Hinduism is a religion that originated in the Indian subcontinent.

Purists refer to it more as Sanātana Dharma (the eternal path/law) rather than a religion, as it is believed to be a virtuous way of life.

With globalization and the rise of multinational companies, the workplace has become increasingly diverse.

Knowing how to organise, communicate and lead employees from different cultures is more important than ever.

If you are in a leadership, management, HR or DEI role and would like to understand Islamophobia and its potential impact on your Muslim employees, then this guide is for you.

Anti-Muslim bias, discrimination against Muslims and fear, hatred of, or prejudice towards Muslims - i.e. Islamophobia  - is a social problem.

Researchers believe they have finally discovered why the wide, white-teethed smile is so important in American culture - immigrants and cultural diversity.

Across different cultures, a smile can mean many things.

Multicultural teams are now the norm within many of our larger companies, organisations and brands.

Challenges relating to communication, trust and morale within culturally diverse teams are common.

Accents are an amazing window onto our history.  As accents die, so too are accents born in response to changes in our environment.

In ‘The Lost Cockney Voice’ available on podcast via Radio 4 downloads, Cole Moreton talks about the unique cockney accent of his grandmother’s era.

If your introduction to the topic of cultural appropriation was due to a celebrity, such as Pharrell Williams, being slammed for wearing Native American headwear,  Zac Effron, being called out for sporting dreadlocks, or Katy Perry, being criticised for performing as a Geisha, then you're not alone. 

Once upon a time, cultural appropriation was something theorised and discussed solely at universities.

Researchers believe they have discovered a link between someone's culture and the language they use when they are telling lies.

Psychologists, led by Professor Paul Taylor of Lancaster University in the UK, have just published the findings of their research, entitled "Culture moderates changes in linguistic self-presentation and detail provision when deceiving others", in Royal Society Open Science.

The development of competent remote and virtual teams is now a big priority for most training departments. 

Adapting to a world in which travel is restricted and social distancing is required makes the ability to conduct business virtually across cultures, countries and time zones essential.

Culturally diverse teams are becoming more and more the norm as international businesses continue to hire in talent from around the globe.

Anyone who has worked in a multicultural team knows that this comes with challenges.

Have you read about the backlash Pearson Education received regarding a section about cultural awareness in a recent nursing textbook?

Initially, it started with a Facebook post outlining some crude cultural stereotypes, but the complaints soon grew large enough and loud enough for Pearson Education to take note.

One of the effects of globalisation is that global brands are typically (and unavoidably) geographically spread.

Employing a global workforce is essential in today’s hypercompetitive marketplace.

As cross-cultural training specialists, we sometimes come across resistance from delegates who have been obligated to attend a cultural awareness session by their boss, HR or the Learning and Development department.

Resistance may stem from many factors, not least of which may be that the benefits and background to the training course have not been fully communicated.

'Culturally aware' professionals have a distinct advantage over their peers.

International businesses increasingly cite Cultural Competence as a core requirement during the recruitment process.

For those of us working in multicultural environments, it’s fair to say that our colleagues may occasionally observe traditions with which we aren’t familiar. Ramadan is one such occasion.

In the same way that non Muslims may avoid asking questions for fear of intrusion, Muslims may equally avoid going into too much detail about Ramadan for fear of their colleagues not being interested.

We all know that a positive customer experience (CX) drives repeat business, increased turnover and higher profits.

Companies who work hard to ensure their customers have a positive experience certainly reap the rewards of their efforts.

Like it or not, British culture is still rooted in the class system.

Despite increased multiculturalism and economic growth eroding class consciousness a little, under the surface and, class still creates a big gap in UK society.

Medical staff require professional interpreters and specific training on intercultural awareness, a new study published in the open access journal BMC Health Services Research suggests.

The authors reveal that doctors are dissatisfied with the treatment they provide to their non-native patients, and that they cite cultural differences and language barriers as the key factors causing the disappointment with the level of care that they provide.

Birgit Babitsch from the Berlin Institute of Gender in Medicine in Germany, and co-workers from Berlin and the UK, gathered the results of questionnaires completed by doctors working in the internal medicine and gynaecology departments of three Berlin hospitals.

As someone in the intercultural field, a Muslim and having spent many years living, working and travelling throughout the Arab world, I am always keen to scrutinize literature aimed at business professionals seeking to improve their knowledge of the region.

Donna Marsh’s “The Middle East Unveiled” is a recent edition to such literature.

In this blog, we give a synopsis of research carried out by the Challenging Racism Project.

As a cultural training company, this research is particularly interesting to us as it highlights the importance of cultural understanding in the battle against racism.