5 Communication Tips for Cross-Cultural Workplaces
Cross-cultural communication skills are essential for professional success.
It’s happened to you before: a group project that involved frequent communication with your colleagues didn’t go according to plan. You may have set up weekly meetings with the team to go over the different project stages. You might have even connected with them daily over Slack to keep appraised of their progress. Yet, the communication between your coworkers somehow faltered, leading to decreased productivity. What was standing in the way of your success?
Research suggests that differences in cultural viewpoints affect workplace dynamics. Native language, cultural background, social expectations — these factors all influence how people process and interpret information. All organizations experience cross-cultural communication issues, even those with highly structured environments. So developing skills that help you identify and overcome intercultural misunderstandings will help you navigate group work in any industry.
Below are 5 tips you can use to help diffuse cross-cultural issues in your workplace:
