Did you know that culturally diverse teams produce more creative and innovative results than culturally homogenous groups?
This is a result of the fact that people from different cultural groups approach challenges and problems in different ways. Different cultures think and react differently to the same situations. They get the job done in different ways.
By combining those different approaches and mindsets, a culturally diverse team not only expands their skills and knowledge pool, but has the power to think in more abstract terms and find solutions on various levels.
Of course, this only works if the team works well together — and that tends to be the tricky part. Cultural differences can lead to barriers between team members, when their different styles of approach are misunderstood, misinterpreted or not accepted.
Global leaders face not only the challenge of making a multi-cultural team work well together despite their differences, but often also of doing this while the team members are based in different international locations.
In today’s globalized world, global leaders have to learn to understand a wider, richer array of work styles. They must be able to determine what aspects of an interaction are a result of personality and which are a result of differences in cultural perspective.
Five causes of cultural barriers
Let’s get on the same page here first: what exactly is culture?
Culture is all socially transmitted and shared behaviors, manners, customs, rituals, beliefs, ideas, arts, knowledge, values, morals and ideals that are learned in a group of the same nationality, religion or ethnicity. It is handed down from generation to generation, slowly evolving, and creating many subcultures in the process.
Cultural diversity can make communication difficult, especially in the workplace, where a misunderstanding can cause costly problems. When people from different cultures work together, several factors can become barriers. We’ll be taking a look at these factors first, and then dive into how to overcome them in a global team.
1. Language
Not speaking the same language (well) can cause a myriad of misunderstandings and is considered the most crucial barrier in cross-cultural communication.
Verbal communication is important in every context, but the meaning of words can literally get lost in translation. If one person isn’t aware of the exact meaning of a word, it may be misunderstood or misinterpreted by the other person and lead to a conflict of ideas.
2. Stereotypes and prejudices
Stereotypes are mostly negative images or preconceived notions about a specific community, group or culture. The basis of stereotyping can be many things, though the most common are nationality, gender, race, religion or age.
Popular stereotypes, for example, are that all Germans are punctual and very direct, or that all Asians are good at math.
This creates prejudice among people of different cultures and causes judgmental attitudes towards one another. People look at other cultures with certain stereotypes as “bad” or “difficult to work with”, or “incomprehensible” and treat them with contempt and disrespect. If things get this far on a team or in a company, working together effectively can become extremely difficult between people who resent and disrespect each other.
3. Signs and symbols
Non-verbal communication like signs and symbols differ from culture to culture and can therefore not be relied upon in communication. For example, the “thumbs up”, known in the Western world as a sign of approval, is seen as an insult in Bangladesh.
While not quite as easily misconstrued in a team environment as the other factors, it can still lead to cultural faux-pas that may take time to smooth over and could be avoided in the first place.
4. Behaviors and belief
Cultural differences cause behavioral and personality differences like body language, gestures, mindsets, communication, manners, and norms, which may lead to miscommunication. Eye contact, for example, is very important in some cultures, but rude and disrespectful in others.
People’s varied religious or spiritual beliefs can also lead to conflict and cross-cultural barriers.
Different cultures also have different understandings of time. Some countries like Germany, Netherlands, Scandinavia, Switzerland or the United States tend to view time as linear. Time is money, and punctuality is a great value. Things tend to be done one at a time, to be able to focus on it and finish the task within a fixed time frame.
Other countries, for example many Southern European countries like Spain or Italy, see time as multi-active; this means that the more things they do at the same time, the happier and more fulfilled they feel. Present reality and especially personal relationships are more important and valued than schedules or punctuality.
5. “Us” versus “them” (ethnocentrism)
From an evolutionary standpoint, belonging to a group made you stronger and more likely to survive in a hostile world. Strangers or other groups were “the enemy”, competing for food, safety and territory.
This us- versus them-thinking is ingrained in our subconscious and can lead to a sense of alienation if someone behaves in a way we don’t understand or aren’t expecting — if they don’t fit in.
A person’s standard is his or her own culture; the more another person’s culture, behavior, language, and beliefs deviate from it, the more “other” they are labeled. This affects the understanding of message and creates hostility.
How to overcome cross-cultural barriers
Successful and effective cross-cultural management can be a daunting task — and even more so for teams with members scattered across the globe. People who are constantly interacting with each other face-to-face for eight hours every day will bond and find common ground faster than people who only interact with each other online at certain times.
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As a global leader you not only have to be aware of the cultural barriers within your team, but actively strive to overcome them.
Embrace diversity and accommodate cultural differences
As a global leader, you must make your team members and employees understand that culturally diverse teams produce more innovative and and creative results as opposed to homogenous groups. Therefore, cultural differences should be appreciated, openly discussed and utilized to support each other, rather than creating barriers. You want a team to work well because of their differences, not in spite of them.
Create opportunities for your employees to learn about their colleagues’ perspectives and ways of life to build open-mindedness and appreciation. Focus on the strengths that each culture brings to the mix and discuss how these strengths can be integrated in the way your team works together, handles challenges and tackles projects.
Promote open communication
Open communication is the only way that culturally diverse teams can work through and overcome their differences to make them work well together. As global leader, it’s up to you to promote that culture of open communication within your company or team.
Don’t let resentment, problems, or misunderstandings between team members fester; address them as soon as they arise and give all parties the opportunity to present and discuss their grievances in a safe and open environment.
If your team members’ or employees’ problems are with you, listen closely to what they have to say. Thank them for their honesty, and try to find a good solution or compromise that everyone agrees with.
A company culture of open communication is grown from the top down. As global leader, you must lead by example and value everyone’s opinion equally to ensure openness and honesty between your team members.
Lead open discussions about team norms and shared company culture
When your team members differ on a cultural level, you can unite them by creating a new common culture: your company or team culture.
Unlike leading by example to promote open communication, this won’t happen in a top-down approach, though. A company or team culture must be cultivated together and include all members. As the team leader, it’s important to allot specific times for the team to discuss differences and air grievances, find common ground and decide together how to proceed.
This becomes more important, but also more challenging, with a team that isn’t just culturally diverse, but situated in various locations. Where people don’t interact personally, it becomes more difficult to look beyond the cultural stereotypes and get to know the person behind them. But this is crucial to foster understanding of each other and building a company- or team culture together.
Rally the team around a shared vision or common cause
Bringing people together around a shared vision or common cause can be a powerful thing to unite the team and have all members pulling together in the same direction.
Maybe the product or technology you’re developing and producing together will save lives or help people in need? Or you might run regular fundraisers to support local charities in your team members’ locations. Or maybe you’re all working together towards that 20% more revenue to ensure a raise for all team members this year.
Leading cultural diversity as a global leader
As a global leader, it is your responsibility to ensure that your team members or employees work together through their cultural differences. Be aware of the stereotypes and prejudices you may yourself have and try to consciously overwrite them. Understand the differences your team members deal with among each other and foster a company culture of open communication.
But the ability to lead your team or company through cultural barriers is only one of the challenges a global leader faces every day. Find out more about global leadership on this Global Leadership Magazine, or make it even easier by signing up for our weekly news on all things Global Leadership: