BUILDING CROSS CULTURAL COMPETENCE IN AN INCREASINGLY GLOBAL WORKPLACE
Stephan Branch ; World Trade Resource & Binwa Sethi
It is difficult to imagine any organization today operating without some element of global interaction . Companies are augmenting their service delivery model to be available to clients 24 / 7 . Furthermore , global supply and value chains operate increasingly across borders . To that end , corporations are building geographicallydistributed teams to enhance their capabilities to support their global growth . As a result , employees are increasingly working across multiple time zones and national cultures .
This workplace shift has led to fundamental changes in how work gets done . As teams become more global , they lose their shared assumptions and norms . Human interaction becomes significantly more complex . Because they do not work in the same physical space with some of their colleagues , employees need to learn new collaboration skills while developing a better understanding of cultural differences .
In this article , we will explore how global organizations can build capacity for cross-cultural competence while creating a “ space ” that fosters more effective human interactions . The framework and tools discussed will provide a better understanding of how to incorporate cross-cultural competence within leadership development and talent management practices .
WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PEOPLE AND CULTURE ?
As organizations become more global , there is a need to better support leaders and employees who work across multiple time zones and national cultures . The goal for organizations is to prepare global leaders to operate more effectively across cultures while leading global teams . Global teams also need to work effectively
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