The impact of the contemporary Greek culture on the performance of multicultural teams in international public environments

Abstract

International organizations with HR professionals who are incapable of managing their employees’ culture are doomed to failure. For this reason, the aim of the present study is to showcase the features of the contemporary Greek culture that could potentially affect, either positively or negatively, the performance of multicultural teams in international public organizations, so that managers know what to expect when Greek nationals join their multicultural workforce. The research was conducted with the aid of questionnaires granted to Greek employees working in international public environments, including questions about their behavior, personality, beliefs, attitudes, organizational habits, and anticipated reactions towards both their duties and managers or colleagues. The results prove that, although Greeks hold the reputation of the difficult employee, they have started taking steps towards rectifying most of the characteristics they were condemned for in the past, heading towards professionalism and organizational consistency. Therefore, they make up colleagues worth working with, since they strive hard to adapt and be resilient to the changes in the world around them, without letting their deep-rooted culture affect them where it constitutes a hindrance on their performance.