UTSA researcher analyzes international teamwork dynamics
Researcher provides tips for higher education curriculum and workplaces
(September 15, 2016) -- Steven Levitt, Associate Dean of the College of Liberal and Fine Arts at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), has spent years researching cultural diversity and its impact on international teamwork dynamics.
Levitt hopes his recent published article “Addressing cross-cultural teamwork barriers: Implications for industry practice and higher education curricula” increases understanding amongst different cultures.
“This article published in Industry & Higher Education is about integrating cross-cultural training into higher education curriculum and in business training,” said Levitt.
In the publication, Levitt provides scenarios and narratives taken from an ongoing research project. The UTSA researcher conducted 27 interviews with men and women from a variety of industries working on international teams on several continents like Asia, Europe, Africa, North and South America and Australia. He asked them about group processes, factors that were frustrating and factors that proved successful in their working environment.
Levitt provides examples of misunderstandings or conflicts that arise due to communication styles and cultural differences. He says this research can help people understand different cultural values.
“Cultural differences in international teamwork result in a dynamic push-pull tension between seemingly contradictory forces: the diversity of the team members and the desired unity of the team’s purpose and activities,” said Levitt.
Levitt hopes this top-tier research can be applied in industry training and classrooms.
“We can be much more effective with our intercultural communication and international team work efforts if we understand we have to be able to view things from other perspectives and accept them as valid ideas even if we don’t agree with them,” said Levitt.
This is the third article that Levitt has written that has been published about cross-cultural teamwork and he plans to continue his research on the topic.
-------------------------------
Learn more about Levitt's article.
Learn more about the UTSA College of Liberal & Fine Arts.
Connect online at Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.
Events
Join the PEACE Center and Wellbeing Services for Denim Day, a day of learning about the importance of consent and why we wear denim on the last Wednesday of the month each April during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Stop by our Denim Day display to take a photo in front of our Denim Wall, spin the "Is It Consent?" Wheel, and get a Concha or goodie.
Student Union Window Lounge, Main CampusLearn to use Zotero®, a citation manager that can help you store and organize citations you find during your research. Zotero can generate bibliographies in various styles, insert in-text citations and allow you to share sources with collaborators.
Virtual EventThis event will acknowledge graduating seniors from the McNair Scholars program at UTSA before inducting the new cohort of scholars into the program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140), Main CampusAt this memorable celebration, UTSA graduates will be introduced one-by-one to cross the stage and accept their doctoral degrees.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusRoadrunner Walk is an event for graduating students to have a memorable walk on campus to celebrate an important milestone and their achievements. Graduates will walk along the Paseo while being celebrated by the UTSA community, friends, and family members.
Student Union Paseo, Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.Celebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.
