What distinguishes a successful company from a less successful one? Of course, it requires market-oriented products or services at reasonable prices. But it also involves leadership, organization, and team motivation, as well as effective communication with that team.

It takes a good leader, a captain, and the right culture. The leader, together with a small management team, creates incentives and a motivating atmosphere for open discussion processes in which everyone's resources are brought to bear. The supervisor demonstrates through their behavior that they serve the overall goal of the entire company and maintain an overview at all times. They defuse power struggles and reduce politics within the company. They also establish a clear distribution of roles and decide when strategic changes, also known as paradigm shifts, are necessary. Everyone agrees to break down the overall strategy into several sub-strategies.

This scenario is more complex in multinational teams because of the cultural sensitivities that exist there, which present an additional challenge. For example, many Asians are often less direct in formulating and demanding goals and, at first glance, often act less proactively than, say, their German-speaking colleagues. This can lead to misunderstandings due to false expectations. It is better to cultivate a respectful approach that takes intercultural differences into account and uses conflicts to effectively achieve goals. 

“Differentness is a gain” is the motto: This method ultimately contributes decisively to the success of sub-strategies and to the achievement of the big goal.

Team spirit – easier said than done:

Team building is not a simple tool. A significant risk lies in the different rules and motivations. These must be uncovered in detail and subordinated to the overall goal. It is important that the results are attributed to the team, not to individuals. Existing conflicts and their resolution are understood as necessary, respectful, and at the same time goal-oriented communication on the path to success. Informal and direct, yet always understandable, dialogues are helpful here. In addition, it is important to value diverse personalities, such as lateral thinkers, specialists, and generalists.

But how can such team spirit actually be achieved? 

Perhaps the following tips will help: 

• Structure: All international employees need to be properly and consistently connected to headquarters, coupled with good education and appropriate training.
• Leadership: This should be adapted to the situation, have "leadership as a role model" as its guiding principle, and be based on reciprocity. For example, the dialogue would begin something like this: "Please put yourself in my shoes. How would you act in my place to achieve our goals?"
• Training: In addition, all employees should be involved in international projects and participate in as many best-practice processes as possible.
• Authenticity: A good example of high identification potential is concrete examples of employees who were simultaneously promoted and challenged and who have pursued successful careers within the company, both domestically and internationally. These create a strong sense of identity and also provide an incentive to follow in the footsteps of their promoted colleagues.
• Career opportunities: Concrete prospects for the individual's career are important, but they are not designed for the short term, but rather for the medium and long term.

Especially today, in an age of global, fast, and sometimes redundant communication, these aspects play a particularly important role. Motivation and leadership make all the difference! Especially in the increasingly common matrix and project structures, the specific motivation of the individual and the correct leadership of the team are essential keys to success, thus achieving a lasting "we feeling."