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Competencies Needed for Managing a Multicultural Workgroup

University of Melbourne, Australia

Phyllis Tharenou

Monash University, Australia

This study was designed to assess the competencies needed for a manager to manage a multicultural group of subordinates. Given the multicultural nature of today’s workforce, it has become increasingly important for managers to take into account how cross-cultural differences may affect their management practices. Open-ended semi-structured interviews were conducted in order to derive the competencies used by managers who are already managing a multicultural group. From content analysis, five key themes emerged comprising 27 sub-themes. The results suggest that the competencies needed are cultural empathy, learning on the job, communication competence, general managerial skills, and personal style. Hence, selection, training and development, and performance appraisal practices may be focused on identifying and/or developing these competencies, in order for managers to effectively manage a multicultural workforce.

Key Words: communication • competencies • content analysis • cultural empathy • multicultural

Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, Vol. 42, No. 1, 57-74 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/1038411104041534


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