Managing Across Cultures

With many organisations now working internationally, cultural awareness is more than just a management phrase. It goes to the heart of our ability to become aware of our cultural values, beliefs and perceptions. Why do we do things in this way? How do we see the world? Why do we react in that particular way? 

Misinterpretations occur primarily when we lack awareness of our own behavioral rules and project them on others. In absence of better knowledge we tend to assume, instead of finding out what a behavior means to the person involved, e.g. a straight look into your face is regarded as disrespectful in most Asian countries.

Our Managing Across Cultures course addresses these issues head on. Becoming aware of our cultural dynamics is a difficult task because culture is not conscious to us. Since we are born we have learned to see and do things at an unconscious level. Sometimes we have to step outside of our cultural boundaries in order to realise the impact that our culture has on our behavior. Successful international co-operation has to be worked at, not just hoped for.

This course will explore effective practical strategies and everyday tips to help the manager far from home or their comfort zone to not just survive, but thrive and enjoy the experience.

This course will help learners to:

• Work confidently in overseas market place
• Meet the challenges of cultural differences with sensitivity and understanding
• Be persuasive and influential in international meetings, negotiations and presentations
• Adopt best practices for leading and managing international and virtual teams
• Build productive and influential personal networks and make your off-shore virtual teams more effective
• Same team, different expectations? The impact of cultural differences on international teams
• If you can’t talk about it you can’t manage it. Bridging cultural boundaries in international teams

Course outline summary:

• Dealing with overseas bureaucracy
• The crucial importance of small talk
• High context cultures
• Dealing with fears, habits and beliefs
• Work and social life, the blurred boundaries
• International English
• Company structures and hierarchies
• Managing on-line cultural differences
• Coaching people from different cultures
• Creating one culture from two. How it can work

Want this course tailored to meet your exact needs?

Contact us for a bespoke detailed course outline, or to arrange a no obligation meeting.