University of Virginia Management Discussion

Week 4’s Discussion Response
Topic:
Assume you are leading a team composed of representatives from British, Mexican,
Brazilian, and Egyptian subsidiaries of your firm. The team must make a number of major
decisions. What guidelines might you develop for yourself for leading the team through its
decision-making process? What steps might you take to enhance the team’s
cohesiveness? How successful do you think such an effort would be?
Post a substantive response of a minimum of 200 words that
includes at least one APA citation and the associated reference to
Post 1 & Post 2.
Remember to cite your sources!
(Course Book for class)
Griffin, R., & Pustay, M. (2019). International business: A managerial perspective (9th ed.).
Pearson.
(Griffin & Pustay, 2019)
——APA 7 format—–•
•
•
•
Chapter 11: International Strategic Management
Chapter 12: Strategies for Analyzing and Entering Foreign Markets
Chapter 13: International Strategic Alliances
Chapter 15: Leadership and Employee Behavior in International Business
Post #1 (PO):
In general, the decision-making process helps managers and other business
professionals solve problems by examining choices and deciding on the best route to
take. Using a step-by-step approach is an efficient way to make thoughtful, informed
decisions that positively impact your organization’s short- and long-term goals.
In the given scenario, having a cross-cultural diversity, I would utilize the normative
model of decision making, which suggests that managers apply logic and rationality
in making the best decisions (Griffin & Pustay, 2014).
The normative model of decision making is a leadership model that helps
managers decide to which degree their team members should participate in the
decision-making process. This model was developed by Victor Vroom in collaboration
with Philip Yetton and Arthur G. Jago and is thus sometimes referred to as
the Vroom-Yetton-Jago model (Muldoon, 2016).
The Vroom-Yetton model is designed to help you identify the best decisionmaking approach and leadership style to take based on your current situation. It was
initially developed by Victor Vroom and Philip Yetton in their 1973 book, “Leadership
and Decision Making.” No single decision-making process fits every scenario. Instead,
Vroom-Yetton offers several different techniques and directs you toward the best
one for your situation. For example, if speed and decisiveness are required, it will
likely point you toward an autocratic process. If collaboration is what’s needed, then
it will nudge you toward a more democratic process (Muldoon, 2016).
Researchers have found that managers and their teams are more productive
and satisfied when they follow the model. The simplicity of Vroom-Yetton also
means that anyone – from the boardroom to the factory floor – can use it. Although
a little wordy at times, it can be conducive in new or unusual situations. Practice
using it, and you’ll quickly get a feel for the right approach to take, whether you’re
making a decision about a day-to-day issue or dealing with a more complex problem
(M’manga et al., 2019).
The following factors need to be considered when using this model:
Decision quality – Sometimes, making the “right” decision is critical. You’ll need to
use many resources (people, time, information, and so on) to ensure that the action
you take has been well thought through and is of high quality.
Team commitment – Some of your decisions will significantly impact your team,
while others will go unnoticed. When a decision likely affects your team, it’s best to
use a collaborative process. This will improve the quality of the decision, and you’ll
probably deliver a successful result faster.
Time constraints – When the issue at hand isn’t time-sensitive, you have more
“space” to research your options and to include others, which will help to boost the
quality of your decision. However, if your time is limited, it may not be feasible to
have others or undertake thorough research (Muldoon, 2016).
Because of the multicultural diversity among leaders involved in this scenario,
collaboration among the members is essential. That is when the normative model is
beneficial as it pushes the democratic process among the diverse members of the
teams.
Reference:
M’manga, A., Faily, S., McAlaney, J., Williams, C., Kadobayashi, Y., & Miyamoto, D. (2019). A
normative decision-making model for cyber security. Information and Computer Security, 27(5),
636-646. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ICS-01-2019-0021
Griffin, R. W., & Pustay, M. (2014). International Business (8th Edition). Pearson
Education (US). https://online.vitalsource.com/books/9780133506433
Muldoon, R. (2016). Decision-making made simple: Paul Weirich: Models of decision-making:
simplifying choices. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 276 pp, $95.00 HB. Metascience, 25(2),
327-329. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11016-016-0072-y
Post #2 (Ak):
Decision-making is a critical part of running any business. International firms face a
humongous task in understanding and developing ways to approach markets. Several factors
impact executives’ decision-making, ranging from political, socio-economic, cultural, and
economies of scale. Leading a team from different parts of the world involves understanding the
core values of the organization and its mission to the world. Indeed, leadership must be ready to
critically analyze the role of diversity in teams and their impact on the different areas of
operation.
It is essential to understand that national and organizational cultures differ in strength,
meaning to the people, and stability because of the difference in length of time they have existed
(Larsson and Schiele, 2016). Therefore, if an executive understands these concepts, they must
scrutinize each region’s role in advancing its international goals. One of the significant areas to
consider is the role of diversity in the team since it involves different countries with major
identifying traits. UKEssays (2018) suggests that misinterpreting and disregarding different
cultures and languages fails to set up international firms. It is crucial to pay special attention to
the different cultures and languages where a company operates. When a business resonates with
the population, success follows. The role of regional managers is to ensure that such attributes
come through.
While cohesive teams are often made up of people with diverse talents from different
backgrounds, what can tie them together is a strong sense of identity drawn from the
organization itself (Boyce, 2021). As fans of a soccer team from different backgrounds and places,
their main goal is to see a team secure a win. Happiness is then shared collectively to the
amusement of everyone. Indeed, firms that achieve success together must be ready to share the
success while uplifting and recognizing the efforts of one another. The steps that can be taken to
improve an international firm’s cohesiveness include communication, training, development,
building trust, defining the values of the firm and team, and offering empowerment to team
members. Each of these segments is critical to the success of international firms because it leads
the firm’s values from the stakeholders and the management team.
Defining the teams and firms’ goals for easy direction of roles and activities or processes
that benefit the company is essential. At this moment, leadership can identify whether the firm
needs a single international mission or a mission that fits each location. The different cultural
backgrounds may be crucial in defining a task. Also, as a leader of multinational executives, it is
vital to value everyone’s input through listening to their ideas which may be different from yours
but beneficial to the company.
Communication is essential to the transformation of the company’s leadership team. As
communication is encouraged, trust is built while strengthening and setting a precedent and
transparency. Channels of communication provide a basis for faster decision-making and
efficiency in management. According to Boyce (2021), poor communication in a workplace
constitutes about 86% of work failures. Therefore, building a team that believes in trust is crucial
for success. International firms must assess the current political climate, the present and
potential sizes of competing firms, the level of competition the firm will face, and socio-cultural
factors that may affect a firm’s operations (Griffin and Pustay, 2019). To get a good team may
be easy but, to get them to play is vital for the firms’ success.
Reference
Griffin, R. W., & Pustay, M. (2019). International Business (9th Edition). Pearson Education (US).
https://online.vitalsource.com/books/9780134898957
Larsson, A. and Schiehle, S. (2016). The Effects of Diversity on Multinational Organizations. Retrieved
from https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:946031/FULLTEXT01.pdf
UKEssays. (November 2018). Cultural Diversity: Impact on Multinational Businesses. Retrieved
from https://www.ukessays.com/essays/business/report-on-cultural-diversitys-impact-onmultinational-businesses-business-essay.php?vref=1
Boyce, M. (2022). 6 Steps to Improve Team Cohesion and Achieve Goals Faster. Retrieved
from https://www.podium.com/article/team-cohesion/

Purchase answer to see full
attachment