How to make multicultural teams a positive experience?
“Culture is the way in which a group of people solves problems and reconciles dilemmas.” Fons Trompenaars, one of the two masters of cultural differentiation with Geert Hofstede.
I have conducted business across different geographies and have been working with team members across many regions, in Europe, Australia, the US and Asia and have always considered this as a rewarding experience despite having its own set of challenges.
The economy has become global; companies are multinational. Even small companies have international presence. People travel around the world for different reasons and work outside their home country ; those so-called “foreign workers” or expatriates” were estimated 258 million in 2017 according to the International Labour Organization. Which means that it is very likely that you are working with colleagues whose native language and culture is not yours.
A multicultural team is made up of people in different countries, from different cultural backgrounds and or languages. Multicultural teams can be located in different offices around the world but with globalization, multicultural teams can now be found more often in a single location. This is the case for Redbubble European office in Berlin, where most of the employees are non Germans (54%).
The question of differences in behavior is very important in business. There are immediate obvious challenges to overcome when working with multicultural teams and working in such an environment can be source of misunderstanding or even frustration, not even mentioning time difference that can be part of the equation when belonging to a global team.
The challenges
Communication and language hurdles
Studies show that managers spend approximately 80% of their workday communicating, in formal written way or in oral presentation. In a multicultural environment, the differences in communication and language will be amplified.
We all learn a language when raised. Even when we learn one or more additional languages at school or for work purpose, we might not control it perfectly to get the subtleties, accents, understand the colloquialisms, not even the cultural references and jokes!
The communication style can be very different and it can take a while to adjust to it. When I moved from Paris to Singapore, I have been caught by surprise by the lack of open disagreement, especially with superiors and the many ways of saying “no” without uttering the word at all! In Germany where I currently live, I find the communication quite direct and explicit (a “yes” is a “yes”), with little reading between the lines and people don’t’ fear to speak up.
Hierarchy and status
There are different approaches to respecting hierarchy and status. Cultures in Asia tend to be very respectful of the hierarchy ; I have never seen a boss being questioned or publicly taught he/she was wrong when I was working in Singapore. In Germany, authority is accepted without being questioned as long as managers show through their ability and meet the expectations. Americans are more egalitarian meaning employees are free to challenge authority.
All those differences may lead to misunderstanding or vexation when not treated according to the belief behind status.
Decision making norms
There are varying styles and speed of making a decision. In some cultures, it is expected to get things moving fast and learn on the way ; American managers can take the full responsibility for making a quick decision based on the right amount of information.
In other cultures it can be required to take time to gather as much information as possible, through the involvement of technical experts (in Germany) for example or to research and take into consideration the social benefit, like in Scandinavia.
When overcoming the challenges, culturally diversified teams can contribute significantly to the dynamic of the group they belong to.
The benefits
More ideas generated
Culturally diversified teams generate more solutions to solve a problem than a homogeneous group. Individuals from different cultures confront their ideas, they bring diversified experiences, and perspectives they broaden the considerations and points of views.
Openness
Those who have been working in a multi-cultural environment tend to have more acceptance, to be more open and to step back from their own beliefs.
Rich experiences
Multicultural workplaces form a wonderful environment where languages, cuisine, celebrations are mixed and experienced. I can’t count the number of occasions I enjoyed tasting a local meal or culinary specialty that a colleague brought to the office for us to try!
Best practices
If you want to succeed in working in a multicultural environment, you need to be able to work with those cultural differences in the organization. It requires a higher dose of personal investment, including learning, adaptation and diplomacy.
1. Understand your colleagues’ language and culture
- Spend time learning about people’s cultural norms and why we all act differently; encourage your colleagues to do the same. There are a lot of resources that describe cultures, like the “Culture Shock!” book series, although there are many stereotypes in those books and not every cultural characteristic should be taken strictly. And then talk to everyone individually and ask them how they feel about those differences between cultures.
- Similar to the above, try to learn as much of the language of your professional partner as possible. This can get you closer to them, getting them more willing to explain how they work and what they expect as a working relationship. In our Berlin office, despite English being the common corporate language, we offer German language courses.
- (Note that this will be relevant when the world will not be impacted by various lockdown measures and travel restrictions due to Covid19) You could also acquire much knowledge if you have the opportunity to travel or work from abroad to experiment those cultures on your own. I’ve learned so much and was much more able to understand when I travelled. In Singapore and realized that the education system relies very much on learning by heart, which produces academic results that stand out and an impressive capacity of local talents to perfectly apply learned principles.
2. Accept and respect different cultural principles
- Be open-minded: share your beliefs, help your working partner understand your behavior. Look at the situation from the perspective of your colleague. It’s not because you’ve been told and raised in a way that your cultural reference is the truth. But also give them feedback with context about how you feel about your interactions.
- Avoid conveying any “cultural” bias towards members who are fluent in your native tongue or closer to your cultural principles and practice inclusive employment practices.
