Exercise #44
Leadership in a Multicultural Interdisciplinary Team
Authors: E. Burbela, O. Fedortsiv, V. Djyvak
60-75 min
Description
A case-based decision exercise in which you take the role of a newly appointed clinical lead of a merged oncology unit, navigating a real medication near-miss that exposes a clash between Western European and post-Soviet professional escalation cultures. Stage 1 is a branching scenario; Stage 2 is a short personal reflection.
Methodological Guide
Objectives
1. Understand how individual cultural beliefs, professional experiences, and communication styles influence interactions within an interdisciplinary team.
2. Acquire skills in effective interprofessional communication, including active listening, facilitating dialogue, and resolving conflict.
3. Appreciate the role of the leader in providing an inclusive environment where diverse perspectives are respected and utilized.
4. Learn to balance different approaches to develop a holistic, patient-centred plan of care.
5. Understand that multiculturalism and diversity of perspectives within a team improve the quality and safety of patient care.
2. Acquire skills in effective interprofessional communication, including active listening, facilitating dialogue, and resolving conflict.
3. Appreciate the role of the leader in providing an inclusive environment where diverse perspectives are respected and utilized.
4. Learn to balance different approaches to develop a holistic, patient-centred plan of care.
5. Understand that multiculturalism and diversity of perspectives within a team improve the quality and safety of patient care.
Expected Outcomes
1. Students will be able to identify and effectively navigate different cultural communication styles within the medical team.
2. They will develop practical inclusive leadership skills necessary to facilitate consensus and resolve conflict in interdisciplinary settings.
3. Participants will understand how the use of diverse professional and cultural perspectives improves the quality of patient care planning.
4. Attitudinal transformation is expected, manifesting in a decrease in ethnocentric prejudices and an increase in the level of cultural humility.
5. Students will be better prepared for ethical and communication challenges in the globalized environment of modern medicine.
2. They will develop practical inclusive leadership skills necessary to facilitate consensus and resolve conflict in interdisciplinary settings.
3. Participants will understand how the use of diverse professional and cultural perspectives improves the quality of patient care planning.
4. Attitudinal transformation is expected, manifesting in a decrease in ethnocentric prejudices and an increase in the level of cultural humility.
5. Students will be better prepared for ethical and communication challenges in the globalized environment of modern medicine.
Exercise Procedure
Stage 1 — Decision Scenario (15 min): Navigate a branching decision tree centred on a medication near-miss in a newly merged oncology unit where two teams hold different professional escalation norms. Your choices determine the outcome. Stage 2 — Written Reflection (10 min): Respond to a personal prompt about the leadership instincts you carry from your own professional upbringing.
Mode of Implementation
Individual activity (branching scenario + written reflection)
Role of the Teacher
The teacher briefly introduces the topic and explains the objectives (5 min), then oversees individual work through the scenario and reflection. After completion, a facilitated group debrief covers what participants discovered about their own leadership instincts and cultural assumptions.
Theoretical Basis
The theoretical basis of the exercise is based on the concept that modern healthcare in a globalized environment operates through multidisciplinary teams, the effectiveness of which critically depends on the ability of specialists with different cultural and professional backgrounds to overcome communication barriers and collaborate. Cultural differences between team members, manifested in communication styles (e.g., direct or indirect), perception of hierarchy, and approaches to decision-making, can create significant barriers that reduce the quality of team interaction and patient safety. Inclusive leadership, which involves the active involvement of all team members, respect for diversity of views, and facilitation of open dialogue, is a key competency for a leader who seeks to transform potential conflicts into innovative and comprehensive solutions.
Practical Application
Improving the quality and safety of patient care: acquiring cultural competence and cross-cultural communication skills allows healthcare professionals to better understand the unique needs of patients, minimising the risks of misunderstandings and diagnostic errors. Students learn to overcome language barriers, facilitate difficult conversations, and leverage the strengths of each team member to develop comprehensive treatment plans.
Knowledge Transfer
The transfer of knowledge occurs through the integration of implicit simulation experience with explicit theoretical reflection during a facilitated discussion. This process ensures the transformation of abstract concepts of inclusive leadership and intercultural communication into sustainable, practical skills necessary for effective work in clinical settings.
Reinforcement & Reflection
Reinforcement of learning outcomes occurs through structured feedback and the development of individual action plans, which helps students apply the acquired inclusive leadership skills in real clinical settings. Reflection provides deep self-analysis and awareness of cultural biases, transforming the simulation experience into sustainable professional competence and cultural humility.
Required Resources
No additional materials required beyond this digital exercise.
Assessment / Evaluation
Teacher's choice: self-assessment (reflective journal questions, short written feedback), peer assessment (group discussion, peer feedback), or teacher observation (quality of participation, depth of reflection, engagement in discussion).
Practical Tips
1. Create a safe environment: establish rules of confidentiality and mutual respect before starting. Emphasize that actions and decisions are being discussed, not the personalities of the participants.
2. Use structured debriefing: PEARLS model or DAA (Describe, Analysis, Application). Start with a reaction phase ("What did you feel?") before moving to analysis ("Why did that happen?") and application ("What would you do differently?").
3. Encourage self-reflection: use open-ended questions that encourage students to introspect on their own biases and cultural norms. Short pauses after a question help students formulate their thoughts.
4. Focus on 2–3 main learning objectives per session (e.g., inclusive leadership and communication styles).
5. Highlight systemic issues: after discussing individual actions, move to systemic barriers (lack of interpreters, outdated protocols).
2. Use structured debriefing: PEARLS model or DAA (Describe, Analysis, Application). Start with a reaction phase ("What did you feel?") before moving to analysis ("Why did that happen?") and application ("What would you do differently?").
3. Encourage self-reflection: use open-ended questions that encourage students to introspect on their own biases and cultural norms. Short pauses after a question help students formulate their thoughts.
4. Focus on 2–3 main learning objectives per session (e.g., inclusive leadership and communication styles).
5. Highlight systemic issues: after discussing individual actions, move to systemic barriers (lack of interpreters, outdated protocols).
Discussion Topics
1. Balancing patient safety norms across professionally distinct subcultures within one team.
2. Effective cross-cultural communication and systemic support for merged units.
3. Inclusivity in multidisciplinary teams and the role of leadership in co-authoring shared norms.
Stage 2: Leadership Reflection
You have just navigated a multicultural leadership dilemma in a newly merged clinical unit. Now write a short personal reflection. There are no correct answers — only honest ones.
- What's one leadership instinct you have (from your own professional upbringing) that might show up as cultural arrogance to a colleague from a different training culture, and how would you check it in yourself next week?
2. Effective cross-cultural communication and systemic support for merged units.
3. Inclusivity in multidisciplinary teams and the role of leadership in co-authoring shared norms.
Stage 2: Leadership Reflection
You have just navigated a multicultural leadership dilemma in a newly merged clinical unit. Now write a short personal reflection. There are no correct answers — only honest ones.
- What's one leadership instinct you have (from your own professional upbringing) that might show up as cultural arrogance to a colleague from a different training culture, and how would you check it in yourself next week?
Further Resources
1. WHO course "Global Competency Standards for the Provision of Health Services to Refugees and Migrants": https://www.who.int/news/item/02-09-2024-who-launches-new-online-course-for-health-workers-on-caring-for-migrant-and-refugee-populations
2. The SHARE Approach — Essential Steps of Shared Decision-making: Quick Reference Guide: https://archive.ahrq.gov/health-literacy/professional-training/shared-decision/tools/share-tool1.pdf
3. A Physician's Practical Guide to Culturally Competent Care. Think Cultural Health: https://cccm.thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/
4. Salik I, Paige JT. Debriefing the Interprofessional Team in Medical Simulation. StatPearls. 2025. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554526/
5. Botelho MJ, Lima CA. From Cultural Competence to Cultural Respect. Journal of Nursing Education. 2020;59(6):311–318.
6. Lambert S. Role of emotional intelligence in effective nurse leadership. Nursing Standard. 2021;36(12):45–49.
2. The SHARE Approach — Essential Steps of Shared Decision-making: Quick Reference Guide: https://archive.ahrq.gov/health-literacy/professional-training/shared-decision/tools/share-tool1.pdf
3. A Physician's Practical Guide to Culturally Competent Care. Think Cultural Health: https://cccm.thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/
4. Salik I, Paige JT. Debriefing the Interprofessional Team in Medical Simulation. StatPearls. 2025. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554526/
5. Botelho MJ, Lima CA. From Cultural Competence to Cultural Respect. Journal of Nursing Education. 2020;59(6):311–318.
6. Lambert S. Role of emotional intelligence in effective nurse leadership. Nursing Standard. 2021;36(12):45–49.