Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this module you will:

Comprehend the definition of cultural diversity

Know the reasons why working in international teams

can be challenging

Know the main cultural pitfalls and how to avoid them

Be capable of applying ways to overcome difficulties

regarding working with international teams

Be able to apply aspects of cultural intelligence

Ultimately, be able to successfully, respectfully and

effectively work together in an international group.

2. INTERCULTURAL COOPERATION

& COMMUNICATION International cooperation equals dealing with cultural diversity. Cultural

diversity can be found everywhere we look but why is cultural diversity such a

challenge? People of different cultures see the world even more differently from us

than we are used to. Yet we tend to behave as though people of other cultures see

things just like we do. This creates confusion, misinterpretations, poor decisions,

ineffectiveness, and is bad for business! The solution is cultural intelligence.

The objective of this module is to learn what challenges come with cultural diversity

and working in international teams. Besides raising awareness, the activities and

case studies of this module will help you to put it into practice ways to overcome

difficulties related to working internationally and apply aspects of cultural intelligence.

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Duration of the module

Approximately 2 hours.

Glossary

Cultural diversity Cultural diversity is defined as the ethnic,

gender, racial, and socioeconomic variety in

situations, institutions, and in groups.

Cultural

Intelligence (CQ)

Cultural Intelligence is the outsider’s ability to

interpret someone’s unfamiliar and

ambiguous gestures the way that person’s

compatriots would.

Non Verbal

Communication

Nonverbal communication between people is

communication through sending and receiving

wordless clues.

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(& photo?) Student experience

After pilot testing students that have followed the I-STEP

programme will be interviewed. Based on the interview the

experience the student has with the module will be included in the

module in the form of a quote.

(& photo?) Entrepreneur experience

A start-up entrepreneur will share their experience of the topic of

each module.

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2.1 Cultural diversity

International cooperation equals dealing with cultural diversity.

Cultural diversity is defined as the ethnic, gender, racial, and

socioeconomic variety in situations, institutions, and in groups.

Cultural diversity can be found everywhere we look, however we

focus here specifically on the impact of cultural diversity in the

business world. The business world is a treacherous interpersonal

landscape to navigate when dealing with people of a similar

culture to ourselves, but this is nothing in comparison to the

complexity of dealing with other cultures.

Why is cultural diversity such a challenge? The problem we face

when dealing with people of different cultures is that the false

consensus effect confuses us. The false consensus effect is the

tendency to believe that others see the world more like us than

they actually do.

People of different cultures see the world even more differently

from us than we are used to, yet the false consensus effects leads

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us to behave as though people of other cultures see things just

like we do. This creates confusion, misinterpretations, poor

decisions, ineffectiveness, and is bad for business! The solution is

cultural intelligence, which is described later.

2.2 Working in international teams

Advantages of International Teams

What are the advantages of diversified teams? There are many

advantages to different cultural backgrounds, diverse experiences

within team members and the benefits of individual brainstorming.

For instance, by creating diverse teams, with people of different

backgrounds and cultures, the group can help prevent groupthink.

Diversity provides a greater variety of perspectives and ideas,

which can lead to more creative solutions.

Challenges regarding International Teams

Here we focus on challenges within the international team related

to language, culture, stereotypes, preconceptions, and differing

value systems. These challenges make it difficult for a team to

develop team cohesiveness and foster collaboration, which then

leads to mistrust, miscommunication and misunderstanding.

Included are ways to overcome these difficulties when working in

an international team. Some of the disadvantages of international

teams are:

Language and communication

One of the first disadvantages of working in an international team

can be the impact of language. Even though we might use the

same words does not mean that we use the same language. Multi-

International teams have individuals who will not be able to

converse in their native tongue. Undoubtedly, this will lead to some

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form of misunderstanding when working together for at least one

member of the group. When people speak with their team in a

language other than their native one, it often affects their ability to

interact with the group. It potentially affects spontaneity, clarity of

expression (vocabulary and pronunciation), and willingness to

express ideas. This is more challenging if your culture is indirect or

your personal style is more introverted. Specific areas of

miscommunication can be found in the form of vocabulary,

language style, non verbal communication, and the unwillingness

to express ideas.

Language Style - Varying nationalities communicate differently.

When working in teams some individuals may be very direct and

blunt, while others may be indirect and vague in their

communication. Each person may interpret these language styles

differently. It is important to recognize the differing language

styles and the common misunderstandings that can come from it.

Accents, pronunciation, slang and the use of idioms can also cause

fundamental misunderstandings.

Non Verbal Communication - A majority of communication is done

through non verbal communication. Non

verbal communication has an enormous

impact on intercultural communication

because of the way in which it can be

misinterpreted from one culture to the next.

Non verbal communication can give off mixed

signals if you are not familiar with the

communication style of the person with whom

you are working.

Unwillingness to express ideas - The inferiority complex where

team members feel they cannot express themselves in the

language that is being used, so they do not express their ideas at

all.

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2.3 Culture

Culture is everything we see around us. It is how we act, what we

think, and what we believe. It is the words we use, the food we eat,

and the clothes we wear. However, beyond these things mentioned

underlies invisible values and beliefs that make up behaviours that

are unique to each society. We may be able to see the obvious

outward signs that make up ones culture, but quite often we fail to

understand the invisible culture.

“The only way to deal successfully with people from a different country is to be aware of

what is going on beneath the surface and use that knowledge to shape your own behaviour

and expectations. If you do not understand that what is below the surface is far more

powerful and potentially dangerous than what you can see, you run the risk of hitting the

invisible part of the iceberg.”

Solomon, Charlene M., Schell, Michael S.(2009). Managing Across Cultures (1st Edition).

(p.36)

Cultural pitfalls

Because there are so many cultures and each one has its unique

set of beliefs, below are listed a couple of cultural pitfalls to take

into consideration.

• Attitudes toward time: The difficulty in dealing with international

teams is that each culture has a different attitude toward time.

This can cause problems when prioritizing tasks and completing

tasks within certain deadlines.

• Preconceptions & Stereotypes: Stereotyping is the tendency we

have to simplify the world by putting people into a category, and

then fitting the individual into the stereotype of that category. If

you interact with a team member from a particular country, you

may have the tendency to put another a future team member in

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the same category as the first team member with whom you

interacted.

Can you think of more pitfalls? Have you experienced any

yourself?

2.4 Cultural Intelligence (CQ)

First there was IQ, then came EQ, and now there is CQ!

“Cultural Intelligence is the outsider’s ability to interpret

someone’s unfamiliar and ambiguous gestures the way that

person’s compatriots would “

We are culturally groomed to think and behave in certain ways

from the time we were babies. Every country and company has

different cultural programming that result in varied sets of

strengths and weaknesses. Every company and department has

culture, some more distinct than others. Every country or region

exhibits some cultural differences that distinguish them from one

another and are fully understood only by the people from within.

There are people that have the ability to seemingly fit-in and

mingle within virtually any environment or group and there are

others that find the cultural boundaries impossible to cross. What

if these differences and boundaries are present and around daily

in the team someone is a part of for eight to ten hours a day? How

do people with huge perspective and understanding gaps fit in and

become an effective

team member?

International and highly

diversified teams are

becoming more and

more common as the

world becomes more

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flat, but people still carry their learned behaviours and perceptions.

These differences may present a communication wall and prevent

a team from functioning.

The bad news is that very few people are gifted with high cultural

intelligence, but the good news is that people can change that!

Cultural Intelligence is related to Emotional Intelligence (EI) and

one thing that they share in common is “think before acting”. Take

for example an international team that consists of people from the

UK and Lithuania. It is very difficult to determine what features are

natural and could be attributed to the individual and what are

related to the place of birth.

If people on the team have low CQ they much more likely to label

the team-members from the other country, become less interested

in the individuals and thus hinder the team’s cohesiveness.

Increasing team members CQ could help in overcoming some of

the disadvantages of working on international teams by removing

cultural boundaries and increasing personal trust and connection.

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2.5 Ways to overcome difficulties when working in an international team

Language

Open and effective communication is paramount in any team,

international or not. Therefore, any miscommunications that can

be mitigated against beforehand will only accentuate the success

of the team. Establish conversational rules from the beginning.

Acknowledge differences in accents and encourage team members

to be mindful of them.

Non-verbal communication

Even if you do not speak the language, it is a good idea to

become versed in a culture’s nonverbal expressions, such

as touching or bowing, personal gestures, and the display

of emotions.

Keep in mind that there is no body movement, no facial

expression, no gesture which could arouse the same

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reaction all over the world. A smile expresses friendliness in

one society, in another embarrassment, in yet another it

can include an enemy’s warning that attack is imminent if

tension is not released.

Limit hand gestures and maintain a moderate body posture.

Silence can mean agreement, disagreement, or

contemplation. Be careful not to make assumptions and do

express a message explicitly whenever possible.

Do not interpret the absence of disagreement as

agreement.

Nonverbal communication is powerful. Learn about the

ways in which members express negative concepts. Silence

is often one way to do this, but it also may show respect

and allow contemplation of another person’s comment.

Stereotypes & preconceptions

Do not give into preconceptions and stereotypes. Know that they

exist and realize there are ways to prevent them. Encourage face-

to-face interactions so team members can diminish any

stereotypes that may exist. Trust often develops when members

establish credibility by demonstrating their abilities and

competence. Give team members the opportunity early on to

engage in tasks that demonstrate their skills or introduce team

members to each other by highlighting their past experiences and

current expertise with the matters at hand.

Other suggestions are:

Do not assume things about a particular group or individual.

Take time to get to know others.

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Learn about others’ cultures and customs in order to build

and sustain relationships within your international team.

Be sure to treat everyone in the group equally, regardless of

their nationality.

Learn about each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

Do not put your own culture and way of doing things above

others.

Try to see tasks from the other person’s point of view

before you judge their contribution or performance.