Multicultural employees: Global business' untapped resource

Despite rapid growth in the number of multicultural employees, few global organizations are tapping the potential of their employees with more than one culture. Some organizations may be unaware of the skills these employees possess, or may even see them as a source of problems. Others may lack the procedures necessary to use their skills (e.g., selection processes and career development practices to place multicultural employees in positions where they can be most useful). We describe multicultural employees' potential to contribute to five key international business activities: Multicultural teams, intercultural negotiations, ethics and leadership, expatriation, and international mergers and acquisitions. We then describe how global organizations can leverage the distinctive skills, knowledge and perspectives of their multicultural employees. Overall, multicultural employees possess many of the skills and abilities necessary to succeed in complex, global companies, and organizations would be wise to pay more attention to them.