Os efeitos da mobilidade inter-regional no desenvolvimento de equipes multiculturais de trabalho e nas capacidades adaptativas

Abstract

With the approach and growing contact between the most diverse cultures and their aspects and elements, provided by the evolution and expansion of information and communication systems and economic globalization, interculturality and the management of diversity have become paramount aspects in the organizational universe, since the cultural differences affect the organization's relations and decision-making. Thus, studying interculturality in the organizational context becomes necessary to understand if it in fact affects the capacity of building and renewing these strategic competences that are fundamental to the organization. For this reason, the objective of this study was to identify and analyze the effects of inter-regional mobility of professionals in the development of multicultural work teams and adaptive, absorbing and innovative dynamic capacities in a large company in the sector of foods. This research aims to contribute to the theory, with the understanding of the impact caused by the cultural differences for the strategic management and for the construction of the dynamic capacities; and to practice, when presenting and discussing a case of intercultural management in a multinational organization. A qualitative research will be carried out in the form of a case study in a Brazilian multinational food company, with semi-structured interviews. For the data treatment, a content analysis was performed in which mobility movements were identified in the surveyed units, the main movement being that of qualified professionals from the South and that of operational professionals from the North and Northeast region, which generated a permeated environment of interculturality and the manifestation of several conflicts, related to the adaptation to this new reality for both cultures, the incomprehension of the culture of the other and the forms of direct communication. Among the positive aspects of qualified mobility, there was the transfer of culture and business knowledge to these new regions, in addition to raising the quality of the adaptive capacity of the units; but, on the other hand, a much greater effort was required to achieve results. And, it was perceived that the cultural diversity resulting from the mobility movements carried out by the professionals of these units, brought to them a greater capacity to adapt their organizational competences to the demands of the market. And this process requires for the purpose of improving the climate and organizational culture, as well as adaptive capacity, which is understood as a strategic issue to be managed by the company leadership. As an application, a document was produced with recommendations related to the conduction of multicultural teams and dynamic capacities.