The global CEOs of today have come to realize the importance of understanding/knowing the management teams considering the diverse nature of both the business and the team members. The CEOs also know that they have to work with leaders/people of the organization who have specific goals for the organization and themselves. Several factors that the CEOs must consider in this context are discussed in this article.

As heterogeneity within national cultures rises, leaders are faced with the formidable task of managing a diverse workforce particularly within top management teams. Social science theorists have argued that culture influences members' response to interpersonal and problem solving encounters. When leaders design top management teams whose members espouse different cultural backgrounds, senior leadership may be unprepared to respond to the intragroup dynamics associated with the cultural diversity within the top management team.

Organizational behavior researchers charge senior leadership with the responsibility to shape the culture of an organization so that it remains competitive in an ever-changing environment. However, if top leadership teams do not communicate and enact a unified culture, the organization may fail to adequately adjust and respond to the demands of a volatile environment. Therefore, what can senior leadership do to design its top management teams so that it communicates a unified message to the members of their organization?

This article addresses the formidable challenges associated with leading diverse top management teams. Intergroup diversity is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, diversity offers strength with varying perspectives when solving complex problems. On the other hand, it can turn inward and produce heated exchanges, an unwillingness to work with other members, and decreased team productivity. These challenges may necessitate that the senior leadership assume a continuous learning posture to correctly assess and respond to the task and relational needs of the members.

Global CEO Magazine, Effective Leadership, Organizational Behavior, Top Management Teams, Organizational Objectives, Social Science Theorists, Interpersonal Dynamics, Communication Techniques, Interpersonal Problems, Multi-Cultural Teams, Organizational Lleadership.