Leading People

1. Team leaders should have a high level of empathy and openness and, as far as possible, they should not show any prejudice. One suggestion to overcome prejudice is by developing a high level of intercultural sensitivity and metacognitive intercultural competence.

2. Team leaders should show the same distance to everybody and adapt their leadership style to everyone’s culture and personality. They should treat everyone equally and provide the same information and equal opportunities to all team members.

3. Leaders should exhibit a positive mindset about the success of multicultural teams and consider multicultural teams as an enrichment. 

4. Leaders can interact as a cultural broker, facilitator, or mediator in the team.

5. Many experienced project managers showed that it is mandatory to communicate and live the purpose and vision of a common goal. This leads to motivation.

6. To create a caring environment in the team, it is important to collaborate creatively. In previously conducted interviews, the interviewees suggested that having fun at work will motivate team members.

7. Leaders should identify the core competencies of all team members because diverse teams are characterized by large differences between the team members.

8. Leaders should act as a model and foster openness as authenticity helps to create trust.

9. It is important to build relationships and thus team building, and cultural competence are necessary.

10. To build a creative environment, leaders need a certain level of knowledge and  competence concerning creativity, especially in virtual settings.