6 Secrets to Navigating Cross-Cultural Differences in Business and in Workplace

To successfully compete in today's global business and work landscape, business leaders need to be aware and have an understanding of the cultural nuances of the different regions or countries where they operate.

The sad truth is that the vast majority of managers or business leaders who conduct businesses globally or intend to expand across boarders have little understanding about how culture is impacting on their work and business profit. And this is more and more obvious as many of us communicate daily with people in other countries either in person or over virtual media: phone, apps, email.

When you live, work and travel extensively in other countries, you may slowly pick up contextual cues that help you to better understand that culture and people you work or interact with, decode communication and adapt accordingly.

But it is even quite common to work across cultures for decades, travel frequently for business while remaining unaware and uninformed about how culture impact you and your business.

Millions of people work and business in global settings while viewing everything from their own cultural perspectives and assuming that all differences, controversy and misunderstanding are rooted in personality.

Many well esteemed business leaders or managers miss educating themselves about cultural differences because a common belief that if they focus on individual differences, that is more than enough.

And the lack of understanding of these cultural nuances can create frustrations among teams, and lead to lower productivity and higher costs. In dealing with customers or business partners, a failure to connect may even result in lost opportunities, missed leads and revenue. As organisations expand globally, partner with foreign companies or complete mergers and acquisitions, cultural differences are brought to the forefront.

How can we improve these cultural differences?

Here are 6 tips to better navigate cross-cultural differences in business and in work.

1. Take the time to study a colleague's, prospect's or business partener's culture before a meeting.

Be aware that there will likely be some level of disconnect and be prepared to ask questions during the meeting to clear up any uncertainties. For example, in India, employees are comfortable with some degree of "blurriness" when it comes to extent of work. However, Americans tend to prefer much more black and white definitions.

2. Be sensitive to differences in the non native language, either English or any other language

When you interact with non native speakers, pay attention at the influence of their native language that are brought in the non native language you are communicating in. If you don't, you can easily be blindsided by different meanings of words or expressions. For example, when you are working with colleagues in India, pay particular attention to grammatical construction with articles like "the" and "an," among other words as these can pose difficulties for those who speak English as a second language. An Indian speaker may mean to say, "there were a few problems," but actually say, "there were few problems." Without just one little word -- a -- the meaning of the entire phrase becomes the exact opposite. Understandably, this can lead to a significant misunderstanding if taken out of context.

Or in French, non native speakers might mix up the gender of the nouns or use a wrong preposition.

Variations in the meaning can also happen when you speak with natives depending on the country they come from. For instance, in the U.S. we know that "table it" means let's put it aside. But in the U.K, the same phrase means the exact opposite - let's put it on the table and discuss it now.

Try to keep it simple and avoid unnecessary details or, in order to avoid misunderstandings ask for clarifications or repeat their sayings just to check if you got it right or not.

3. Pay attention to differences in body language across cultures

Sometimes, nonverbal is contradictory from one country to another. Some gestures are even considered offensive and can lead to an embarrassing faux-pas.

Hence the importance of cultural training if you work with people from different nationalities.

Never make a circle with your index and thumb at a French restaurant, or worse, stick your chopsticks upright in China, South Korea or Japan!

For exemple, in North America, silence in conversations may indicate discomfort, awkwardness, or a pause for reflection. When it comes to Europe, it may be perceived as listening attentively or needing time to think. In Nordic countries, it’s not uncomfortable at all and there’s no need to fill it. Actually, small talk is completely overrated.

In Asia, more specifically in Japan, silence is valued and often used to convey respect, seriousness, or consideration. On the other hand, in China, it might be a signal of agreement, disagreement, or respect for the speaker.

In India, silence in conversations can show agreement, thoughtfulness, or attentiveness. In Middle East also pauses are common, allowing speakers to gather their thoughts.

If you re interacting with partners from Latin America, silence in conversations are showing reflection or thoughtful responses.

On the other hand, in Africa, silence is used to show attentiveness or respect for the speaker.

In countries like Australia and Oceania, pauses are seen as a moment for reflection

4. Be aware of various dinner rituals and time

Many cross-cultural differences are brought to the forefront at business dinners. In Eastern cultures, family style dining is the norm. In this context it's not only polite, but a friendly gesture, to share food off your plate - even in a business meeting – which may be a surprise to many Westerners.

Dining in the U.S. can be a challenge for people from Eastern cultures as well. And differences in food and etiquette can be made more difficult by a hesitation among many Eastern employees to ask questions, for fear of looking unprepared or unprofessional.

For example, someone from Japan may have never used a lobster cracker before, but they may not want to ask how to. When I'm training employees, I always offer the reminder that there's nothing wrong with asking and that questions will usually be met with enthusiasm from the host in showing you how things are done in their country.

In some cultures, you are expected to arrive at a dinner on time, but in some others, it is part of the etiquette to arrive 15 or 30 minutes after set time.

5. Business card exchanges are not the same around the world

Japanese employees will generally bow and provide their card with both hands. It's expected that you accept the card with both hands and then take a few moments to read the card to show respect. In the U.K., more than in the U.S., colleagues will often just place their card on the table in a meeting, with less ceremony involved. And there is nothing offending.

6. Get yourself and your company onboard with a cross-cultural awareness program

This is especially important when you aspiring to work globally, employees are moving overseas, you are running a global team or you are interacting locally with clients or business partners from abroad. This will enable them to fully comprehend the cultural differences between themselves and their foreign counterparts.

By identifying and embracing these cultural differences rather than ignoring them, organisations can create stronger global teams and better relationships with customers and prospects, allowing them to thrive in the global competitive landscape.

Cross-cultural awareness ensures effective communication between partners, clients or employees from different regions, reducing the likelihood of misunderstandings arising from a lack of understanding of a colleague’s behaviour or misinterpretations of a colleague’s words, gestures or body language.