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Mar 02

Importance of Cultural Awareness Skills for an International Workforce

The truly global dimension of the twenty-first century’s economy has redefined the playing field on which international companies compete. The ability to offer the right products and services in the right markets at the right prices is no longer the sole factor of success.

Having the right people with a high level of cultural awareness and intercultural competence is now key when working across borders and cultures. Rating cultural awareness as an optional skill can come at a cost for a company working globally. Cultural awareness is essential for all employees working across cultures.

Globe in hands Guillermo Perales Gonzalez i 199x300 Importance of Cultural Awareness Skills for an International Workforce

Cultural awareness is a skill that can be developed at both professional and social levels, and can make an overseas assignment, an international business meeting or cross-cultural negotiation a successful one. On the other hand, a lack of cultural awareness can lead to major miscommunication, and, ultimately, rejection by host-culture colleagues, clients, acquaintances and neighbours.

Arguably an asset for any major international employee, cultural awareness is particularly important for employees being sent abroad to live and work, organisations planning to merge with or acquire another company or individuals who work with counterparts and clients around the world.

Cross-cultural training programmes can ensure your employees are equipped with a set of skills and strategies to be successful when working across cultures. International assignees moving to another country might benefit from a Living and Working in cross-cultural relocation programme, whereas someone Doing business in another culture could benefit from a country-specific cross-cultural training programme for Business and Management.

By providing your employees with opportunities to participate in a cross-cultural training programme, you will increase their cultural awareness which will help them avoid the risk of major miscommunication or international failure.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

Tagged with: Cross Cultural Training • cultural awareness skills • Cultural Awareness training • Culture • intercultural communication • intercultural competence • intercultural training • international • international assignees • international business • working accross cultures

Dec 22

Relocation Training for International Assignees: Why is it so important?

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources, Culture training for the Public sector No Comments »

In this era of increasing globalisation, transnational corporations and cross-cultural mergers and acquisitions, a growing number of people are sent on international assignments around the world.

As organisations continue to outsource their operations to countries like India or the Philippines, or work with clients in countries such as Russia or Brazil, employees relocating for business must face giving up their familiar lifestyle in exchange for a completely new and different culture.

It’s not difficult to imagine the stress an international assignee might experience when changing his/her comfortable London office to an unfamiliar one in Moscow or Riyadh. International assignees often react to stress by expressing some of the following:

• General fatigue
• Lack of efficiency
• Lack of initiative
• Difficulty prioritising
• Slower reaction to time
• Frustration and irritation

Many specialists in cross-cultural communication connect these symptoms of culture shock to a lack of knowledge about the target country and its cultural norms and values. This lack of knowledge and cross-cultural skills can result in massive cross-cultural misunderstanding and failed international assignments costing the organisation a lot of money and time.

Cross-cultural training programmes such as Living and Working in Russia or Partner and Family Cross-Cultural Training can reduce the stress levels associated with international assignments and therefore improve individual business performance. This in turn will ensure that the organisation saves not only a significant amount of money but time and resources spent on the international assignment.

Many cross-cultural trainers agree that poor performance is connected with the inability to adjust to a new communication style. One example where a lack of cross-cultural understanding resulted in a failed international assignment was when an English businessman recently relocated to Russia and felt his Russian colleagues’ communication style of using imperatives or commands was too direct. Because they were not using a more indirect approach and polite style which is expected in the UK, the English businessman incorrectly misinterpreted his Russian counterparts’ communication style as rude, aggressive and overly directive.

The misunderstanding and offence caused by their inability to effectively communicate with each other resulted in a failed contract negotiation and the departure of the English businessman for another assignment which had huge cost implications for the organisation.

Cross-cultural training programmes for doing business in Russia would have helped to prevent this kind of situation, minimising cross-cultural mistakes and improving cross-cultural communication skills to become more effective in a global context.

Tagged with: Courses - Cultural Training • Cross Cultural Training • Cultural training for Relocation • culture shock • Culture training for Business & Management • doing business in Russia • Globalisation • international assignees • international assignment • living and working in russia • Spouse and family culture training

Dec 21

Coming Home: The Hidden Challenges of Repatriation

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Human Resources No Comments »

The thought of returning home after an international assignment usually creates a variety of mixed emotions for international assignees. The excitement of seeing family and friends, anxiety about how they might be accepted professionally and personally and feelings of sadness about leaving the life they created abroad are all symptoms of reverse culture shock that many international assignees face upon repatriation.

Most people underestimate the potential challenges of readjusting to life back home. In fact, studies show that repatriation is often the most difficult phase of the international assignment process and that reverse culture shock often affects both professional and personal reintegration.

Major professional challenges may involve the:

• Lack of recognition of improved professional skills
• Lack of an appropriate professional role
• Challenge of integrating into a potentially different organisational culture

On a personal level, international assignees often:

• Have unrealistic expectations of life at home and how it has changed
• Make false assumptions about how easily they will be able to fit back in
• Have difficulty supporting family members experiencing reverse culture shock

Studies show that over 40% of returnees leave their companies within one year of their return. This has serious direct and indirect cost implications for the company.

Repatriation Training can help international assignees anticipate the challenges of returning home and develop strategies for dealing with them. Repatriation training provides international assignees an understanding of what has changed in their home country, tips for dealing with reverse culture shock and support from an expert to understand the hidden challenges of returning home. Organisations can also benefit from providing cross-cultural training programmes for relocation to international assignees as it will help them harness their new skills and experience and ensure they have a professional place to come back to.

Tagged with: Courses - Cultural Training • Cross Cultural Training • cross-cultural challenges • Cultural training for Relocation • Culture • international assignees • Living and Working in • relocation training • Repatriation • Repatriation Training • reverse culture shock

Nov 30

What is Culture Shock?

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture 1 Comment »

Culture shock is a natural state of psychological and physical disorientation that can occur upon encountering a new environment and culture. Loss of social support networks, independence, and the ability to communicate combined with the differences and challenges of entering a new culture are all factors that contribute to feelings of culture shock.

Culture shock occurs at different times and to different extents for different people. Some symptoms of culture shock which cross-cultural training helps international assignees understand include:

Depression, fatigue, insomnia
Loss of self-confidence
Anxiety, confusion, frustration
Fear and insecurity
Grief – mourning for old life
Loneliness and isolation
Annoyance and over-sensitivity
Impatience

Numerous studies have been conducted on the phases of adaptation during international assignments and the impact of culture shock. Traditionally, culture shock and the emotional adjustment phases have been described as a U or W-Curve and have been divided into distinct phases starting with the ‘Honeymoon Phase’ during which people are really happy and excited about their new cultural experience.

While an increasing number of scholars doubt the validity and exactness of these culture shock models due to their simplicity and lack of empirical support, many international assignees say that they help them understand what they might go through during their adjustment to another culture.

The impact of culture shock, which everyone experiences differently, can be quite serious if not recognised and dealt with accordingly. Country-specific cross-cultural training such as Living and Working in China can help you understand the impact of culture shock and develop strategies for dealing with it during an international assignment in China.