Cross Cultural Communication Competence and Multicultural Team Performance

Abstract

Starting with the hypothesis that cross cultural communication competence affects the performance of multicultural teams, we employed the Cross Cultural Communication Competence Model to compare American and Russian managers working in multicultural teams. We collected data from 124 upper and middle managers in the United States and the Russian Federation by administering the cross cultural communication competence and the high-performance team questionnaires. Drawing from proven conceptual cultural orientations suggested by Hall, Hofstede, and Javidan and House, we examined how national culture affects team members’ perceptions of cross cultural communication competence. The confirmed hypothesized relationship and salient effects of national culture on cross cultural communication competence led to theoretical and practical implications for multicultural organizational settings.