The Culture Map: Working across Cultures with a Global Mindset
The Culture Map: Working across Cultures with a Global Mindset
Overview
Whether in Düsseldorf or Rome, Tallinn or Madrid, Amman or Reykjavik, we are all part of global networks – face-to-face, virtually, and in hybrid formats through e-mail, ZOOM, MS Teams meetings and phones. Success depends on navigating through the different cultural realities of how people think and get things done. Unless you know how to decode other cultures and bridge cultural gaps, you are vulnerable to inefficiencies, teams are unable to work together, and deals can fall apart.
In this session, geared towards individuals who work with internationally based colleagues, or employees, session participants learn about their own workstyle and how to decode cultural differences that may impact their ability to influence counterparts worldwide in person, as well as at a distance.
The session introduces a framework to measure and understand national trends and individual behaviors through 8 scales. It continues by studying critical elements in greater depth (for example, hierarchical to egalitarian leadership preferences, direct to indirect negative feedback styles, how information is structured to persuade, etc. ). It also explores practical inclusive actions to bridge cultural differences in global teams and build on similarities.
The session is tailored to the international experiences of participants. It encourages interaction and discussion, using exercises, multimedia, and anecdotes to bring conceptual frameworks to life. Culture is to groups what personality is to individuals. Whilst the session is founded on a belief that national stereotyping is dangerous, it stresses that ignoring cultural differences can be commercially fatal.
Who it’s for
- People who work internationally and need to influence (face-to-face and at a distance) across geographical divides
- Project Manager
- Team Managers
Skills Learnt
- Cultural Agility: Understanding a framework to decode behaviors and language effectively in a global arena to that one can adapt one’s work style
- Cultural Relativism and Conditioning: Becoming aware of the depth of our different value systems and how they impact expectations and behaviors
- Style switching and Flexing: Learning to adapt communication styles and approaches to be most effective across various cultures
- Best Practices and Peer coaching to develop cross-cultural intelligence
Course Objectives
- Explore cultural similarities and work style differences across the world, as well as the impact of culture in daily business
- Increase self-awareness of one’s own “default” work style and how to manage the perception of others (intent-impact)
- Learn behaviors and techniques to intentionally influence and include colleagues and clients from around the globe
- Explore a tool to dissect cultural misunderstanding and develop strategies (What? So What? Now What?) to bridge cross-cultural gaps and improve multi-cultural teamwork
- Learn new tips to communicate, trust, evaluate and persuade
- Try out new behavior to engage and built trust with other cultures
Programme Outline
Module 1: Linking culture to business (vignettes: what would you do?)
- Understanding the depth of each of our cultural conditioning and our respective lenses; Definition of “culture” and the relativity of our judgements/perceptions;
- Exploring the invisible values shaping our visible behaviours