1
Key Indicators that have Biggest Impact When Working in an International Team
Augustina Povilaitytė
Business Administration, Mälardalens University
FOA183: International Project Management
Dr. Kenneth Santos
February 17, 2025
2
Key Indicators that have Biggest Impact When Working in an International Team
Nowadays, as technology changes and improves, the way companies work is also
changing. Many companies choose to work remotely, allowing people from different parts of
the world to work for a company located in a different part of the world to where they live.
Working in an international team can often lead to difficulties with various things. It is
important to think about how to communicate information so that the other team members
can understand and do their job properly, and it is important to remember that the job must be
done not only properly but also efficiently. It is therefore very crucial to know how to use
effective communication. A team leader must have leadership qualities and be good at the art
of leadership, otherwise the group will be in disarray. As well as working in an international
team, it is very important to trust each other to work efficiently and to be culturally
intelligent, because in an international team people may have different beliefs and it is
important to respect that. In addition, skill diversity and dynamics make it easier and more
efficient to allocate work within the group, thus saving time and allowing people to specialize
in areas where they feel most confident using their skills in the areas where they can do their
best work. These criteria can have a big impact on teamwork, but why are these indicators
important for working in an international team?
First of all, when working in an international team, it is important to trust each other
and to know the art of leadership. As consultants are often busy with other responsibilities
and work, there is less time to devote to long-term trust building. It is important to note that
trust depends on many things, such as professional and organizational reputation, past
experiences, and expertise. Article “Swift Trust and Temporary Teams: An Exploratory
Study in Consulting Firms” emphasizes the importance of using the 'instant trust' approach
and moving away from the traditional position. As I mentioned earlier, because consultants
are often busy with other responsibilities, companies use the swift trust method, the quick
trust that is formed in unstable teams that do not have interpersonal relationships. This study
refutes that trust can only be built over a long period of time, it is important to know the risks,
but trust can be created immediately when a professional reputation is known ((Bornarel &
Virgili, 2022). Whereas article “Creating a high-performance exhibitor team: A temporaryorganization perspective” shows that team members can perform well by focusing not only
on trust, but also when a team leader has high leadership skills. This article refers to the
concept of servant leadership, which is when group leaders prefer to help group members
3
rather than handing out tasks without explanation. By applying this leadership method and
combining it with swift trust, the team’s work can become more efficient, improves mutual
communication, and thus trust each other when the team leader initiates help, deepens the
team’s goals, helps to find a solution. The leader must motivate the team and try to be at the
same level as the other members, in this way trust will appear faster (Kevin et al, 2019).
Moreover, study “Small Networks in Temporary Organizations - An Optimizing Resource”
emphasizes that engaging leadership fosters collaboration. Strong leadership styles, such as
involving other team members or engaging with them, are linked to project success because
goals are clearly set, and effective communication is used. Weak leadership can lead to
failures due to poor communication and lack of team members involvement. Leadership is
very important when working in an international team, because different leadership styles
create an internal work environment that can affect other group members. Leadership plays
an important role in making various decisions, and when group members are involved in this,
they are effectively communicated with and their opinions are considered, thus trust is
formed. As for the importance of swift trust, it is important to know that international teams
often work with tight deadlines and therefore do not have time to develop long-term trust. As
well as some team members may have never met face-to-face and only work virtually, so
building trust quickly can help develop further effective communication (Milind Shrikant
Padalkar, 2019). So, trust and the right leadership style can help to avoid difficulties when
working in an international team.
Second of all, when working in an international team it is important to be culturally
intelligent, know how to communicate effectively, and properly distribute work to team
members according to their skills. Article “The Need of Cultural Intelligence in Managers.
Problems of Communication with Expats” focuses on the importance of cultural intelligence,
and why it is important to communicate it to team members. Since working in an
international team, you can meet many people from different parts of the world, it is very
important to be empathetic and culturally intelligent. There can be people with different
religions, beliefs, races, and different backgrounds in the team, it is therefore important to
know about other cultures, to know the differences, and in the team, there must be motivation
to learn something new about other cultures, learn to adapt to different cultures and not be
indifferent. However, there are people who feel not accepted in the team, their selfconfidence and self-esteem drop, therefore it is important for managers to effectively
communicate to all group members about the importance of being indifferent, to apply
various communication methods for training. Being culturally intelligent increases the
4
productivity of all groups, so managers must try to make sure that all members of the group
understand it. Effective communication and cultural intelligence are crucial for success in
international teams because clear communication can minimize misunderstandings that can
arise from different cultural contexts. This helps ensure that everyone is on the same page
regarding goals. As well as cultural intelligence enables team members to appreciate cultural
differences, which can affect work styles. Diversity in the group gives uniqueness and
authenticity (Petroski, J/ Remhof, S. 2022). However, to work more productively, you need
to be able to properly use certain people skills. Study “A Variation of the Network Flow
Algorithm to Optimize the Diversity of Project Groups” examines the various methodologies
on how best to distribute people according to their abilities, to ensure that the group is not
only male or female, and the goal is also to make the group as diverse as possible. Having
people with different skills in the group helps to overcome challenges from different sides,
the group becomes more innovative, and the decisions become more effective. As well as
skill diversity adds creativity and uniqueness, such teams can be superior, and they
automatically get more options in career perspective (Holger, 2019). So, cultural intelligence
and skill diversity are essential aspects of working efficiently in an international team.
To conclude, when working in an international team, it is important to have a good
relationship with your colleagues, the team leader must have high leadership skills and try to
help the team members, not just assign tasks. Cultural intelligence is also one of the most
important skills when working among international people, because acceptance of other
cultures and interest in them increases productivity, and cooperation. As well as companies
often use the swift trust method, which is more effective in an international team. Building
trust is important to make the team work more efficiently and deal with challenges more
easily. It is noteworthy to mention that skill diversity has a big impact on working in a group,
as people become more specialized in their field, their productivity increases, team members
add more creativity to the group, and using their personal experience they can make
innovative decisions that will bring success to the whole team.
5
References
Bornarel, F., & Virgili, M. (2022). Swift trust and temporary teams: An exploratory study in
consulting firms. Cairn Humanities and Social Sciences Journal, 1(6), 41-68.
https://shs.cairn.info/revue-innovations-2022-1-page41?lang=fr&ref=doi&utm_source=chatgpt.com
He, H. (Kevin), Li, C. (Spring), Lin, Z., & Liang, S. (2019). Creating a high-performance
exhibitor team: A temporary-organization perspective. International Journal of
Hospitality Management, 81, 21–29.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0278431918308260
Mauch, H. (2019). A variation of the network flow algorithm to optimize the diversity of
project groups. Journal of Management & Engineering Integration, 12(2), 11-18.
https://www.proquest.com/docview/2382631259/fulltextPDF?parentSessionId=bUaf
YFh%2ByZZrFIMju0iHsdU%2Bohx0X9Kcq2VDhAFrRXY%3D&pqorigsite=primo&sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals
Padalkar, M. S. (2019). Small networks in temporary organizations – An optimizing resource.
PMI India Research & Academic Conference.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/KarishmaChaudhary/publication/335684980_Sustainable_Project_Management_and_Sustainab
le_Development_Goals_Connecting_the_Dots/links/5e306ce3a6fdccd965732608/Sus
tainable-Project-Management-and-Sustainable-Development-Goals-Connecting-theDots.pdf#page=249
Petroski, J., & Remhof, S. (2022). The need for cultural intelligence in managers: Problems
of communication with expats. https://people-mobility.org/wpcontent/uploads/2024/06/PF1222_TH_3_S._28-35.pdf