Purpose

In this study, micro-foundations of strategy as the theoretical framework to study the effect of managers’ individual characteristics on multinational team performance are adopted. In particular, the purpose of this paper is to study managers’ multilingual communication abilities and multicultural background, and their role in, respectively, effectively reconfiguring team human assets and sensing cognitively distant opportunities and threats.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses national football teams competing in national and international competitions and their coaches’ characteristics as the data set to test the theory. Using random coefficient modeling and ordinary least square regression, this paper analyzes two samples of 222 and 79 teams and found that both these characteristics contribute to team performance; however, their effects differ depending on the team environment.

Findings

Multicultural managers contribute positively to team performance only when the team is operating in a highly diverse environment, their effect is not statistically significant in homogeneous environments. In less diverse environments, it is the multilingual manager who can improve team performance through more efficient communication and greater effects of leadership on the team.

Originality/value

Managers’ characteristics such as their multicultural background and multilingual capabilities affect team performance. In particular, these effects come into play in highly diverse and international settings. Micro-foundation literature is advised to focus on the internationalization and multicultural backgrounds of managers as a precursor for organizational international performance.

中文翻译：

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多语言和多文化管理者对团队绩效的影响：来自职业足球队的见解

目的

本研究采用战略微观基础作为理论框架，研究管理者个人特征对跨国团队绩效的影响。特别是，本文的目的是研究管理者的多语言沟通能力和多文化背景，以及他们在有效重新配置团队人力资产和感知认知上遥远的机会和威胁中的作用。

设计/方法/方法

本研究以参加国内和国际比赛的国家足球队及其教练的特点作为数据集来检验该理论。使用随机系数建模和普通最小二乘回归，本文分析了 222 和 79 个团队的两个样本，发现这两个特征都有助于团队绩效；但是，它们的效果因团队环境而异。

发现

只有当团队在高度多样化的环境中运作时，多元文化经理才能对团队绩效做出积极贡献，他们的影响在同质环境中没有统计学意义。在不太多样化的环境中，多语种经理可以通过更有效的沟通和更大的领导对团队的影响来提高团队绩效。

原创性/价值

管理者的多元文化背景和多语言能力等特征会影响团队绩效。特别是，这些影响在高度多样化和国际化的环境中发挥作用。建议微观基础文献关注管理者的国际化和多元文化背景，作为组织国际绩效的先驱。