Download - Bridging the cultural communication gap
James Alderton
The Real Learning Experience
James Alderton
The Real Learning Experience
Bridging the Cultural
Communication Gap
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Australia in the Asian Century
• Top trading partners are China, Japan,
USA, South Korea & Singapore
• 45% of us were born overseas or have at
least one parent who was
• Mandarin Chinese is the most widely
spoken language after English
Culturally Diverse Teams:
• Think Differently
• Drive More Innovation
• Make Better Decisions
• Generate Higher Quality Solutions
Better Performance & Results
Cultural Diversity in Australia
Source: (1) Australian Census of Population and Housing, 2011, (2) Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 2013
Source: Vijay Govindarajan & Anil K. Gupta: Building an Effective Global Business Team, MIT Sloan Management Review, 2001
The Challenge of Managing
Global Business Teams
12 Dimensions of Culture
Source: The 12 Dimensions of Culture, Knowledgeworkx, 2013
Destiny
Outlook
Relationship
Context
Growth
Connecting
Expression
Decision Making
Planning
Communication
Accountability
StatusHow we form
relationships How we communicate
with one another
A B
How do you communicate?
A B
Direct Communicator:
• Straight-forward and direct
• Express views and opinions in a
frank manner
• Openly confronts issues
• Says things clearly with little room for
misunderstanding
Indirect Communicator:
• Tactful and respectful
• Express views and opinions
diplomatically
• Avoids conflict if at all possible
• Expects the listener to “read between
the lines”
A B
Improving how we communicate
A B
If you’re a Direct Communicator:
• Be careful when raising difficult
topics
• Don’t jump straight to the point
• Be mindful of how you say things as
well as what you say
• Pay attention to what is not said and
watch for non-verbal clues
If you’re an Indirect Communicator:
• Try to “say what you mean” and get
straight to the point
• Expect conflict to be dealt with more
openly than you’re used to
• Communicate in words and avoid
non-verbal communication
Universal
• Views workplace people as friends
• Talks about family issues at work
• Invites people home and has personal
friendships with co-workers
• Establishes comfortable relationship
and sense of trust before getting down
to business
• Indirect & tactful
Situational
• Strong sense of private space
• Keeps their personal and work lives
separate
• Gets to know their co-workers quickly
and superficially
• Will not usually invite people home or
talk about personal issues at work
• Precise & transparent
How do you form relationships?
Inter-Cultural Intelligence is the attitude and skills
to anticipate, correctly interpret and adjust to
the culturally defined behaviour of others
Leadership Competencies for the
Culturally Diverse Workplace
Sufficient IQ
+ Sufficient EI
+ Sufficient experience
Is it enough?
Sufficient IQ
+ Sufficient EI
+ Sufficient experience
+ Sufficient Inter-Cultural Intelligence
= Successful Team Leader
Leadership Competencies for the
Culturally Diverse Workplace
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.reallearning.com.au/jamesalderton
• Develop Your Inter-Cultural
Intelligence
• Turbo-Charge Your Multi-Cultural
Team
• Leverage Cultural Diversity in Your
Organisation