Articulture

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7 Advantages of a Multicultural Workplace - Nintex

48 Ninsters. 20 nationalities. 27 languages. Nintex’s Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) office in London embodies the modern multicultural workplace.

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Toronto, Canada Communications Workshop Events | Eventbrite

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I was once a group where I was obviously the minority, and they designated me as the POC spokesperson. Every time that they were unsure of their perceived intentions, they would turn to ask me ‘Is this okay to include?’  It was beyond frustrating for many reasons. I am not a spokesperson for any race, nationality or ethnicity. I can only speak on behalf of myself and even if I do identify as one culture or another, my own personal belief and opinion does not reflect the whole. Also, having to ask me if something is okay, might indicate that something may not be okay. I understand that you want to be inclusive and respectful in your work, but please, ask yourself the question first and see what can be improved. If you feel uneasy about a certain aspect, it’s more than likely not okay to include. Though their intentions were good, the way that they spoke to me and about me just ticked a nerve

Anon.

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Nine Ways Managers Can Support Multicultural Teams

Forbes (2016). Nine Ways Managers Can Support Multilcultural Teams. Forbes. Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2016/06/03/nine-ways-managers-can-best-support-multicultural-teams/#1d48b9d2e67b

1. One Size Does Not Fit All

Often, a manager will assume his/her one go-to style and approach is the best. The increased diversity in the workplace is proving that wrong. The best managers, true leaders, know how to shape their message individually to maximize the effort from each team member. Much like golf clubs that manage the course and shape each shot, management style must also adapt to create an effective landscape.   – Doug Thorpe, Headway Exec

2. Seek To Understand And Listen For The Opportunity To Build Bridges

Managers of cross-cultural teams must listen in order to understand the cultural distinctions and contexts of their people. Identify the unspoken obstacles to alignment, and create opportunities to build bridges between individuals who may have biases or invisible obstacles based on lack of cultural awareness. Be curious, create safety and empower each team member to create alignment.   – Suzi Pomerantz, Innovative Leadership International LL

3. Embrace Diversity As An Asset, And Get Curious

Oftentimes, leaders worry about putting a foot wrong and offending someone. Or, they're not sure how to broach a question related to diversity issues. Take time to get curious by doing some research around the areas of diversity that your team brings to the table, and start viewing the richness as an opportunity to generate new ideas, methods and tactics that give your company an edge.   – Tina Dietz, StartSomething/Tina Dietz Business Development

4. Stop Focusing On Treating Everyone The Same

Managers of cross-cultural teams may be trying too hard to treat everyone the same rather than uncovering what motivates employees in different cultures. Some may be more motivated by praise; others by autonomy. Some may be drawn to challenging work, whereas others will flourish in environments offering more work-life balance. Customize your management style to address cultural differences.   – Barbara Safani, Career Solvers

5. Connect, Don't Correct

Diversity is often misunderstood by managers, mainly because they are afraid of it and don't take the time to understand what is represented. As a result, managers forget to lead and fight against the natural beauty that comes from embracing cross-cultural differences. Instead, managers must identify the connection points within the cultures and use them to bridge the gaps and unify their teams.   – Tameka Williamson, Celestial & Associates Consulting

6. Resist Gravitating Toward Members Of Similar Backgrounds

As humans, we tend to favor those who look like, act like, or share similar backgrounds as us. It is important for managers to be especially aware of these natural tendencies and reflect on how this may affect their interactions with team members as well as how it will affect the way team members interact with each other. Make an extra effort to reach out, be inclusive, and promote every team member.   – Carmen Bolanos, Carmen Bolanos Coaching

7. Be Open To Discussing Diversity

Leaders can't be reticent about discussing cultural differences openly and honestly. Dialogue is vital to cultivating mutual awareness of intercultural chasms that might hinder performance outcomes. Cross-cultural discussions offer an opportunity to combine strengths, build trust, and foster good working relationships with key teammates and stakeholders. The key is to take the bull by the horns.   – Dionne Mahaffey, The CPAI Group, Inc

8. Choose People Who Demonstrate A Capacity To Adapt Their Behavior To People Different From Them

Global Dexterity is a great book that could help managers adapt their strategy to any location. Learn where the gaps are so you can tailor your behavior to fit with people different from you. Know the rules that vary from place to place so you can make a positive impression. Be deeply curious about the cultural codes so you avoid faux pas, and know what’s similar so you can build connections.   – Beth Kuhel, Get Hired, LLC

9. Stop Focusing On Diversity And Start Focusing On Inclusion

Managers have focused on diversity in the workplace because of the legal ramifications and company policies that could be violated if they were found treating an individual differently due to their cultural background. Leadership needs to move away from the "compliance not commitment" mentality. Managers need to foster inclusion by knowing their employees and collaboratively using their skills.   – Jada Willis,

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The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Multicultural Teams

Carey Yang, C., (2014), The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Multicultural Teams, Linkedin. Retrieved from: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140701122054-2314829-the-7-habits-of-highly-effective-multicultural-teams

1. Learn, understand, respect and leverage the cultural differences.

Cultural differences exist across countries and are also influenced by age, gender, region, religion and social sub groups. Learn the expectations between people from different cultures. Keep the differences in mind when speaking or confronted with opposite views. Seek to understand before being understood. Show your appreciation and respect to other cultures. Done correctly, cultural differences can help the teams leverage each culture's advantage and strength in different areas.

2. You cannot over-communicate, but only in the right way.

Managing cross-functional and multicultural teams requires open, regular and timely communication. The cultural difference in communication component deserves attention.

Direct vs. indirect communication: Some team members (U.S. and also other Western European countries) use direct, explicit communication in asking questions and identifying problems, while others (China and also other Asian countries) are indirect in asking and responding.

3. Build a team of ONE.

The company, management, team and project manager are chartered to agree on a clear understanding of project goals, business objectives, milestone, timeline, deliverables, budget, and communication plan. Review team composition and working styles on how members interact, process information, make decisions and organize themselves. Clarify each team member's responsibilities and expectations in relation to other team members.

4. Make culturally correct decision.

With team members usually spreading over in different locations in time zones, it becomes a challenge to make timely decision or reach a consensus in every action item. Different decision-making styles and hierarchical attitude in different cultures could make it worse.

Team members differ in how much information and analysis they need to make decisions. In some cultures, a bold thinking on top of the head may be seen as being proactive, while it may be viewed as reckless ill-thought-out in other cultures.

In addition, team members from strong hierarchical cultures expect to be treated differently according to their status in the organization. Members from egalitarian cultures do not mind at all. The failure of some members to honor those expectations can cause humiliation or loss of stature and credibility.

5. Foster cohesive relationship and build trust.

It's a global team. Team members have to come together as a cohesive team to build strong working relationship, to support each other and to build mutual respect and trust. No global projects go to completion without overcoming obstacles along the way. The cohesive team energy and spirit working toward the common goal serves as the driving force helping the team push through the rough spots in tough times.

6. Resolve conflicts quickly and peacefully.

Hopefully, understanding the cultural differences, communication and decision-making styles, and fostering trust help reduce misunderstanding or performance issue. However, conflicts are inevitable and often occur due to "lost in translation" in cultural, language and communication differences for multicultural teams. Every team member is allowed to have their voice to agree to disagree. The project leader has to play the devil rounding up team members involved to open the dialog and communicate clearly about the issues and bring the team back on track. Conflicts have to be resolved as quickly and peacefully as possible before they turn south and negatively affect team performance.

7. Play to win.

When team members work together as a team of ONE, understanding each other, supporting each other, and trusting each other, the whole team naturally become a winning team with the shared mindset and vision of win-win-win. Win for themselves. Win for their team. Win for their organization and customers.

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“I work in a mainly white workplace in Whitby. I am one of the only people of colour at my workplace, along with one male who is a different ethnicity from myself. When it came to me booking time off for Eid, my employer did not understand when I said that I would not know the day that I would need off long in advance, as it depends on the moon. I could tell that my boss did not understand what I was talking about and I felt as if he wasn’t trying to understand. He made it very obvious that it was an inconvenience for me to take that time off, and almost like I was making it up that I wouldn’t know what day it is. It made me really uncomfortable, and I did not like the way that made me feel. I think that employers should learn about the other religious beliefs of the people that they work with. At the very least they should learn to accept the differences and look into them so they can be more understanding and supportive. Not all people are the same in their beliefs and cultures, I think that it should be a “practice what you preach” policy, instead of just saying that employers will understand whatever you need, but when it comes down to it, they don’t.”

Anon.

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Communication barriers that the new immigrants are facing upon entering in Canada.

http://metroc.ca/news/metro-college-news/communication-barrier

- Having a heavy accent;

- Grammar errors in sentences;

- The use of (chosen) wrong words in a sentence;

- Sentences are not complete;

- Having a limited vocabulary;

- Not responsive to a speaker because haven’t had the experience of holding a conversation in English

- Unable to articulate ideas because of limited language ability

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5 Effective Tips to Facilitate Effective Cross-Cultural Communication

visit: http://www.sickkids.ca/tclhinculturalcompetence/modules/Cross-Cultural-Communication/player.html

1. Speak slowly and clearly

- Pay attention to your own pronunciation and accents. Ensure you are giving time for the listener to process what you are conveying.

2. Be supportive

- Providing encouragement to those with limited English proficiencies can help instill confidence and build rapport and trust, which can ultimately help facilitate successful communication.

3. Avoid assumptions

- Do not immediately assume that the listener has understood what you are saying. Pay attention to the listener’s non-verbal cues to see if they understand and to clarify any unclear information.

- This also includes avoiding assumptions about others’ cultures or following particular stereotypes. This can be detrimental to relationship building.

4. Avoid slang and idiomatic expressions.

E.g. I have been feeling “under the weather”.

- Some expressions that you believe to be universally known may not be in other cultures. Using these expressions in your conversations may inadvertently cause confusion and misunderstandings.

5. Take cues from others and be adaptable

- Pay attention to the listener’s verbal and nonverbal cues to ensure you are getting your message across clearly. Adapting your communication style is also useful in facilitating successful interactions.