Fortunately, we finally managed to compromise on the topic by addressing each other’s concerns and by incorporating input from the “neutral” members.
Communication with an open attitude and the ability to read the atmosphere are vital ingredients in any team. In particular, leaders need to discover the strengths and weaknesses of each member, observe their work styles and delegate the work accordingly. In my international management class, we read an interesting article by Erin Meyer (https://hbr.org/2017/07/being-the-boss-in-brussels-boston-and-beijing). She observes that every culture has its own attitude toward authority and toward decision-making. These attitudes span two spectrums: hierarchical to egalitarian for authority, and top-down to consensual for decision-making. For example, Korea fits the hierarchical and consensual quadrant. Therefore, over here in Korea, we do not call our bosses (even teachers and professors) by their first names, and we do not talk to them like they are our friends. There is a specific polite and formal sentence structure to address people with higher statuses. Futhermore, since decision-making includes taking into account everybody’s opinion, decision-making tends to be slow but final once made. Compare this to the egalitarian and top-down United States, where American bosses prefer to be called by their first names to create good camaraderie, while decisions are usually made by just the boss so they are fast, but flexible as new input arrives.
Innately, people want to do a good job. It also helps to set specific deadlines and consequences, follow-up with members and have a backup plan for worst-case scenarios.
