The cross-cultural teams are
responsible for facilitating the cross-cultural communication. For that
purpose, the colleagues must target an atmosphere of open communication meaning
thereby, they must dare to share. Unfortunately, this is rarely easy. In fact,
they face challenges that arise in three areas.
1- Eliciting Ideas
Participation norms differ greatly
across cultures. Team members from more individualistic countries, such as the
U.S. or Australia, may be accustomed to voicing their unfiltered opinions and
ideas, while those from more hierarchical cultures such as Japan, tend to speak
up only after more senior colleagues have expressed their views.
People from some cultures may
hesitate to contribute because they worry about coming across as superficial;
Finns, for example, favor a “think before you speak” approach, in stark
contrast to the “shoot from the hip” attitude that is more prevalent among
Americans.
Communication patterns may also make
it difficult for people to participate equally in brainstorming sessions.
Brazilians, for instance, are typically at ease with overlapping conversations
and interruptions, viewing them as signs of engagement. But others, accustomed
to more orderly patterns of communication, can feel cut off by the same
behavior.
The fix: To ensure everyone is contributing,
leaders of cross-cultural teams should establish clear communication
protocols (a system of rules). A classic tactic, when soliciting ideas or
opinions, is to go around the table (or conference line/video chat screens) at
least once so that everyone has a chance to speak. Encourage exploration by
asking open-ended questions.
2- Surfacing Disagreement
Public disagreement is another big
source of conflict on cross-cultural teams. Members from cultures that place a
high value on group harmony may be averse to confrontation because they assume
it will descend into conflict and cause social failure. In other cultures,
having a “good fight” is actually a sign of trust.
The fix: To encourage healthy debate, consider
designating a devil’s advocate whose remit is to prompt discussion on different
propositions.
3- Giving Feedback
Constructive criticism is an
essential part of global teamwork; it helps to iron out some of the inevitable
kinks – relating to communication style, or behavior in meetings – that disrupt
collaboration. But feedback can be its own cultural minefield. Executives
from more individualistic and task-oriented cultures, notably the U.S., see it
as an opportunity for personal development; a “gift”. By contrast, people from
more collectivist and relationship-oriented cultures may be unaccustomed to
voicing or listening to criticism in public, even if the team would benefit.
For face-saving reasons, they may prefer to meet one-on-one in an informal
setting, possibly over lunch or outside the workplace.
Executives from low-context cultures
such as the Netherlands, for example, tend to be very direct in their
corrective feedback, while those from high-context cultures, such as India or
the Middle Eastern countries, often favor more implicit way.
The fix: Leaders should encourage members of cross-cultural
teams to find a middle ground. You might coach people to soften critical
feedback through positive framing or by addressing the whole team even when
sending a message to just one person. For example, if time-keeping is a
recurrent issue, you might say;
“I always appreciate it when we’re all synchronized and we can make the most of our time together.”
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