Research papers can be daunting. Sometimes even the idea of starting to think about writing a paper can stop you from even starting. One way to get over the writer’s block is to create an outline. An outline is just the building block of your paper. It is where you start to put your ideas down on paper in some type logical order to help guide you in your research and writing of the course project.
Outlines are an important and underutilized writing tool. A strong outline creates a “road map” that can be used to keep your topic and message on track. The length of your outline will be determined by the components of your proposal topic.
For this class, the course project is based on an outline that you will create and submit in the FINAL PROJECT only (Module 05). This week you will have an opportunity to create a practice outline that is based on a library article that is provided. In this assignment, read the provided article and create an outline of it. The next step will be for you to write your own outline (using the format listed below) to help you write your course project. The course project outline will be a part of the final course project grade.
Remember, you will be writing two outlines in this course. The first one will be here in this assignment; this is an outline of a library article.
The second one will be done separately and will be specifically about your course project topic. You will submit the second outline as a piece of the final project in Module 05.
For this assignment, follow a traditional outline format using the information below as a guide:
General Information on Outlines:
Outlines can be as detailed as you want them to be. Start out with vague ideas, and as you research your topic, you can fill in the holes. Make the outline more detailed as you get closer to the writing of your project.
The sentences you use in an outline don’t have to be complete sentences. They can be short ideas, words, statistical data (that have been cited).
Use headings (see below) to help you get an idea of what your paper will look like as a final product.
You must have two main ideas for each point
Example of an Outline Format:
Purpose Statement: Why are you writing this paper? What is the goal your paper? What are you hoping to do with your research? Why do you care and why should your audience care?
Problem: List out specifics of the problem
Main idea
Main idea
Original and Creative Solution to the Problem:
Main idea
Main idea
Conclusion: Where you wrap it all up and re-iterate your Purpose Statement and Original and Creative Solution how you proved it.
For this assignment, you will need to read one of the provided articles and fill in the blank of the outline format that has been provided to you. You are looking for main ideas or thoughts that the author is trying to convey to you. Below you will find a link to an article. Read it and develop an outline based on the main points in the article. While reading the article, locate and write down the main ideas and secondary ideas.
Meyer, E. (2014). Navigating the Cultural Minefield. Harvard Business Review, 92(5), 119-123. Link to article.
You can use also the reference that is giving you in this article
An Outline Based on a Document
- Purpose Statement: The purpose of the article is to help the audience learn how to work effectively with people from other cultures.
- The article provides the criteria (Culture Map) to help managers to lead people from different cultures.
- Problem: List out specifics of the problem
- Challenges involved in working in a different country
- Challenges involved in integrating within the host culture
- Issues involved in working with people from different cultures
- Challenges inherent in leading people from different cultures
- People are always moving to different countries as employees and managers and face challenges integrating into the local culture and leading diverse teams (Homan et al., 2020).s
- Regardless of the perceived success in leading multinationals and working with people, from other counties, relocating to a new country to lead a diverse team is never an easy task (Homan et al., 2020).
- A major challenge for people working with diverse teams is the tendency to rely on clichés, stereotyping people from different cultures. This is quite common even among leaders working in different countries from their home cultures.
- Oversimplified and erroneous assumptions affect efforts to develop and work with teams from different countries.
- The Culture Map
- The solution for managers to navigate the murky work world of cultural differences is what Meyer (2014) calls a Culture Map. The map should show leaders what to do and how to lead people from diverse cultures, including how to deal with potential differences and conflicts.
- The map comprises of eight scales that represent the management behaviors in cultural gaps. The map helps the management to know what to do when faced with challenges emanating from diversity (Meyer, 2014).
- The scales and their metrics are:
- Communicating: effective communication means different things, but the baseline is, understanding the cultural context
- Evaluating: examining the situation to give positive criticism
- Persuading: the approach the leader uses to persuade others to see the point of view.
- Leading: the influence, including the degree of respect and deference that authority figures show.
- Deciding: the measure of consensus-mindedness in a culture.
- Trusting: The type of trust (cognitive vs. affective) that the leader creates.
- Disagreeing: the level of disagreement considered normal and how to address it.
- Scheduling: agendas and timetables inherent in an organization.
- Rules
- Four rules related to the Culture Map (Meyer, 2014).
- RULE1 Don’t Underestimate the Challenge
Leading diverse teams is a challenging job, which means that no challenge is irrelevant
- RULE 2 Apply Multiple Perspectives
An effective leader should understand and apply different perspectives since they all add value to the process.
- RULE 3 Find the Positive in Other Approaches
Finding a positive in all other approaches is critical in leading diverse teams since they could have a positive impact on the organization.
- RULE 4 Adjust, and Readjust, Your Position
Nothing is fixed when leading diverse teams, suggesting that the leader should keep adjusting and readjusting until a perfect fit is found.
- Conclusion
- Leading people from different cultures is not easy.
- Thus, managers should master the eight scales of the Culture Map and the four Rules.
- Using the scales and rules will help a manager to overcome cultural barriers and become better at leading people from different cultures.
References
Homan, A. C., Gündemir, S., Buengeler, C., & van Kleef, G. A. (2020). Leading diversity: Towards a theory of functional leadership in diverse teams. Journal of Applied Psychology, 105(10), 1101.
Meyer, E. (2014). Navigating the Cultural Minefield. Harvard Business Review, 92(5), 119-123.