Did you know there are millions of Filipinos working globally?

There are also millions more who work with customers, colleagues and clients around the world but virtually, from the Philippines.

In today's globalized world, managing cultural diversity in the workplace is becoming increasingly important for businesses and organizations.

This is true not only for large multinationals with global offices but also for domestic businesses and organizations with employees worldwide.

Are you interested in how to teach students from different cultures?

Would you like to understand why cultural competence is important for teachers?

Business culture reflects the values of a country or society.

If you imagine a tree representing a culture; underneath the ground are all the values, ethics, history and philosophy that underpin the culture.

In the age of information technology, cultural and national boundaries between people are becoming more exposed.

It’s these boundaries that highlight differences in language, culture and approaches to work which, if left unmanaged, can sometimes lead to difficulties.

Saudi Arabia’s drive for economic diversification is boosting the country’s international presence.

With more companies investing in Saudi Arabia and vice-versa, the country has become much more visible on the global stage.

Doing business around the world means your product or service has to be suitable for lots of different cultures.

If it’s not, your chances of success are reduced.

Struggling to find a definition of ‘intercultural communication competence’?

Well, you are not alone.

How do we become more culturally competent?

What steps can we take in order to work with people from other countries and cultures more effectively?

If you provide services or sell products, you’ll know how important a positive Customer Experience is.

Positive interactions and experiences retain customers and drive repeat business.

If you’re a business professional working in an international setting, then you’ll understand the importance placed on cultural competence.

Whether it’s recruitment, promotion or performance development - the need for cultural competence is of increasing importance in business.

Working across cultures means adapting to differences.

Those unwilling, or unable to, usually find that things can get tough.

Being aware of cultural differences is crucial if you work in international business.

Anyone who believes that “everyone does business the same” will soon get a shock once they start to work with other cultures.

What does it mean if you have ‘Intercultural Competence’?

Well, in short, Intercultural Competence is about understanding how to work effectively with people from different cultures.

Despite continued political tensions with Iran, the demand for Iran cultural awareness training continues.

As a senior Iran cultural awareness trainer, I spend a lot of time helping businesses understand the nuances of Persian culture. 

Cultures differ in the way we use our bodies to communicate.

Sometimes it is very obvious, many times very subtle.

In our previous blogs we examined how cultural differences impact body language and the way we speak - we now turn our attention to a little-known skill we all have yet many forget to utilise!

Listening.

Working internationally comes with certain challenges - navigating cultural differences is just one.

Being able to work, communicate, sell to or buy from people in different countries, working in different times zones, with different ways of doing things is essential.

In this article, we look at how a lack of cultural awareness can have big cost implications for a business.

Western businesses that believe their approach to business is 'the only way', are losing out on contracts and productivity when it comes to interfacing with foreign companies.

Are you new to working abroad? Travelling to a foreign country for the first time for business?

Getting it right when working overseas is critical; but what do you do if you have little or no international exposure?