22 VOLUME 9 NUMBER 3

der, age, functional/organizationalrole, nationality, etc.) has a power-ful influence on how people think,make decisions, behave, and definesituations, including the way differ-ent identity groups define a suc-cessful coaching relationship.

Defining Culture A variety of terms are used todescribe the importance of culturein the workplace, ranging from cul-tural intelligence to cultural compe-tence, cultural diversity and culturalsensitivity. Cultural intelligence(CQ) is defined as “an individual’scapability to function, interact, andmanage effectively in culturallydiverse settings and backgrounds.”4

Further, cultural competence isdefined as “a set of aligned behav-iors, attitudes and policies thatcome together in a system, organiza-tion, or among professionals andenables each to work effectively incross-cultural situations.”5 Appliedto coaching, cultural competence

Feature

By Terrence E. Maltbia, EEd, MA, BSc & David Matthew Prior, MBA, MCC (U.S.A.)

How can coaches support leaders in developing the cul-tural intelligence and competence needed to realizestrategic objectives? Read on to discover the benefits

and specific outcomes associated with cross-cultural coaching.The explosive interest and growth in the $2.4- billion coaching

market over the past decade is one response to major shifts occur-ring in the world of work characterized by globalization, a focus onemerging markets, rapid advances in technology, hyper-competi-tion, demanding financial markets, and changing workforce andconsumer demographics.1 As a result of these trends, the learningdemands for today’s leaders (and hence the cultural competencyrequirements for coaches) have never been greater, nor have thestakes associated with success or failure. For example, research byCutting Edge Information indicated that “70 percent of CEOs failas a result of execution errors, rather than errors in strategy.”2

Why Coaches Need to Be Culturally CompetentTwo general themes emerge from the international business research:

1. High rates of expatriate failure, and 2. Inability of headquarters managers to appreciate the cultur-

al challenges of doing business overseas.3

This context provides a prime opportunity for coaching to sup-port organizations around the world to address these global lead-ership challenges. Yet doing so requires that coaches themselvesmake developing a capacity to effectively coach across cultures apriority. An early step in this learning process for the coach is toaccept the premise that one’s cultural identity (e.g. ethnicity, gen-

Cultural Competence in Leadership Coaching:

What Coaches Need to Know

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23VOLUME 9 NUMBER 3

refers to the “integration of keydimensions of the client’s culturalidentity into the theories, tools andpractices that guide the coachingapproach with the intent of providingclients of all socio-demographic back-grounds with relevant services focusedon achieving their desired results”.6

Examples of Cross- cultural CoachingEngagements• Leading a multigenerational workforce • Coaching newly minted organi-zational chief diversity officers • Working with leadership teams during mergers and acquisitions • Coaching sales professionals with diverse clients in diverse markets• Facilitating new multinational product/service development teams• Supporting leaders and their fami-lies as they prepare for internationalassignments• Providing multi-rater feedback (e.g. 360) to executive developmentprogram participants from multi-ple countries.

Advantages of CoachingAcross Cultures The benefits of leveraging culturaldiversity in the workplace for indi-viduals, groups and organizations hasbeen well documented7; today thereis a real opportunity for coaches to

help clients realize the benefits ofdiversity while managing its chal-lenges (e.g. increased complexity,conflict and miscommunication). Apersonal development plan forcoaches focused on building culturalcompetence seeks to answer twoquestions: (1) How to prepare thecoach to be culturally competent and(2) How to integrate cultural compe-tence into the coaching approach.

1. How do coaches prepare to be culturallycompetent?a) Assess Cultural Self Awareness

and Capability Levels

A starting point for coaches is tounderstand the origins of their owncultural programming by holisticallyexamining one’s personal identity atthree levels:

• Individual (areas of uniqueness– like no other),

• Group (values, beliefs, rules andsocial practices shared with identi-ty groups – similarities and differ-ences based on group identitiessuch as marital status, geographiclocation, religious preference andother cultural dimensions), and

• Universal (common life experi-ences such as love, sadness, death andothers). There are a number of assess-ments available to help coaches deep-en their cultural self-awareness priorto assisting their clients to do the

same (e.g. Multicultural Awareness-Knowledge Inventory, InterculturalDevelopment Inventory, Cross-Cul-tural Adaptability Inventory, Cross-Cultural World Mindedness, CulturalStock Inventory, and InterculturalAdjustment Potential Scale). A focuson cultural self-awareness expands thecore coaching competency of coach-ing presence (i.e. inside-out work).

b) Establish a Cultural Knowledge

Base

Next en route to cultural compe-tence is having a clear framework forunderstanding cultural dynamics –predictable patterns that emergewhen members from two or moreidentity groups interact. Similarly,there are research-based frameworksto assist in this area including:

• Hofstede’s Five CulturalDimensions (individualism, powerdistance, certainty, achievementand time orientation), and

• Cultural Navigator’s 10 Orienta-tions (environment, time, action,communication, space, power, indi-vidualism, competitiveness, struc-ture and thinking – two or moredimensions each). A focus on cultur-al social awareness expands the corecoaching competency of trust andintimacy (i.e. out-in work).

c) Build Skills to Communicate,

Listen and Coach Cross-Culturally

Feature

One’s cultural identity has a powerful influence on how people think, make decisions, behave and define situations, including the way different identity groupsdefine a successful coaching relationship.

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24 VOLUME 9 NUMBER 3

Upon engaging in the above self-work and the acquisition of culturalknowledge, coaches come to under-stand that the cultural context ofcoaching theories shapes the defini-tion of coaching competencies and

what is considered ‘appropriate’ inprofessional coaching, yet culture ismuch too complex a phenomenon tohave such a single, universal stan-dard. Armed with such insight,coaches are positioned to takeinformed action when engaging withclients in a cross-cultural contextand can adapt their implementationof core coaching competencies inculturally appropriate ways.

The result is increased confidenceand coaching approaches experi-enced as relevant to culturallydiverse clients.

2. How do culturally competent coachesengage with clients? Culturally competent coaches dotheir homework in advance ofaccepting cross-cultural coaching

engagements, which often involvehigh degrees of interpersonal andsystemic complexity. They work withclients to:

• Create Awareness — identifythe goal/desired outcome of coach-ing; explore attitudes, beliefs andvalues that shape how the clientframes situation; determine surfacesuccess indicators and relevant cul-tural factors that serve as potentialenablers and barriers given the spe-cific cultural context;

• Build Skills —develop a capac-ity to engage in cultural due dili-

gence (i.e. assessing potentialimpact of culture); style switching(i.e. a broad and flexible behavioralrepertoire guided by situational cul-tural dimensions); dialogue to closecultural gaps and create synergythrough powerful conversations;and cultural coaching to facilitateattention and energy toward learn-ing appropriate norms, practicesand related conventions; and

• Apply – leverage learning inreal-world situations; reflect onaction; and cull out lessons learnedfrom experience to take moreinformed, culturally-appropriatefuture action to sustain accom-plishments.

By building cultural competence,coaches can make an impact withand for their clients.

References

1 MarketData Report, 2009; Pietersen, W. StrategicLearning, 2010.2 PRNewswire, 2003.3 Johnson, J.P. et al, Cross-cultural Competence inInternational Business, 2006.4 Ang, S. et al, Cultural Intelligence: Its Measurementand Effects on Judgment, Decision Making,Adaptation, and Task Performance, 2007.5 Johnson, J.P. et al. 6 Maltbia, T. E. & Power, A. T., A Leader’s Guide toLeveraging Diversity, 2009. 7 Johnson, J.P. et al.

Feature

Stakeholder Benefits of Developing a Capacity for Coaching Across CulturesCOACHES

1. Cultural Self-Awareness

2. Cultural SocialAwareness

3. RelationshipManagement

4. Confidence5. Expanded Reach &

Relevance

CLIENTS

1. Job/CareerSatisfaction

2. Engagement3. Commitment4. Performance5. Personal Reward

GROUPS

1. Cohesiveness/Teamwork

2. Communication3. Problem Solving4. Decision Making5. Creativity/

Innovation

ORGANIZATIONS

1. Attendance/Retention Rates

2. Productivity & Quality3. Talent Pool/

Resources4. Diverse Market

Penetration5. Overall Effectiveness

Culturally competent coaches do theirhomework in advance of acceptingcross-cultural coaching engagements,which often involve high degrees ofinterpersonal and systemic complexity.

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