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The purpose of this paper is to explore how newly formed culturally diverse project teams develop and implement rules, and how these processes may be affected by language-fluency asymmetries.

Using a case-study research design, the authors investigated three multicultural project teams within a management integration program in a multinational company in France. Their complete data set includes 37.5 hours of observations and 49 hours of semi-structured interviews.

Findings revealed that subgroups formed on the basis of language-fluency and this affected the development and implementation of rules. While rule-setting mechanisms emerged across teams, they varied in form. On the one hand, tightly structured rules emerged and rules were rigidly applied when there were greater language inequalities. In contrast, implicit behavior controls guided interactions when language-fluency subgroupings were less salient. The findings also revealed that the alignment of other individual attributes with language fluency reinforced subgroup divisions, further impacting the rule development and implementation processes.

Understanding rule development and implementation in culturally diverse teams and how these processes are impacted by language disparities enables managers to help members develop more successful behavioral patterns by keeping language-fluency (and other) attributes in mind.

The study extends and complements previous team research by providing in-depth insights into the process of rule development and implementation. It demonstrates the impact of language-fluency asymmetries and subgroup dynamics on these processes. The authors propose a model to capture the processes by which culturally diverse teams create rules, and how the rule-setting mechanisms might be moderated by faultlines such as language-based disparities.

The purpose of this paper is to explore managers’ perspectives on and practices of internal crisis communication in multicultural environments.

After a review of relevant literature on crisis, culture and internal communication to define the framework and relevance of this study, results from qualitative interviews with Danish managers are presented.

Interviewees acknowledge the relevance of the cultural backgrounds of employees in relation to internal communication, especially in crisis situations. Cultural aspects affect message framing and employee sensemaking, especially when it comes to employees located in other countries. Line managers and local communicators are key in the adaptation of verbal and non-verbal communicative features. Employees are also seen as active sensegivers and communicators.

Findings show how demographic and globalisation patterns, which are changing domestic and international workplaces, have important implications for internal communication and internal crisis communication. There is therefore a call for further research, especially from the perspective of employees.

Although cultural aspects have been highlighted as a recurrent feature of most crises today, and one of the new research areas to be explored, studies within this area are very few and concern mainly external audiences and practices. The present research study contributes to this overlooked area by offering valuable insights into internal crisis communication in organisations with a multicultural environment.

Proposes that traditional Chinese values of leader as head can be useful in that they can promote applying abilities for mutual benefit for leadership and employees. A total of 200 managers working in organizations in Shanghai, China, indicated their traditional leadership values and level of applying abilities for mutual benefit with employees. A total of 200 employees working for these managers indicated their applying abilities with their manager and their manager’s leader effectiveness and their own job commitment. Applying abilities mediates between leader as head and leader effectiveness. Findings help to clarify that traditional Chinese leadership values involve support and relationship building, not necessarily domination and suppression. These results were interpreted as suggesting that Chinese managers and employees could develop effective leader relationships by strengthening their traditional values and orienting them to promoting applying abilities for mutual benefit.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the current and potential use of virtual teams in the Indian context.

The use of virtual styles and strategies was assessed through a series of questionnaires, focusing on managerial aspects. The sample consisted of companies and individuals from Europe, who work on virtual assignments. The results were analysed, paying particular attention to the actual usage and potential future usage of virtual assignments.

It was found that a disparity between the actual and the potential use of virtual delegates exists. Furthermore, the increasing use of virtual delegates requires tailored intercultural training, which meets the specific demands of these delegates and the requirements of virtual teamwork. The paper goes on to discuss how traditional training can be adapted for the training of virtual assignees.

The findings have implications for both academics and practitioners, as they indicate that there is significant potential for further growth in the use of virtual assignments. In particular, the paper highlights the need for specific, dedicated training in virtual assignments, as this has a substantial impact on their success.