HR on the Park Jan2012event

At work all over the world

Crossing Cultures with Confidence
‘How to Maximise Performance’

Claire Snowdon
HR on the Park
BrookStreet des Roches

Contact www.expatknowhow.co.uk or call + 44 (0) 1235 855 236


How to maximise performance
and be able to:

• Develop effective cross-cultural business relationships.

• Communicate effectively with colleagues from different
cultural backgrounds.

• Get the best from your virtual team.



"Seek to understand before seeking to be understood."
Augustine, 4th Century



The Importance of Cultural Awareness
• Develop certain attitudes and skills so you can interact
effectively and in an acceptable way

• Awareness of issues and pitfalls can help avoid gaffes

• Create a positive impression

• Demonstrate sensitivity



Cultural Quiz
True or False :

• If a negotiation in India gets heated because of different objectives,
avoid eye contact as it could be seen as aggressive and disrespectful?

• Oral commitments can represent legally binding contracts in Germany?

• Negotiators in Israel often use silence as a pressure tactic to obtain
further concessions?

• Wearing gloves in Russia when shaking hands is considered polite?

• Contracts in Saudi Arabia are expected to include lots of detail and
therefore take a long time to create and agree on?

• Negotiations in China are best conducted on a one-on-one basis since
people generally prefer getting to know you well?

• Americans have an obsession and segmentation of time?



Cultural Quiz
True or False :

• If a negotiation in India gets heated because of different objectives, avoid eye contact
as it could be seen as aggressive and disrespectful? FALSE

• Oral commitments can represent legally binding contracts in Germany? TRUE

• Negotiators in Israel often use silence as a pressure tactic to obtain further
concessions? FALSE

• Wearing gloves in Russia when shaking hands is considered polite? FALSE

• Contracts in Saudi Arabia are expected to include lots of detail and therefore take a
long time to create and agree on? FALSE

• Negotiations in China are best conducted on a one-on-one basis since people generally
prefer getting to know you well? FALSE

• Americans have an obsession and segmentation of time? TRUE


‘2011 Global Relocation Trends’
When International assignees leave the company
• 22% during assignment
• 28% within 1 year of returning
• 24% within 2 years of returning
• 26% after 2 years

Reasons for early assignment return
• Family concerns
• Accept a new position in company
• Complete assignment early
• Cultural adjustment challenges
• Career concerns
• Security concerns

Top 6 most difficult assignment locations
• China
• India
• Russia
• Brazil
• USA
• UK
(Also top 3 countries cited with the highest assignment failures)

2011 expat global data survey - Brookfield Global Relocation Services


History of Intercultural Awareness
History:
• 1950-60 – British Life and Institutions
• 1970-80 – Cultural Studies
• 1990 – Cross-cultural communication
• 21st Century Intercultural Awareness/Intercultural Working

5 Key thinkers:
• E T Hall
• Geert Hofstede
• Fons Trompenaars
• John Mole
• Richards D Lewis

What is culture? ‘Collective programming of the mind’ (Geert Hofstede)


The Iceberg
Voice
Appearance
Body Language
Shocks Behaviour

Surprises Attitude

Exceptiona
l
Behaviour

Values
Beliefs
Motivators
Drivers
Standards

We need to know something about all 3 zones to safely navigate these cultural icebergs



Cultural Differences
What Is Culture - The customs, beliefs, art and all other products of human thought made
by a particular group of people at a particular time.

Cross-cultural differences:
• language
• etiquette
• non-verbal communication
• norms and values
Examples:
• Greetings
• Communication Style
• Personal space
• Eye contact
• Views of time
• Gestures
• Taboos



Intercultural Training

• Be aware of your own culture

• Learn about others culture and preferences

• Understand & adapt your style to work with others



Cultural Dimensions
• Time spans
• Use of time
• Fate
• Rules
• Power
• Responsibility
• Group membership
• Tasks
• Communication
• Conflict
• Problem solving
• Space



What is a Virtual Team?

• A virtual team (also known as geographically dispersed
teams or GDT) is a group of individuals who work across
time, space and organizational boundaries with links
strengthened by webs of communication technology.

• Groups of geographically, organizationally and/or time
dispersed workers brought together by information and
telecommunications technologies to accomplish one or
more organizational tasks.



Virtual Team Effectiveness

Climate
Cohesion is far more important than co-location

Process
The need to clearly define roles and accountability

Focus
A shared vision understood by all team members

Flow
A virtual environment should support relationship development



Communication in Virtual Teams
(Building trust remotely)
People
Love collaboration/interaction
Like to tell their story Do not like email
About people and the past About people
Like details Want to be involved
Not quiet

Past Future

Come at problems from the past Fast
Will give facts and numbers Want a Results focus
Analytical Want a summary/short call
Like emails Facts + Data = Painful
Quiet

Fact



Conflict in Virtual Teams
The awareness by various parties of the differences, discrepancies,
incompatible wishes or irreconcilable desires of the group members.

A willingness of group members to deal with conflict is likely to have
bearing on the performance of the team.

There are 2 types of team conflict:
• Issue based (task )
• Interpersonal (affective )



Conflict Management Styles:

• Avoidance: Absence of an attempt to resolve team conflict.

• Accommodating: Focus on areas of agreement.

• Competitive: Members enforce their view on others.

• Compromise: Finding a middle ground or common solution that
addresses everyone’s interest.

• Collaborative: Integrating the views of all involved. *



Expats
Inbound – Oxfordshire/Thames Valley
Outbound – China/Hong Kong/India/Sri Lanka

Services:
• Visa support
• Tax support
• Home search
• Cross cultural training - online and face to face, psychometric test and
coaching.
• Country orientation - includes: cultural briefing/business
culture/security/safety…
• Language training
• Legal Services
• Culture Guides – China, Hong Kong, Macau, Sri Lanka, India



Teams
Bespoke training programs created for different team situations :

• Cross-cultural: Global business working across borders, countries
and cultures.
• Multicultural: Team members brought together in one location for
short/long term projects.
• Virtual: A group of geographically dispersed people relying on
information and communications technology to communicate and
work towards a common goal.

Programs can be delivered both face to face and online.
Psychometric testing and cultural profile review is the foundation
of these programs.
The basis of all these programs is cultural and communication know-
how.


Business Trips
Cultural Briefings:
• The country
• Culture in context
• Business culture
• Travel
• Legal
• Medical
• Security and safety

Cross-cultural training:
• Online – psychometric test and coaching
• Face to face – bespoke programs



Clients


HR on the Park Jan2012event

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