CHALLENGES IN CONTEMPORARY MANAGEMENT OF MULTICULTURAL TEAMS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE FINDINGS OF INTERVIEWS WITH EUROPEAN MANAGERS

The increasing number of multinational companies has added complexity to tasks performed by multicultural teams. While multiculturalism is common in many companies operating globally, it can impact goal achievement both positively and negatively. However, the effective management of multicultural teams offers several benefits, such as access to employees’ unique knowledge and diverse experiences, improved communication with foreign contractors, and the possibility to introduce innovative solutions. This article aims to identify the challenges in managing multicultural teams based on in-depth interviews conducted in 2024 with managers from Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Greece. These challenges are compared to those reported by managers from other European countries in the interviews conducted in 2023. The theoretical section discusses the importance of multicultural teams in contemporary management. The empirical section presents the results of the 2024 interviews and compares them to the 2023 findings. According to managers from Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Greece, the main challenges in managing multicultural teams include the substantive preparation of managers, their level of cultural intelligence, effective communication within multicultural teams, and the continuous development of the knowledge and skills necessary for working in culturally diverse environments.