Introduction to Multinational and Cross-Cultural Teams (Coursera)

Introduction to Multinational and Cross-Cultural Teams (Coursera)

Do you (or do you want to) work on a multinational team? Do you want to become a manager or improve your current management style to get better results? Are you unsure if culture is impacting your ability to communicate and collaborate? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this course – and its associated specialization – is for you! We have entered an era where multinational and cross-cultural teams are now the norm.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

As a result, it is nearly impossible to conduct business without interacting with people from places far from home. In order to be an effective manager, one must understand the challenges that arise because of culture, how to navigate them, and, most importantly, turn them into opportunities for success. Thankfully, this is not new. We all have a culture that is unique to ourselves and we have all been part of a team with people different than ourselves. The secret truth is that this has always been an essential tool. We are lucky that now we have incentive to examine it and build the skills to use it. So if you’re ready to learn all about how to be a more effective and valued manager of multinational teams, join us and fill your cross-cultural toolbox!
Course 1 of 4 in the Management of Multinational and Cross-Cultural Teams Specialization.

What You Will Learn:
Explain the concept of culture, how it affects your approach to work, & the opportunities and challenges in multinational and cross-cultural teams.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Getting Started and Why Culture Matters
In this module, you will be able to define culture and identify your own culture. You will be able to demonstrate how your culture shows up differently depending on the setting that you are in. You will be able to discuss cultural practices and how those practices can be perceived. You will be able to discuss where culture shows up in your organization and illustrate how it can impact an organization.

WEEK 2
Opportunities and Challenges of Teamwork
In this module, you will be able to define the role of team within diverse cultures and identify opportunities and challenges of such a team. You will be able to analyze the importance of teams and define various personality traits that show up in teams. You'll be able to explain how the Hawthorne Effect and Maslow's Hierarchical needs play into teams and discuss the role diversity has on a team.

WEEK 3
Opportunities and Challenges of Multinational and Cross-Cultural Teams
In this module you will examine use cases of real teams and be able to analyze how different cultures define good teamwork. You will be able to describe what a high-functioning multinational, cross-cultural team looks like and recognize the opportunities and pitfalls of a multinational, cross-cultural team. You will be able to define the concepts of linear versus flexible time and high-context versus low-context in regards to culture.

WEEK 4
Practicing Cross-Cultural Management
In this module, you will be able to identify who the stakeholders are in your multinational, cross-cultural team and explain why you need multinational and cross-cultural team skills in your team. You will be able to discuss why communication is essential to multinational, cross-cultural team success and identify how technology is the future of teams. You will be able to define the qualities of a successful cross-cultural leader and practice three tools for enhancing multinational, cross-cultural teams.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Liderar equipes (Coursera) Coursera
University of Michigan

Liderar equipes (Coursera)

Neste curso, você aprenderá como construir sua equipe, melhorar o trabalho em equipe e a colaboração e sustentar o desempenho da equipe por meio de aprendizado e melhoria contínuos. Especificamente, você aprenderá as melhores práticas para compor uma equipe e alinhar as metas individuais e da equipe. Você também aprenderá como estabelecer funções, criar estruturas e gerenciar a tomada de decisões para que sua equipe se sobressaia.

Oct 5th 2026
4 Weeks
Ethics, Culture, and Global Perspectives (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Ethics, Culture, and Global Perspectives (Coursera)

In this course, you will acquire a deep understanding of the importance and role of ethics within and beyond the organization as well as realize the benefits and challenges of a diverse culture and various – and changing – global perspectives. The professional business skills related to ethics, culture, and global perspectives gained through this course will help you to succeed working in any organization.

Sep 28th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Cross-Cultural Virtual Spaces and Teams (Coursera) Coursera
University of California, Davis

Cross-Cultural Virtual Spaces and Teams (Coursera)

Airplanes gave us the ability to travel across oceans to visit international team members. But virtual spaces are now bringing us together in an instant. New rules have been written, and as work-from-home is on the rise, re-written, and they bring their own unique cross-cultural challenges. We’ll discuss communication differences unique to text-driven spaces like email and instant message as well as the evolving world of video conferencing.

Sep 28th 2026
4 Weeks
The Modern and the Postmodern (Part 2) (Coursera) Coursera
Wesleyan University

The Modern and the Postmodern (Part 2) (Coursera)

This course examines how the idea of "the modern" develops at the end of the 18th century in European philosophy and literature, and how being modern (or progressive, or hip) became one of the crucial criteria for understanding and evaluating cultural change. Are we still in modernity, or have we moved beyond the modern to the postmodern?

Oct 5th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Leading Teams (Coursera) Coursera
University of Michigan

Leading Teams (Coursera)

In this course, you will learn how to build your team, improve teamwork and collaboration, and sustain team performance through continuous learning and improvement. Specifically, you will learn best practices for composing a team and aligning individual and team goals. You will also learn how to establish roles, build structures, and manage decision making so that your team excels.

Sep 28th 2026
4 Weeks
Groundwork for Success in Sales Development (Coursera) Coursera
Salesforce,SV Academy

Groundwork for Success in Sales Development (Coursera)

This is Course 1 in the Salesforce Sales Development Representative Professional Certificate. In order to successfully complete later courses, please ensure you have completed this course before moving on. This course is here to introduce you to the key role of a Sales Development Representative at a tech company. We want you to develop a winning professional mindset powered by emotional literacy, strategic thinking, time management, and task prioritization.

Sep 28th 2026
4 Weeks
Teamwork Skills: Communicating Effectively in Groups (Coursera) Coursera
University of Colorado Boulder

Teamwork Skills: Communicating Effectively in Groups (Coursera)

Effective teamwork and group communication are essential for your professional and personal success. In this course you will learn to: make better decisions, be more creative and innovative, manage conflict and work with difficult group members, negotiate for preferred outcomes, improve group communication in virtual environments, develop a better overall understanding of human interaction, and work more effectively as a team. Our goal is to help you understand these important dynamics of group communication and learn how to put them into practice to improve your overall teamwork.

Sep 27th 2026
4 Weeks
Reputation Crisis? Facebook meets Cambridge Analytica (Coursera) Coursera
Erasmus University Rotterdam

Reputation Crisis? Facebook meets Cambridge Analytica (Coursera)

Do you remember when you first created your Facebook account? Do you know what happens to the data and stories you share on Facebook? Are you aware of the Facebook – Cambridge Analytica crisis and its ramifications? In this course, you will take a deep dive into reputation management by tackling a case study on the crisis, the effects of which are still unravelling for Facebook, the tech industry, and society at large. You will explore the concept of corporate reputation, and touch upon topics such as data privacy implications for the big tech or the importance of leadership and culture, and how Mark Zuckerberg’s leadership might have affected Facebook in particular. In the final project, you will be asked to link theory and practice to provide an analysis of events and make recommendations for Facebook, going forward.

Sep 28th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Re-imaging God in Korean Context (Coursera) Coursera
Yonsei University

Re-imaging God in Korean Context (Coursera)

This course will be an overview of a development of the theological methods in relation to Korea’s cultural context. Completing the course, the learners can understand cultural influences on the dynamic development of Korean churches and indigenous theology; they can also gain an insight into their own image of God and theological imagination in their own cultural context.

Oct 12th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Global Impact: Cross-Cultural Management (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Global Impact: Cross-Cultural Management (Coursera)

With globalization, multiculturalism is on the rise. Managers need to lead a workforce composed of individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds. Managers need to negotiate and cooperate with organizations from diverse cultures; they need to know about the effects that diverse cultures can have on business practices. This course introduces the fundamentals of multicultural management by describing the impact of culture on interpersonal processes in organizations, discussing how culture shapes communication, leadership, negotiation, and teamwork.

Sep 28th 2026
4 Weeks
The Worldview of Thomas Berry: The Flourishing of the Earth Community (Coursera) Coursera
Yale University

The Worldview of Thomas Berry: The Flourishing of the Earth Community (Coursera)

Thomas Berry (1914-2009) was a historian of world religions and an early voice awakening moral sensibilities to the environmental crisis. He is known for articulating a “new story” of the universe that explores the implications of the evolutionary sciences and cultural traditions for creating a flourishing future. This course investigates Berry’s life and thought in relation to the Journey of the Universe project.

Oct 12th 2026
5-12 Weeks