisor’s flexibility often ensures the latter creates a working environment that is able to meet the needs of the diverse population of the employees in the workplace (Powers and Jones-Walker 2005, p.517). It is a common fact that at Belif, a supervisor has to be in every way supportive of his employees and this leads to the development of trust between the supervisor and the employees meaning that the latter will be more receptive whenever instructions concerning the implementation of company objectives is concerned. As stated above, every employee has unique abilities and it is up to their supervisor to encourage the development of these abilities to ensure that there is more diversity within the company. In this way, employees with different abilities will be able to share their knowledge with each other and this brings about a richer working environment (Bowen 2007, p.97). This creates an environment that supports tolerance and respect for all the members of staff within the company. It was interesting to observe the fact that at Belif, all the members of staff were encouraged to be not only cautious in their business dealings on behalf of the company, but also be extremely critical thinkers. One of the reasons for this is the belief among the company’s management that all employees have to be exceptionally well prepared. This ensures that any employee’s work in preparation for any company related activity is done on time and it is done in such a way that other employees as well as customers will be able to understand what the said employee is discussing. Furthermore, the employee will be able to deal with potential customers in an organized manner meaning that they will get more from him than if he had not been well organized. The employee, in his endeavor to sell the company’s products, will be able to anticipate the questions that his audience is likely to ask after the discussion, and will be able to answer these questions effectively (Kaufman 2005, p.50). It is therefore a fact that a company employee who is well organized will able to cover more with their customers than those who are not. This has ensured that opportunities, not only for the company’s success but also for the individual’s career, are created and maintained. One of the most observable features that I observed at Belif is the fact that most of the managers and supervisors within the company tend to be highly concerned about the employee’s emotional and developmental welfare. This is based on the belief that a supervisor has to be persistent with his employees in order to gain the best results from them (Sanders 2000, p.84). There are certain employees who require a supervisor’s persistence in order to open up about themselves whenever they are troubled, as well as their future aspirations. It is therefore important that the supervisors maintain their persistence in encouraging such employees to take an active interest in their developmental objectives so that they can be the best at what they do (Covaleski, Dirsmith and Samuel 1996, p.17). If such employees need special help, then the supervisors, within the company, are required to be patient enough to provide such help where they can and where this supervisor is not able to, then he should ask a person more suited for the task to do so. A supervisor’s persistence concerning the welfare of his subordinates ensures that there is the development of goodwill between these two groups and this makes achieving the company’s goals much easier (Treven and Mulej 2007, p.144). During my stay at Belif, I came to find that one of the most important qualities of a manager can possess that is most suited to provide their employees with instruction is having good writing skills. Without these skills, then a manager would probably be almost useless to his employees as well as the company because it would be difficult for him to communicate efficiently with them. By developing good writing skills, the manager will be able to anticipate the questions that his employees are likely to ask during a policy instruction session, and will be able to answer these questions effectively (Janvier-James 2012, p.195). It is therefore a fact that a manager who is also a good writer will be more efficient in his or her work. Furthermore, a manager will be able to provide their employee with detailed notes concerning their discussions, so that those employees who did not understand the discussions throughout the entire session can be able to catch up with the information. In this way, the managers with good writing skills end up providing their employees with an opportunity to study their interpretations of various aspects of the company’s business, and this will ensure that their work will continue to influence the work of employees (Rogers 1998, p.246). This is an advantage because it will prepare the employee in their development of independent management skill, hence increasing their creativity. In conclusion, I have come to the realization that a company or business cannot do well without having a good and effective management. Such a management has to be well organized, supportive and persistent in order to get through to their employees and customers. A management which does not display the above qualities has to work very hard to develop them; otherwise, it will be failing in its duties towards achieving the company’s objectives. In my time at Belif, I came to find that the management practices of the company had a lot to do with the company’s success since it created a good working environment for its employees. The fact that the management was actually concerned about the welfare of its employees says a lot concerning the willingness of the company to build itself through its employees. I would say that the management methods used at Belif, are some of the best ways through which the managing of such a business, and many others, can be credibly conducted. This is because of the fact that they allow for the management to gauge the level of productivity and look for means of improving it. The company has adopted the usage of these methods because they not only allow for the effective analysis of the various work situations involved but also ensure that the management has a better understanding of the concerns at hand. The adoption of management practices similar to those at Belif is becoming widespread and it has become common for other companies to get closer to their employees in order to increase their output. References Bowen, F. 2007, "Corporate Social Strategy: Competing Views from Two Theories of the Firm", Journal of Business Ethics,vol. 75, no. 1, pp. 97. Covaleski, M.A., Dirsmith, M.W. & Samuel, S. 1996, "Managerial accounting research: The contributions of organizational and sociological theories", Journal of Management Accounting Research, vol. 8, pp. 1-35. De Beer, J. & Whitlock, E. 2009, "Indigenous Knowledge in the Life Sciences Classroom: Put on Your de Bono Hats!", The American Biology Teacher, vol. 71, no. 4, pp. 209-216. De Sousa, F.C., Pellissier, R. & Monteiro, I.P. 2012, "CREATIVITY, INNOVATION AND COLLABORATIVE ORGANIZATIONS", International Journal of Organizational Innovation (Online), vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 26-64. 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Varvoglis, M.P. 2003, "Scientists, shamans, and sages: Gazing through six hats", The Journal of Parapsychology, vol. 67, no. 1, pp. 3-16. Read More