Navigating Cultural Diversities in a Professional Setting

There is no doubt that in our work environments we see more and more diversity. Diversity takes different forms with the most prominent ones being gender and cultural diversity.

But there is also greater diversity in religion, age, backgrounds, gender identity, physical ability, sexual orientation, and a variety of other forms.

In order to interact effectively with colleagues from different cultural backgrounds, we need to build the right competencies to communicate effectively. Achieving employee engagement and fostering a team culture that is inclusive requires the ability to understand diverse cultures and handle intercultural problems when they arise. For example, sometimes it is appropriate to see the problem as something in your own cultural background and something in the other individual's cultural background. Similarly, we need to take responsibility for our own cultures, make efforts to learn about others' and understand that communication is a two-way street.

Likewise, dealing with diversity and inclusion challenges requires proactive people management to avoid hidden costs to the organization. It calls for understanding, compassion, tolerance, and collaboration. The framework, however, is challenging to develop and maintain when moving to another country where cultural differences maybe even more significant. These competencies must be constantly built to empower and engage employees in organizational activities in order to improve and support change. Managers should seek to include intercultural competency as an important factor when selecting an individual for their team and consider assignments abroad .

Communication Style & Hierarchy

Two important aspects where cultural competence skills are essential in the workplace are our ability to recognize and address effective communication styles, verbal and non-verbal messages as well as how hierarchy is perceived. Non-verbal communication, such as body language, is often overlooked in workplace culture and we see its impact on a range of behaviors and actions. Body language can suggest compliance, authority, or knowledge. It has an impact among others on performance reviews, promotion opportunities as we interact with others. People have different ways of communicating, and the language people use and the gestures they use when communicating also vary. Understanding how people want to be addressed and how to address them is crucial to effectively communicate. Not everyone will respond in the same way to the same situation, but it's the way we approach the situation and react to it that makes the difference.

The more diverse culture we have in the team the more aware we should be on how to enable the effectiveness of the team. The role of the team lead in managing and interpret properly different cultures is crucial for this however every employee can support effective communication. As members of a multicultural team become involved in the conversation, it is important that they remember to listen to what other people are saying and also what they are not saying. This allows for a smooth and efficient collaboration.