· Choose the correct word to fill each gap from A, B, C or D on the opposite page.
· For each question (21-30), mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet.
· There is an example at the beginning.
Today the need to ’go global’ and to cut outgoings is demanding that companies combine protecting international interests whilst keeping down staff 1 The solution in most cases has been the forming of intercultural teams.
Undoubtedly, the intercultural dimension of today’s teams brings about new challenges. Successful team building not only 2 the traditional needs to harmonise personalities but also languages, cultures, ways of thinking, behaviours and motivations.
The key to successful intercultural team building lies 3 intercultural training. It is one method of helping to blend a team together. Through analysis of the cultures involved in a team, their particular approaches to communication and business and how the team interacts, intercultural team builders are able to find, suggest and use common ground to 4 team members in building harmonious relationships. It helps a team to realise their differences and 5 in areas such as status, hierarchy, decision making, conflict resolution, showing emotion and relationship building in order to create mutually agreed upon structures of communication and interaction. From this 6 teams are then tutored how to recognise future communication difficulties and their cultural roots, empowering the team to become more self-reliant. The end result is a more cohesive and productive team.
In conclusion, for intercultural teams to succeed, it is important to stay 7 to the need for intercultural training to help cultivate 8 relationships. Companies must be supportive, proactive and innovative. This goes 9 financing and creating technological links to bring together intercultural teams at surface level and going back to basics by 10 better interpersonal communication. If international businesses are to grow and prosper in this ever contracting world, intercultural synergy must be a priority.