Why cross-cultural problems like culture shock are killing your productivity as a team

Your international team is supposed to be efficient, their skills are supposed to complement one another but you find yourself with a team in disarray. Your team is unfortunately not as agile as you had hoped. In fact, together they might even be making each other less efficient.

How is this the case? People are always talking about the benefits of an international team. International teams can be the best teams for your organization but they also come with their own challenges.

Cross-cultural issues

The term culture shock probably means something to all of us. Specifically, it is a feeling of anxiety or disorientation as a result of coming in contact with another culture. It is experienced by people who are not familiar or who have not had much experience with the new culture. Culture shock is expressed through many negative emotions such as frustration or depression but often the person who is affected by culture shock does not know what they are suffering from. 

Your expectation as well as the expectation of many of your host country national (HCN) colleagues is that an international team is a more effective team. When you and your colleagues realise that this is not always the case, you begin to lose faith in a multicultural team. The productivity of all members in the team is then lower than it should be. If fact Forbes has said that 84% of digital projects with international teams are unsuccessful!!

What is going on? A silent thief! 

Unknown to you, some of your international colleagues are probably struggling with everyday issues. For example, some international colleagues may not understand why a colleague said something to them in a particular tone. Or they might not understand why they cannot find a large range of products at a grocery store, but instead have to go to a grocery store, a bakery and drugstore. Different aspects of life in the new culture will be a challenge for different people. Naturally you cannot know all the reasons that cause an employee’s culture shock but you must know this: it is there, it is silent, and it is causing a disjoint among members of your team.

How to resolve cross-cultural issues

Without awareness of these issues, you cannot know how to counteract it. Congratulations on taking the first step to a more stable team.

The next step is the acknowledge that different employees from different cultural backgrounds need different support. For example, a colleague from Europe may simply need help on systems (such as the citizens’ center (De: Bürgerbüro)) in Germany, whereas a colleague from Japan may need to know that it is acceptable to freely add their views during a business meeting.

Next you will want to make clear that there should be an open discourse between the international employee and you as their superior so that when they are unsure, they can come to you with their questions. If you do not create a culture of ironing out little issues, eventually they will be bigger issues which cause larger disruption to your team.

This can include demotivation and even cases of depression. After investing in highly capable candidates, you do not want to lose them over an inability to adjust to their new surroundings. You know that you ought to give them a fair chance when integrating into your team.

Something not to forget

This also applies to colleagues who have been in your team for a longer period of time. Culture shock and cross-cultural confusion is an ongoing battle. Culture shock normally sets in after a few months of being in a country - once the euphoria of living in the new country has worn off. After that, the person normally makes some necessary behavioural changes which reduce friction between their culture and the new “target culture”.

For some time this helps ease culture shock and the person may begin to enjoy their time in the new culture. At a later stage, normally after about one and a half years, the person may be hit with another bout of culture shock - normally resulting from issues that have not yet been resolved for the person such as question as to their own cultural identification and the future of their cultural identity. There are even some scholars who write about bouts of culture shock reoccuring years after a person has moved to a new culture. However, it is important to stress that this is not true of everyone; naturally some people will not have severe bouts of culture shock. 

If you do not address cross-cultural issues, you will not become the most efficient team you can be and you will continue to lose time, money and capable employees who only need your guidance.

More information

Take at look at our website for more information on cross-cultural topics.

Die Schaffung des "Millionen-Dollar-Teams": 11 Vorteile des interkulturellen Trainings

Heute möchten wir bei MCS International die Vorteile eines interkulturellen Trainings (En: CCT) zusammenfassen, erklären, was sie für Ihr Team bedeuten, und veranschaulichen, wie sie Ihr Team zum Goldstandard Ihres gesamten Unternehmens machen könnten. Fangen wir gleich an!

1. Motivation der Mitarbeiter
   Interkulturelles Training gibt den Mitarbeitern/ Expatriates die Werkzeuge an die Hand, die sie brauchen, um den Kulturschock zu überwinden, der wohl das größte Hindernis für den Erfolg eines Nichtdeutschen darstellt. CCT hilft dem Mitarbeiter, positive Gefühle gegenüber der Gastkultur zu fördern, was dazu beitragen kann, mögliche negative Erfahrungen zu vermeiden. Dies fördert daher das Wohlbefinden und die Motivation der Mitarbeiter.
   
   

2. Entwicklung von Vertrauen zwischen Kollegen
   Kollegen, die das Verhalten des anderen nicht verstehen, können keine authentischen Beziehungen aufbauen. Nehmen Sie folgendes Beispiel: Ein Mitarbeiter aus Ostasien hält aus Höflichkeit seine Meinung gegenüber seinem Kollegen zurück, während der Kollege aus Nordamerika versucht, ihm Freiraum für seine Meinungsäußerung zu geben. Beide versuchen, ihr Gegenüber zu beruhigen, merken aber nicht, dass beide durch ihr Verhalten den anderen unangenehm machen. CCT hilft, die Lücken im Verständnis des Verhaltens des anderen zu füllen, die sich aus der lebenslangen Auseinandersetzung mit der eigenen Kultur ergeben. 
   
   

3. Kapitalrendite (Verbesserung der Anpassung der Assignees)
   Der ROI für CCT ist vielfältig und langlebig. 
   
   a) Erstens wird der Misserfolg von Expatriates immens reduziert, wenn der Expatriate die CCT abgeschlossen hat. Bis zu 40% der Expatriates kehren vorzeitig von einem internationalen Einsatz zurück und können ein Unternehmen mehr als drei Jahreseinkommen oder im Laufe eines längeren Einsatzes weit über 1 Million Dollar kosten.
   
   b) Zweitens beschleunigt die CCT die Anpassung eines Mitarbeiters an eine neue Kultur. Vor dem Umzug bildet sich ein Mitarbeiter seine eigene Meinung über eine neue Kultur. Sind diese Meinungen falsch informiert oder basieren sie auf falschen Informationen, ist die Person negativ überrascht, wenn sie erkennt, dass die neue Kultur nicht das ist, was sie erwartet hat. Dies kann sich nachteilig auf das Wohlbefinden einer Person in ihrer neuen Umgebung auswirken. In dieser Hinsicht hilft CCT den Menschen, realistische Erwartungen an die neue Kultur zu formulieren. Die beschleunigte Anpassungsgeschwindigkeit eines Mitarbeiters sowie die Verbesserung des kulturellen Verständnisses als Folge von CCT hilft, unvorhergesehene Probleme zu vermeiden und Ihrer Organisation langfristig Zeit und Geld zu sparen.
   
   

4. Vertrauensbildung
   Ein Mitarbeiter, der über die Kultur, in der er sich befindet, informiert ist, kann sich besser an die gesellschaftlichen Normen der neuen Kultur anpassen. Ein Gefühl der Eingliederung stärkt das Vertrauen des Mitarbeiters im Umgang mit Deutschen.
   
   

5. Kulturelle Kompetenzentwicklung/ Bearbeitung von Barrieren
   Ein Vorteil von CCT ist natürlich die Entwicklung von kulturellen Kompetenzen. Dazu gehört ein besseres Verständnis der subtilen Hinweise von Menschen anderer Kulturen sowie die Erwartung von Verhaltensweisen, die sich von den eigenen unterscheiden. Unter den Kollegen erleichtert dies die Beseitigung von Barrieren gegenüber effektiven und nicht wertenden Interaktionen.

6. Entwicklung der zwischenmenschlichen Fähigkeiten
   Eine der wenigen Möglichkeiten, bei denen Fachkräfte die Gelegenheit ergreifen können, um zwischenmenschliche Fähigkeiten zu entwickeln, ohne an die Universität oder andere formale Ausbildungsprogramme zurückzukehren, ist die CCT. Ein CCT-Programm wird in der Regel durch die Darlegung kultureller Grundsätze und die Information der Teilnehmer über kulturelle Normen aufgebaut, die beide durch Fallstudien und Rollenspiele ergänzt werden. Diese immersive Erfahrung ermöglicht es dem Mitarbeiter, sein eigenes Verhalten und seine Handlungen im Kontext der Verhaltensweisen und Handlungen von Menschen aus einer anderen Kultur zu reflektieren.
   
   

7. Sensibilisierung für subtile kulturelle Unterschiede
   Eine entscheidende Führungskraft in einem Boardroom mag das sein, was jeder am Tisch in der einen Kultur erwartet, in einer anderen Kultur mag sie jedoch als dickköpfig und unhöflich erscheinen. Die Fähigkeiten, die jemanden in einer Kultur effektiv machen, sind vielleicht nicht die, die ihn in einer anderen Kultur effektiv machen. Tatsächlich sind diejenigen, die in einer Kultur am effektivsten sind, für genau diese Kultur und nicht für eine andere Kultur vorbereitet. CCT wird dazu beitragen, die Mitarbeiter für diese subtilen kulturellen Unterschiede zu sensibilisieren und sich stärker bewusst zu machen, wie ihr eigenes Verhalten wahrgenommen wird. Alle Mitarbeitenden haben etwas von CCT zu gewinnen.
   
   

8. Entwicklung von Zuhörfähigkeiten
   Indem man lernt, in einer anderen Kultur unterschiedliche Signale zu erwarten, entwickeln diejenigen, die die CCT absolvieren, geschicktere Hörfähigkeiten. Während sie nun von ihren Kollegen in einer neuen Kultur andere Verhaltensweisen und Handlungen erwarten, werden die Teilnehmer des CCT besser in der Lage sein, auf subtile Unterschiede im Ton und im Sprachmuster zu achten.
   
   

9. Erkennen und Reagieren auf Veränderungen in Märkten anderer Kulturen
   Als zusätzlicher Vorteil von CCT kann Ihr Team einen guten Einblick in die Trends und Interessen von Menschen einer anderen Kultur als der eigenen entwickeln. Dies versetzt Ihre Organisation in eine einzigartige Position, um von den Vorteilen aufgeklärter Erkenntnisse über eine andere Kultur zu profitieren, die genutzt werden können, um von der Marktarbitrage zu profitieren.
   
   

10. Karriereentwicklung
    Wenn Ihre Mitarbeiter in Ihrer Organisation aufsteigen, werden Sie sich natürlich wünschen, dass sie so gut wie möglich ausgerüstet sind, um mit eventuell auftretenden Problemen umgehen zu können. Durch den globalen Trend der kooperativen Arbeit in kulturübergreifenden Teams, einschließlich kulturübergreifender virtueller Teams, werden interkulturelle Konflikte und Probleme höchstwahrscheinlich immer mehr zur Besorgnis der Manager werden. In diesem Sinne wird CCT als ein weiteres Ventil für die Karriereentwicklung der Mitarbeiter Ihrer Organisation dienen.
    
    

11. Beseitigung von Vorurteilen und Voreingenommenheiten unter den Mitarbeitern
    Natürlich führt das Lernen über andere Kulturen zu einer Introspektion des eigenen Verhaltens und der eigenen Normen sowie der Meinungen, die man über andere Kulturen vertritt. Alle offensichtlichen Vorurteile und Voreingenommenheiten werden höchstwahrscheinlich beseitigt, sobald der Mitarbeiter sich dessen bewusst ist. Das Lernen über eine andere Kultur kann jedoch eine großartige Gelegenheit für einen Mitarbeiter sein, herauszufinden, was ihm an der anderen Kultur im Allgemeinen am meisten Spaß macht. Das kann alles sein, von den Werten der Kultur bis hin zur Bedeutung von Aktualität oder der Bereitschaft der Angehörigen der Kultur des Gastlandes, private Angelegenheiten in Gespräche unter Kollegen einzuladen.

Ihr Team wird nicht nur ein großartiges Beispiel für andere Teams in Ihrem Unternehmen geben, sondern die zusätzliche Synergie, die durch effizientere Zusammenarbeit und bürgerschaftliches Verhalten (Verhaltensweisen, für die das Unternehmen den Mitarbeiter nicht entschädigt, wie z.B. die Unterstützung von Neueinstellungen bei der Eingewöhnung an ihren Arbeitsplatz) geschaffen wird, wird den Wert Ihres Teams um ein Vielfaches erhöhen. 

Wenn Sie mehr über interkulturelles Training erfahren möchten, besuchen Sie bitte unsere Website und senden Sie uns eine Nachricht über unsere Kontakt-Seite. Wir würden uns freuen, von Ihnen zu hören. Hier ist der Link: https://mcsinternational.de/

Creating the "million dollar team": 11 benefits of cross-cultural training

Today, we at MCS International would like to summarize the benefits of cross-cultural training (CCT), explain what they mean for your team, and illustrate how they could make your team the gold standard of your whole company. Let’s get right into it!

1. Employee motivation

   Cross-cultural training gives employees/expatriates the tools they need to overcome culture shock, which is arguably the largest obstacle when it comes to the success of a non host country national (HCN). CCT will help the employee foster positive feelings toward their host culture which can help prevent possible negative experiences. This, therefore, promotes employee well-being and motivation.

2. Development of trust between colleagues

   Colleagues who do not understand each other’s behaviors cannot build authentic relationships. Take the following example: an employee from East Asia withholds their opinions from their colleague out of politeness, while the colleague from North America attempts to give them leeway to express themself freely. Both are trying to appease their counterpart, but do not realize that they are both making the other uncomfortable through their actions. CCT helps fill in the gaps in a person's understanding of another's behaviors that result from exposure to their own culture throughout their lifetime. 

3. Return on investment (improve assignees’ adjustment)

   The return on investment for CCT is manifold and long-lasting. 

   a) Firstly, expatriate failure is reduced immensely when the expatriate has completed CCT. Up to as much as 40% of expatriates return prematurely from an international assignment and can cost a company upwards of three annual incomes, or well over $1m dollars over the course of a longer assignment.

   b) Secondly, CCT accelerates an employee’s adjustment in a new culture. Before moving, an employee forms their own opinions about a new culture. If these opinions are misinformed or based on inaccurate information, the person is negatively surprised upon their realization that the new culture is not what they expected. This can have detrimental effects on a person’s well-being in their new surroundings. In this regard, CCT helps people form realistic expectations of the new culture. The accelerated rate at which an employee adjusts, as well as the improvement of cultural understanding as a result of CCT will help prevent unforeseen problems, and save your organization time and money in the long run.

4. Confidence building

   An employee who is informed about the culture they find themself in can better adjust to the societal norms of the new culture. A feeling of fitting in builds the employee’s confidence when interacting with host country nationals (HCNs).

5. Cultural competency development/breaking down barriers

   Naturally, a benefit of CCT is the development of cultural competencies. This includes improved understanding of subtle cues from people of other cultures, as well as the expectation of behaviors that are different from one’s own behaviors. Among colleagues, this facilitates the removal of barriers toward effective and non-judgmental interactions.

6. Development of interpersonal skills

   One of the few outlets where professionals can seize the opportunity to develop interpersonal skills without returning to university or other formal education programs is through CCT. A CCT program is generally built by outlining cultural principles and informing participants about cultural norms, both of which are followed by case studies and role-playing. This immersive experience allows the employee to reflect on their own behaviors and actions in the context of behaviors and actions of people from a different culture.

7. Becoming sensitive to subtle cultural differences

   A decisive executive in a boardroom may be what everyone at the table expects in one culture, yet in another culture they may come across as bullish and rude. The skills that make someone effective in one culture may not be what makes them effective in another. In fact, those who are most effective in one culture are primed for exactly that culture and not for any other. CCT will help sensitize employees to these subtle cultural differences, and become more aware of how their own behavior is perceived. All employees have something to gain from CCT.

8. Development of listening skills

   Through learning to expect differing cues in another culture, those who complete CCT develop more adept listening skills. While now expecting different behaviors and actions from counterparts in a new culture, CCT trainees will be better able to listen out for subtle differences in tone and pattern of speech.

9. Recognizing and responding to changes in markets of other cultures

   As an added benefit of CCT, your team may develop keen insight into the trends and interests of people of a culture other than their own. This places your organization in a unique position to reap the benefits of enlightened insights about another culture which can be acted upon to capitalize on market arbitrage.

10. Career development

    As your employees move up the rungs in your organization, you will naturally wish for them to be as well equipped as possible to deal with issues that may arise. Through the global trend of cooperative work in cross-cultural teams, including cross-cultural virtual teams, cross-cultural conflicts and issues will most likely be of increasing concern to managers. In this vein, CCT will act as a further outlet for career development for the employees of your organization.
    

11. Elimination of prejudices and biases among coworkers

    Naturally, learning about other cultures induces introspection toward one’s own behavior and norms, and opinions held of other cultures. Any obvious prejudices and biases will most likely be removed once the employee is aware of them. However, learning about another culture can be a great opportunity for an employee to discover what they enjoy most about the other culture in general. This could be anything ranging from the culture’s values to the importance of timeliness, or the disposition of members of the host country’s culture regarding the invitation of private life affairs into conversations among colleagues.

Not only will your team set a great example for other teams in your company, but the additional synergy created from more efficient cooperation and citizenship behaviors (behaviors which the company does not compensate the employee for such as helping new hires settle into their jobs) will increase the value of your team manifold.

If you would like to learn more about cross-cultural training, please visit our website and send us a message via our contact us page. We would love to hear from you. Here’s the link: https://mcsinternational.de/

Culture shock: your number one enemy as a manager in 2020

In today’s post, we at MCS International will talk about why culture shock is your number one enemy as a productive manager in 2020.

But first, let us give you an overview of what culture shock is so we are all clear. Culture shock is understood as a feeling of anxiety or disorientation as a result of coming in contact with another culture (Oberg, 1960). While it is obvious to some people that they are experiencing culture shock, others cannot identify where negative and tiring emotions are originating from. As a result, culture shock, invisible to the employee, starts to eat away at their concentration, their confidence and their motivation.

How culture shock affects your team

In 2020, you most likely have at least some culturally different employees working in your organization. In fact, you likely have employees from several different countries working in your organization. They must work together in order to be one coherent productive team. However, many of your employees will not be equipped to deal with the unfamiliar situations that they find themselves in as a result of being in a new cultural environment.

This means that there will be cross-cultural conflict or at the very least, confusion and frustration resulting from misinterpretation of host-culture behaviours and actions. This will demotivate your international employees. In more extreme cases this will cause anxiety, stress, homesickness and depression. For your host country national (HCN) employees, this will also lead to frustration as they do not understand their international counterpart’s lack of motivation.

It may very well seem like a dismal state of affairs but it doesn’t have to be as we will see below. The truth is, however, that most international employees will suffer from culture shock at some point, especially if they have not had cross-cultural training, or if they have not had previous experience with their new culture.

In fact, culture shock can even redevelop after some time in the new culture:

Figure 1. Depiction of culture shock and adjustment over time

So what can you do to improve the situation? 

Essentially there are three effective steps you can take to help your employee overcome culture shock.

1. Explain to the employee the concept of culture shock and how it will affect them (above).

2. Inform the employee about appropriate cultural behaviours in their new culture.

3. Offer guidance when the employee is dealing with unforeseen situations (this could be behaviours or actions which are new to the employee).

The role of cross-cultural training

Additionally, as a manager you can offer the employee cross-cultural training (CCT), which aims to achieve all three of the goals listed above as well as a few others including:

1. Imparting realistic expectations of the host country to the employee.

2. Explaining values, cultural frameworks, and systems in place in the host country.

3. Cultivating positive feelings toward the host country.

4. Teaching the employee appropriate behaviours to utilize in the new culture.

It may help to understand that behaviours and actions that are effective in one country may not be effective in another. In fact, they may be counterproductive. For example, a Chinese employee may not put as much emphasis on written documentation in agreements as a German employee would. This is because in Chinese business culture, writing a formal contract can be viewed as lacking in trust in your counterpart in business negotiations. However, in Germany this is viewed as a standard business practice and does not necessarily indicate mistrust between the two parties in a business negotiation.

As we see in this example, the most basic of business principles may differ between cultures and lead to confusion. This example is just to outline the fact that cross-cultural confusion or culture shock can originate in many different areas and confuse both the employee, and you as their manager.

Thankfully, you can beat your number one enemy in 2020.

The good news is that the affirmative steps above can get your team on the way to being happier, healthier and more productive. The great news for you is that you can have a team that works well together and is seen as an exemplary team in your organization. An intercultural team that is aware of the challenges that face it will be able to appropriately find solutions to problems when they arise.

This, in turn, will develop a team culture of problem solving as well as one that is welcoming to new colleagues. Best of luck in being the best team you can be in 2020.