This document discusses challenges in multicultural teams and the growing diversity in the Dutch workforce. It notes that the most highly skilled migrants in the Netherlands come from India, US, UK, China and Turkey. It also provides statistics showing increases in immigrants and foreign students in the Netherlands between 1999-2014. The document seeks to increase awareness of how multicultural the Dutch market is and understand challenges in multicultural teams so as to learn how to overcome them.

2. Sociologist, Trainer, Speaker, Coach, Leader
Lead service and specialist teams for 7 years
Lead and managed teams with 17 different
nationalities virtual and local
Worked with professionals from all around the
globe
My Pole Star: Facilitate open, creative and
progressive self and team leadership that
results to high individual and team
performance across diversity.

3.  Increase awareness of how multicultural
the Dutch market is
 Understand the challenges in
multicultural teams
 Learn how to overcome some
challenges in working in & managing
multicultural teams

5.  Most highly skilled migrants come from India, US, UK,
China and Turkey (Dutch Daily News, pbl.nl)
 30% of HSM work for international companies and
70% in Dutch companies (pbl.nl)
 Current shortage of candidates in ICT, sales, and
technical positions (HR Trends 2015-2016, ADP)
 Knowledge migrants also needed in trading, health
and education sectors.
 In 2014, 139 new international companies in
Amsterdam = 1,308 jobs; predicted to 2,359 jobs
within 3 years (Dutch Daily News)

6. September 2013, cbs.nl
August 2014, cbs.nl
1999: 417,000
2011: 683,500
After 2008:
660,000
2014: 76,000
immigrants (8,6k
more than in
2013)
- Polish
- Romanian
- Syrian asylum
seekers

7. Delta.tudelft.nl
450% growth in 10
years (NUFFIC)
- German, Chinese,
Belgian, Greek and
Bulgarian

9. What challenges are there in
multicultural teams? what do you
think is your role in it as HR
professional.? Give 1 or 2 topics.
10 minutes

10.  Miscommunication
 Productivity
 De-motivation caused by bias
 Lack of sense of “team”
 Misjudgments
 Personal Conflict

11.  Giving Feedback
 Building Relationship of Trust
 Communicating Flexibly

12.  Giving Negative Feedback
A: Give her negative feedback and
criticize her work openly
B: Set up an informal 1on1 meeting and
discuss points for improvement

13. “Face” or “Loss of Face”
If you openly criticize someone from China,
he/she will feel humiliated, will feel he
lost credibility or reputation. In high
context cultures such as China, Japan
and South East Asian countries, it’s best
to give praise in public and criticize in
private. But maintain balance.

14.  Communicating Flexibly
A: He needs more time to analyze the
data. You asked for a tentative
completion date but you feel confident
it will go smoothly.
B: This is nowhere close to complete. You
openly discuss what help he needs.

15. Meyer, E. The Culture Map

16.  Receiving Negative Feedback
A: Understood the frustration of the manager.
You give him a recap of the situation and
what you’ve done so far. You also openly
ask for his opinion how to speed things up.
B: Feel hurt and angry. How dare this
manager say “I’m slow!” You argue that
you’re not slow but the circumstance is out
of your control.

17. Meyer, E. The Culture Map
When Russian’s speak to their boss, they are more diplomatic with
criticism however if they are the boss or feel more superior, they tend
to be hierarchical and frank.

18. Low-context/explicit
Indirect
negative
feedback
Direct
negative
feedback
High context/implicit
US
Canada
UK
Brazil
Argentina
Mexico
India
Saudi Arabia
Thailand
Japan
Australia
Netherlands
Germany
Denmark
Italy
Israel
Russia
Spain
France
A C
B D

19. Geert-hofstede.com

20.  Building Relationships of Trust
A: By formally booking a room, make sure to
share your enthusiasm about the project
and prepare an agenda that you will use to
kick off the meeting.
B: By scheduling a coffee break/lunch
together, ask how he likes his new home, let
him share some personal information and
when the timing is right, proceed to the
agenda.

21. Meyer, E. The Culture Map

22.  Giving Negative Feedback
A: “You’re a very competent analyst however I noticed
that you have a tendency to miss deadlines. That’s
slightly a concern. However, I trust that with your
professional qualities, you can get up to speed with
the whole team.”
B: “I want to address the fact that the past couple of
weeks you’ve been missing deadlines. That’s
completely unprofessional for this team and because
of that, there are other delays caused. You need to
start cooperating better.”

23. Indirect negative feedback: Feedback to colleague is provided
softly, subtly, diplomatically. Positive messages are used to wrap
negative ones. Qualifying descriptors are often used (sort of, slightly)
when criticizing. Criticism is only given in private.

24.  Giving Positive Feedback
A: You’ve been doing a good job. Your
ideas are refreshing so far.
B: Excellent work so far! I really think your
ideas are great and some can be
implemented as soon as possible.

25. When giving positive feedback to
Americans, openly appreciate one
another. Also use adjectives in
superlative degree. Good – Excellent. Or
frame your feedback to your direct
report. E.g. When you say ‘okay’ you
should hear ‘very good’ and you when
you say ‘good’ you should hear
‘excellent’

27.  Use a true-to-life scenario where you’ve
been challenged or are currently feeling
challenged in. The focus is on giving
feedback to a colleague/direct report
with a different communication pattern.

28.  You’re working for a global team of HR advisors
where you’ve been employed in for 6 months.
For the last 6 months, your team in Amsterdam
have been busy changing some HR processes
and flows. Your Indonesian colleague based in
the Singapore office has pioneered this project
in the past and has also been with the
company for more than 10 years. How will you
give feedback to her that what she set up
before will no longer be of use without hurting
her feelings.
15 minutes

30. OPEN
EERLIJK
NIEUWSGIERIG

32.  Record number of international
companies to Amsterdam in 2014
 Buitenlandse werknemers vaker voor
korte tijd naar Nederland
 Immigratie loopt op
 Buitenlandse kenniswerkers in Nederland
 Spectaculaire groei buitenlandse
studenten