{"665412":{"#nid":"665412","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Researchers Find Understanding and Embracing Intercultural Tensions and Differences in Teams Increases Information Elaboration and Creativity","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u0026quot;Teamwork makes the dream work.\u0026quot; It\u0026#39;s a popular phrase used to describe the merits of working in teams to get things done. When applied successfully, creating and collaborating with coworkers can produce results that surpass a single individual\u0026#39;s contribution.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the past, teams were mostly homogeneous because this was the makeup of most organizations in the U.S. Today, teams are more diverse, and organizations can reap the benefits that individuals with different ethnicities and cultures bring to the table.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBut not all teams are more collaborative because of their multicultural makeup. In fact, these differences may produce tensions and an inability to see the other side, creating barriers that would otherwise enable teams to foster creativity and information elaboration - the process of verbally expressing and exchanging information and viewpoints, and elaborating on these ideas. On the other hand, if a team downplays these differences, it could stifle constructive dialogue and creativity.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHow does a team of individuals from different backgrounds coalesce by using their differences to their advantage rather than allowing them to inhibit information elaboration and creativity?\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThat\u0026#39;s the question two researchers, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.scheller.gatech.edu\/directory\/faculty\/shalley\/index.html\u0022\u003EChristina Shalley\u003C\/a\u003E and Pier Vittorio Mannucci, asked in their paper \u0026quot;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/364122100_Embracing_multicultural_tensions_How_team_members\u0027_multicultural_paradox_mindsets_foster_team_information_elaboration_and_creativity\u0022\u003EEmbracing multicultural tensions: How team members\u0026#39; multicultural paradox mindsets foster team information elaboration and creativity\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026quot; published by \u003Cem\u003EOrganizational Behavior and Human Decision Process,\u003C\/em\u003E November 2022.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe Multicultural Paradox Mindset\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAccording to Shalley, Sharon M. and Matthew R. Price Chair, and professor of Organizational Behavior at the Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business, one or more team members need to have a multicultural paradox mindset (MPM) to steer the team to creative success.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers define multicultural paradox mindset (MPM) as \u0026quot;the degree to which one is accepting of and energized by intercultural tensions, both emphasizing cultural differences and finding common ground.\u0026quot; Their analysis finds that team members who demonstrate a high MPM can positively accept and embrace these conflicting ideas to influence team behavior.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026quot;A diverse team has the potential to be better at information elaboration, and, thus, creativity, than a non-diverse team. However, this potential needs to be unlocked. The presence of a member with high MPM is one way to achieve this within multicultural teams,\u0026quot; Shalley explained.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThese individuals, rather than ignoring differences, or as the researchers call it, taking \u0026quot;the cultural-blind approach,\u0026quot; embrace differences and encourage other team members to express themselves and their perspectives, bringing more value to the creative process.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETesting Their Theory\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETo test their theory of the advantages of having an MPM, the researchers chose 217 participants and divided them into 63 diverse teams. Shalley and Mannucci divided the teams into \u0026quot;clusters\u0026quot; rather than geographical locations to ensure the teams met cultural diversity. For example, they placed a person from Spain with a person from China rather than putting a person from Spain and a person from France together.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThey provided the teams with a scenario of an employee who was granted the ability to work from home to help an aging relative. This setup only became an issue when other employees wanted the same opportunity.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEach team was tasked with coming up with creative solutions to send to HR based on the available information.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026quot;We found this task to be particularly well-suited for a study focusing on culturally diverse teams because of the deep cross-cultural differences in terms of views on work-life balance and remote work, how to care for family members, valuing the elderly, and overall HR policies and practices,\u0026quot; Shalley wrote.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers accounted for several variables, including the way creativity is defined among individuals, gender diversity, and those who had lived abroad, which might have affected their experiences of and tolerance for different cultures.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition, the team accounted for team members who came from countries with a \u0026quot;tight\u0026quot; culture. These individuals tend to be warier of different values and perspectives and may not be as comfortable expressing creative ideas. This differed from a secondary group Shalley and her colleague considered who came from a \u0026quot;loose\u0026quot; culture.\u0026quot; These individuals tend to assimilate more easily in a group, which may result in more team members possessing a multicultural paradox mindset.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs Shalley put it, \u0026quot;leaders should definitely keep in mind who has a MPM when assembling a multicultural team. Without one (or more) members with a MPM, the risk of not unlocking the creative potential of the multicultural team is very high,\u0026quot; Shalley noted.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech Scheller College of Business faculty member Christina Shalley discovers having a team member with a multicultural paradox mindset allows teams to be more creative and productive.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Team members who embrace diversity while acknowledging differences are more successful at building teams who display collaboration and information elaboration."}],"uid":"28082","created_gmt":"2023-02-02 17:46:17","changed_gmt":"2023-02-02 20:28:34","author":"Lorrie Burroughs","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2023-02-02T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2023-02-02T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"665410":{"id":"665410","type":"image","title":"Multicultural Paradox Mindset Photo","body":null,"created":"1675359127","gmt_created":"2023-02-02 17:32:07","changed":"1675369606","gmt_changed":"2023-02-02 20:26:46","alt":"Diverse people around a table","file":{"fid":"251668","name":"diverse-people-around-a-table-article.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/diverse-people-around-a-table-article.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/diverse-people-around-a-table-article.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":390176,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/diverse-people-around-a-table-article.jpg?itok=APhPVRI8"}}},"media_ids":["665410"],"groups":[{"id":"1274","name":"Scheller College of Business"},{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"139","name":"Business"}],"keywords":[{"id":"35541","name":"Ernest Scheller Jr. College of Business"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39511","name":"Public Service, Leadership, and Policy"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"106361","name":"Business and Economic Development"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELorrie Burroughs\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}