Spanish
This article could start off with something like: “in an increasingly globalized world…”, but this is such a hackneyed phrase. In actual fact, for many years now, companies have been transferring employees between countries and expatriating professionals with a specific talent to leave their city or country of origin and join a project in which they not only face work challenges, but also the great challenge of cultural adaptation.
Common cultural patterns exist undeniably in every country, in every location and, of course, in every company. A brief aside here: when referring to cultural patterns, this is not the same as talking about stereotypes; a stereotype is a simplification of the characteristics for a group of people, a simplification that enables anticipation of behaviours without supporting arguments, thus spurring detrimental prejudices.
Throughout the years of my career, I have had the opportunity to work in some multinational companies – if you have also had this experience, you will be able to identify with the following – a massive number of conflicts and misunderstandings can arise right in the midst of an activity due to poor understanding of what is mutually thought of each other’s cultural codes. For the purposes of explanation, let me here simplify this situation with the following sample sentences: some say, “they are very direct… they are very rude in the way they say things…”, while the others say, “they are very difficult, they are overly sensitive, they go over everything a thousand times, I don’t understand what they need…” Does this sound familiar to you? These perceptions of one another end up seriously affecting coexistence at work and make it hard, or impossible, to achieve objectives in an ambience of cordiality, trust, and collaboration.
Observing and making a conscious effort to understand and adapt to cultural patterns governing a collective is a task of surmount relevance when we are right in the process of adapting to an environment in which we were not educated. In principle, the challenge should be taken up and internalised by ourselves as individuals, but what do we do when this is not achieved? What do we do when we witness from Management how the richness of the diversity present is not perceived as such, but rather as a source for disputes with even more hidden potential for tensions? Inaction is not an alternative, so what should we do then?
People management in a multicultural company
Speaking from the individual’s standpoint, making an effort to understand cultural patterns should start precisely from oneself. An effort based on the belief that while differences may certainly bring challenges, they also enrich us personally.
Should organizations take an active role for this adaptation of their own employees within a multicultural environment? Yes, and a resounding yes, based on two pillars. Firstly, an ethical role in contributing to the integration and understanding of different ways of perceiving and experiencing the same reality, endorsing the different cultural patterns existing at the core of its workforce diversity. Secondly, the viability and sustainability of the business at an entirely economic level. Without employees coexisting in an ambience of mutual respect and understanding, there is a risk that day-to-day life becomes chaotic and impairs the fulfilment of processes that the company logically needs to be done efficiently in the right environment to sustain at the right levels, the factors for coexistence, camaraderie, and the overall work atmosphere.
Let’s get down to the key part on how to achieve it. Here are 4 key ideas to consider:
1. The importance of corporate values. Much has already been written about the importance of values in organizations, their definition, and the need to adapt strategic and operational processes to them. For the scenario we are tackling right now, focusing on operational processes is essential to make the adaptation and integration of team members more successful. Know-how, as in having a clear understanding of how things are done in a company – in the day-to-day routines and in the company’s processes – minimizes misalignments that may occur as a result of the cultural differences we have been discussing.
2. Information transparency and timeliness. When diversity is recognised and understood as a value, it is best and right to transparently disclose it in a timely manner, isn’t it? Timely as in, for example, over the weeks before transferring an employee from one country to another, accompanying and providing this employee with information about the prevailing cultural models in the city or country where the employee will soon reside, including socially accepted verbal expressions, generally accepted norms of greeting and communication. And at the same time, presenting the norms defining the organization as a unit existing within a system, by borrowing certain elements from the system and reformulating them for creating its own company management model. We talked about information prior to a transfer, so how about empowering the onboarding model for new employees—locals or foreigners—as a way of also sowing in new employees the seeds of the organizational culture they are being integrated into?
3. Promoting spaces for integration. In multicultural spaces, there is a high risk of subgroups formed by nationality, as if they were ghettos. It is a risk that is just as latent as it is evident, since it is easy to socialize with whomever we share a common background. This is where we can bring input from People Management for promoting mixed integration spaces. Often work projects are made up of diverse teams, but it is in the spaces for leisurely interaction where breakdown and distancing occur. Integration spaces thus need to aim at activities that have more to do with meeting in spaces outside day-to-day office work. The key is not to force or impose integration, but to encourage it.
4. Respect as the basis for everything. In the most diverse multicultural teams, there may be particular needs or requirements that must be accepted as a sign of respect for the people who need it. To give just two examples: some people out of personal religious convictions cannot work on Saturdays or need a few minutes of the day for prayer, or the frequency, and more commonly the forms, of greeting may be seen by some people as invasive and extremely uncomfortable. So, the company, based on its identifying values, needs to make decisions as to which situations and cases can be accepted and which not, while looking after its operational needs and at the same time, showing respect for customs that stem from such personal situations like practicing faith or respecting personal space.
Everything seems to indicate that markets will continue to move towards more and more multicultural spaces. The need for specific talent, the precariousness of certain labour markets, the rise of others, the growing possibilities of access to digital education, the democratization of knowledge, among other factors, will make way for more migratory processes and greater opening up of professional markets. So, we have a new challenge to take on this scenario looming ahead that is unlikely to slow down. Let’s take on the challenges, that’s what they are there for! And let’s become better versions of ourselves!
