Vocabulary + Grammar 4

Gabriela worked ... Mr. Priestley as a successful project manager in Brazil and was transferred to manage a team in Sweden.

She was excited about her new role but soon realised that managing her new team ... a challenge.

... their friendliness, Gabriela didn't feel respected as a leader.

Her new staff would question her proposals openly in meetings, and when she gave them instructions on how to ... a task, they would often implement it on their own way without checking with her. 

When she announced her decisions on the project, they would continue ... their opinions as if it was still up for discussion.

After weeks of ..., Gabriela emailed her Swedish manager about the issues she was facing with her team. 

Her manager simply asked her if she felt her team was still performing, and ... she thought would help her better collaborate with her team members.

Gabriela found her manager vague and didn't feel as if he was managing the situation ... .

Gabriela was used to a more hierarchical framework where the team leader and manager ... control and ... specific instructions on how things were to be done.

This more directive management style worked well for her and her team in Brazil but did not transfer well to her new team in Sweden, ... were more used to a flatter hierarchy where decision making was more democratic. 

When Gabriela took the issue to her Swedish manager, rather than stepping in with directions about what to do, her manager took on the role of coach and focused on getting her to come ... with her own solutions instead.

Dutch social psychologist Geert Hofstede uses the concept of 'power distance' to describe how power ... and how hierarchy is perceived in different cultures.

In her previous work , Gabriela was used to a high power distance culture where power and authority ... and everyone ... their rightful place.

Her Swedish team, however, ... in a low power distance culture where subordinates often work together with their bosses to find solutions and make decisions. 

Here, leaders act as coaches or mentors who encourage independent thought and expect ....

When Gabriela became ... of the cultural differences between her and her team, she took the initiative to have an open conversation with them about their feelings about her leadership. 

Pleased ... for their thoughts, Gabriela's team openly expressed that they were not used to being told what to do. 

They enjoyed having more room for initiative and creative freedom. When she told her team exactly what she needed them to do, they felt that she didn't trust them ... their job well.

They realised that Gabriela was taking it personally when they tried to challenge or ... changes to her decisions, and were able to explain that it was how they'd always worked.

With better understanding of the underlying reasons behind each other's behaviour, Gabriela and her team ... adapt their way of working. 

Gabriela was then able to make adjustments to her management style so as to better ... the expectations of her team and more effectively motivate her team to achieve their goals.