You want to be effective in your work, I’m sure. You probably also want to make people feel like they can come speak with you and like they have the support they need in their roles. But even us, the People people, sometimes follow our natural communicating styles, which are culturally influenced, without adapting. They […]
People may be working across cultures regardless of whether they’re travelling the world or working with colleagues remotely from one given location. And for that, the key thing you need are the “people skills” – that’s usually the first thing that comes to mind. To be a good international manager or HR/Talent professional you need […]
When it comes to cross-cultural communications the question of: “Who should adapt?” almost always comes up. I don’t think there is one magical formula for this, but there is a certain rationale I use for myself: “The one who wants to have a productive conversation and knows how to”. If I know that I’m in […]
So often in the annual performance reviews or even just day-to-day conversations people receive feedback that they should work on improving their communication skills. But what does that really mean? And does it mean the same thing around the world? We all have our own personal preferences of how we speak, what channels of communication […]
The world is getting smaller as people travel more and more and therefore cultures no longer matter that much, some say. Wrong. They matter more than ever!
Travelling for work is often a good selling point, which companies use to attract young professionals. Taglines of “you will get to see the world”, “you will get to work with people from other cultures”, “you will increase your international experience” are frequently used. And all that really is possible, but it is your personal […]
We already know that the technical expertise in a chosen field doesn’t necessarily lead to a successful assignment abroad. It is certainly one of the factors, but not the only one. You might be a great manager in your current location, understanding people’s needs, being able to respond in an adequate manner, knowing how things […]
You are doing a great job in the location you are in. You know how things work. People like you, clients know and trust you. So, naturally, you are the person the company asks to share that expertise with another office location. It’s just for a short-term assignment and if successful then you will be […]
Very often in global companies nowadays, there is talk about diversity – making sure to be inclusive of various personalities, personal lives and backgrounds, religious traditions and much more. Somehow, many of them don’t mention cultural competence as a tool that can help manage those differences. But let’s think about it a bit more. Our […]
You know that cultures differ around the world. You know that people have different preferences on both cultural (be it country culture or a certain professional group like HR or IT) and individual level. You know that diversity in the team is important and may bring you many benefits. Is this enough to say you’re […]