Tips for Leaders of Multinational Teams
A delegation of over 180 Global Leaders, Culture Ministers, and Social Influencers at the March 2024 Abu Dhabi Culture Summit concluded that “culture opens our minds and helps create a world of dialogue – and dialogue resolves challenges”.
Whilst this may well be the case, it’s also true that dialogue between different cultures is equally capable of creating challenges, even conflict.
For example, a recent survey in Japan revealed that one in three Japanese middle managers reported feeling ‘intense stress’ from supervising foreign employees. One in five said the experience traumatised them so much that they would resign from their jobs immediately if they could.
The most common complaint was that foreign employees were ‘very assertive’ and ‘lacked common sense’. They tended to make ‘aggressive demands for salary increases’ and had low levels of loyalty towards their employers.
Culture greatly influences how people work together. To avoid misunderstandings and stimulate collaboration and high performance, it’s so important to understand and appreciate the different cultural backgrounds in your team.
But how to ensure communication stays clear between international team members with not only varying personalities, but different cultural backgrounds as well?
Here are 4 possible tips for leaders of multinational teams:
Don’t give your opinion first – start by asking for the thoughts and ideas of the team members
Consider not attending some meetings – but tell the team you’ll be wanting feedback
Ask team members well in advance to prepare to speak on specific issues
Increase level of interaction by asking individual open-ended questions. e.g.: ‘ Meiling, if I may ask, what are your thoughts about this?’
Finally, bear in mind, that although Peter Drucker never actually said “Culture eats strategy for breakfast’, it certainly can do!
Presentation Skills Myths and Realities #2:
Be sure to Speak Slowly when Presenting
The first mistake made by so many people when giving a presentation; they slow down.
Our Managing Director Mark Loasby explains why you should keep up a natural speaking pace during presentations on the blog this month.
Read blog post:
Myth 2: Be sure to Speak Slowly when Presenting
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The Connect Family
