There’s a great need for innovative and committed cross-cultural leaders to carry organizations into the most interconnected, and diverse – by age and ethnicity – workforce the world has ever experienced.
Unless leaders incorporate practices such as effective communication strategies, relationship development techniques and cultural awareness, they’ll find themselves struggling to make positive strides when operating in a cross-cultural capacity. To accomplish these tasks, thoughtfully and tactfully, consider these two practical steps that cross-cultural organizational leaders can implement in their daily practices to increase their knowledge and excel in working with others:
- Focus internally before operating externally. Imagine preparing to embark on an hours-long road trip. The first step one would typically take is checking the engine to ensure all fluids, belts, and fans are operating correctly. This same process of “looking under the hood” can also be applied to cross-culture leaders working in diverse settings. Professionals must first assess their current level of cultural intelligence. This requires checking internally for cultural biases and questioning assumptions often associated with such personal views. However, many leaders do not take the time to pause and assess before assuming a new role that requires them to interact with different cultures. This lack of reflection can often result in challenges and up-front hardships that must be ironed out through apologies and deliberate attempts to repair damage to relationships, which is no small feat to accomplish.
While most people would prefer getting things right the first time over attempting to mend broken fences, it can be challenging to know where to start on this self-focused and deeply personal journey. Organizations can support leaders in meeting this challenge in a variety of ways:
- Conduct employee skills inventory assessments. While most companies conduct personality based-assessments, organizations should also incorporate the use of evaluations related explicitly to cultural skills such as the Global Competencies Inventory (GCI) or Intercultural Effectiveness Scale (IES) to determine employee’s current capacity to operate well with others of different cultures. By having this knowledge, companies can then work with employees to identify improvement areas and reduce the likelihood of culture clash. Embarking on this type of self-assessment allows for increased awareness, mindfulness of how certain responses may impact interactions with others, and improve overall global acumen.
- Create and hire for the position of Chief Diversity Officer. A company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion should be visible in all of its operations: from its hiring practices to its commitment to creating an environment that welcomes and engages everyone. Having a chief diversity officer in place could be beneficial in leading the organization’s intentional efforts to mitigate cultural issues. Such issues could be addressed through the development of inclusion initiatives, diversity training programs, and working closely with the broader Human Resources department to align efforts in recruitment and retention.
- Assess and address factors that may impact workflow. After getting the green light on all things engine-related, the next step is conducting an external analysis of the vehicle to ensure tire pressure is optimal, the windshield and side-view mirrors are intact, and that brake and headlights are working effectively. For the cross-cultural leader, this step requires an individual to consider that outside pressure could impact their ability to operate productively in their position. Relationship development and the ability to connect with key partners are prime examples of such external factors that will serve as a “crutch” in stressful and confusing situations.
It takes time and effort to navigate and adapt to culturally diverse situations successfully. Essential to managing cultural differences and building a bond with others is the ability to acknowledge differences, but focus on similarities. Seeking external resources can help with the adjustment period and will be crucial to the long-term success of any business relationship. Such efforts could include options such as:
- Access to coaching for employees on assignments. Wherever possible, organizations should look to shore up an employee’s cultural skills with access to a trained professional to assist with navigating new territory. Talking through issues as they arise can decrease uncertainty and improve employee satisfaction. Additionally, a coaching professional can offer the emotional support needed to make initial transitions easier to bear.
- Build relationships with partners to serve as host families. It is imperative to recognize that experience really is the best teacher. Nothing prepares leaders for cross-cultural leadership assignments like fully embodying the cultures of others around them. Genuine interaction with others from the host country will naturally increase a leader’s tolerance as well as their level of understanding. Similarly, such an arrangement would provide the leadership professional with access to information such as the business and political landscape of the area that they may not know otherwise. Such experiences encourage cultural agility and allow one to combine all the skills required to thrive in cross-cultural settings.
Cross-cultural global leadership, when done the right way, requires an extreme amount of time, energy, and “stick-to-it-ness” to meet the ever-changing demands of an interconnected global marketplace. By utilizing the internal and external strategies mentioned above, a leader will find themselves on the fast track to reaching new levels of productivity within a given team setting. Cross-cultural leaders must keep in mind that once you experience an initial moment of success, the journey does not end.
True cross-cultural leadership is a lifelong journey that continues as employees build bridges for success with other team members.
Additional reading: What Amazon Can Teach Us About Cross-cultural Leadership
