The likelihood of working in a multinational environment continues to increase as globalization extends its reach across numerous industries.  Whether working for a small business or large corporation, it's not uncommon these days in America to be exposed to more than one culture.  Diverse international backgrounds and experiences can create a unique, even effective and flourishing workplace if certain steps are taken to ensure cultural differences are understood and respected.

Expecting a group of individuals of differing cultures to immediately and consistently perform as a cohesive team does not always work.  This is clearly an issue for multinational companies.  Generally, people from a particular country tend to share deeply ingrained cultural norms which are distinct from other countries.  This combined with language barriers, communication style and organizational differences all affect a company's performance.