ABSTRACT
Although it has been argued that making sense of situations is a dominant cognitive activity for organizational members, in no place is it more relevant than in examining and promoting effective team interaction and adaptation within multicultural teams. Multicultural teams (MCTs) require individuals from different nations and cultures to cooperate and
work together as a team, often with varying concepts of how teams should operate and how tasks are completed in order to solve complex problems (Ilgen, LePine, & Hollenbeck, 1997). While diverse perspectives have been argued to provide the potential for better identification of problems and the creation of better solutions (Ilgen et al., 1997), they also add ambiguity and complexity to an already dynamic work environment. Therefore, instead of enhancing team effectiveness, diversity within teams often serves to hinder the communication, coordination, and adaptive performance that results in effective team performance outcomes.
