Cultural Intelligence in Multinational Military Teams: Enhancing Effectiveness and Interoperability

1. A scientific foundation for cultural differences having an impact on the effectiveness of multi-national military teams

2. Culture as an explanatory concept Traditional conceptualisations - passive recipient of culture Contemporary conceptualisations - sense making, self-referential

4. Why multinational military teams work?(Elron, et al., 1999) Integrating conditions: -common military culture -bureaucratic controls and structural similarity -integrative missions -shared conditions and experiences -temporariness of the system -level of cultural diversity: strong “hybrid culture” Integrating mechanisms: -joint operations and training -cross-cultural training -internal division of labour -formal co-ordinating mechanisms -information flows and sharing of knowledge -leadership and deliberate cohesion building activities

5. Interoperability: Technological Procedural Human Mismatches Communication: Language Non-verbal Technical-Military Language Organizational culture: Decision making Tolerance for uncertainty Individualism/Collectivism Inter-rank relations (Power distance) Babel's Tower Lack of Goals Lack of Leadership Politics-Diplomacy Number of cultures Turnover Lack of Resources

6. Communication: Language Non-verbal Technical-Military language Targets amenable to change Lack of Leadership

7. Interoperability: Human Mismatches Organizational culture: Decision making Tolerance for uncertainty Individualism/Collectivism Inter-rank relations (Power distance Babel's Tower Under Construction Lack of Goals Politics-Diplomacy

8. National teams Vs Multi-national teams • National teams: Emphasis on cognitive processes. Team causes Team processes Team building Team effectiveness

9. National teams Vs Multi-national teams • Multinational teams: Emphasis on social processes. Team spirit + Euphoria Cult. Shock Cul. Assimilation Stability _Early Concept PhasesImplementation T

10. Leading Diversity Cultural intelligence in multi-national operations: -knowing the self -knowing the other

11. Managing Diversity • Viewing managing diversity as a priority • Learn from other organisations but import with care • Leaders must champion the implementation of diversity initiatives • Set high expectations for all staff • Provide training as an ongoing education process • Listen and watch, patiently • Mentor and share the informal rules • Emphasise the importance of trust • Watch out for backlash

12. Implementing culturally intelligent leadership • Fairness • Individual factors • Organisational culture

13. Communication • Barriers to communication • Anxiety • Assuming similarities instead of difference • Ethnocentrism • Stereotypes and prejudice • Non-verbal communication • Language

14. Communicating in multinational teams • Seven dimensions of multicultural communication competence: • the capacity to be flexible • the capacity to be non-judgmental • tolerance of ambiguity • the capacity to communicate respect • the capacity to personalise one’s knowledge and perceptions • the capacity to display empathy • the capacity for turn taking

15. What can be changed? • understandings and use of the concept of culture • perceptions of the multi-national scenario and in particular, the way in which categories are used to define or frame the situation. • identity as a resource to enhance inter-cultural working. • understanding the power of language as holding the key to more effective and sensitive use of language in communication practise • understanding or awareness of paralinguistic differences. • Creating a military infrastructure that makes culturally intelligent practise a behavioural imperative.