The Global Phoenix - Issue 2 April - June 2017 | Page 7

across borders. As these skills improve, important
synergies can emerge which effectively bring the
best of all cultures to the organization as a whole.
As an example, a US-based company moved
a segment of work to another country without
considering that the two work teams had never
worked together. This issue became evident as
processes and team interactions became ineffective.
Leaders correctly assessed that the root of much of
the issue stemmed from cultural differences, such as
attitudes about time, interaction with authority, and
sensitivity to dissenting opinions. To address this
issue, leaders created a change management plan
to build cross- cultural awareness, so that employees
from these teams could more effectively collaborate
with each other. As a result, the teams experienced
greater mutual awareness and improved
interaction.
CROSS-CULTURAL MANAGEMENT
Cross-cultural management takes significant time,
effort, and energy. Global leaders have direct
responsibilities for teams across multiple countries
and time zones. Therefore, they need to understand
the importance of having a global frame of
reference while preserving local relevance. Everyday
decision- making and communications are more
complex for global leaders. For example, global
leaders need to make decisions about which key
messages are shared, and how those messages
are communicated. They might need to decide
where and when to hold town halls and which
technology is more conducive to communicating
with geographically -dispersed work teams.
“
(Global leaders)
need to decide
where and when to
hold town halls and
which technology
is more conducive
to communicating
with geographically
-dispersed work
teams.
BUILDING INDIVIDUAL CAPACITIES
Cross-cultural awareness and communication norms
are key competencies for effective leadership in
global organizations. Leaders and employees need
to develop these competencies in order to work
effectively in cross-cultural environments. The table
below introduces definitions for these competencies.
Definition of Key Competencies
Competency
Definition
Cross-Cultural
Awareness Working knowledge of
cultural differences and
how these differences im-
pact interactions in global
work teams.
Communication
Norms Guidelines for how often
and when to communi-
cate in globally-dispersed
teams, including respon-
siveness, expectations,
meeting norms, and
preferred communication
methods.
CROSS-CULTURAL
AWARENESS
When asked about the importance of cross-cultural
awareness, a leader of a global team across multiple
countries suggested that, “It is important to be aware
of current affairs in a location, greetings, customs,
festivals or holidays, and other events. People in dif-
ferent cultures have a different sense of time, and a
different commitment level to when and how they
work. Organizational hierarchy is different in different
cultures. It is important to pick up on body language
and nonverbal elements of communication.”
An interesting metaphor for cultures is an iceberg,
which is mostly invisible below the water. Cultures are
like icebergs, because so much of culture is about
values and beliefs (which are intrinsic), “hidden”
beneath the surface. Those values and beliefs shape
how people think and behave (which are extrinsic).
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