Need examples of cultural misunderstandings in business?

Well, we are going to share real-life examples of cultural misunderstandings from our cross-cultural training work.

Would you sacrifice one life to save many?

This is the question researchers posed to people around the world, gaining some fascinating insights into values, beliefs and cultural differences.

Doing business in China? Then you'll be attending lots of meetings!

If you’re attending meetings in China, then it’s important to understand a little about Chinese culture and how meetings are run.

Over the past 15 years a continuous theme, which has never ceased to amaze us, has been the way in which businesses significantly underestimate the impact of cultural differences.

It typically takes something to go wrong before stakeholders take notice.

Evey company working on the international stage needs to prepare their staff with the skills and knowledge to work across cultures.

Where online cultural training is not an option, then it’s essential to provide staff with easily accessible, bitesize, digestible materials.

There is no better way to understand the impact of cultural differences upon business than to look at real-life examples.

No matter what business, sector or market you are in, if you deal with people from different cultures, then cultural difference is going to impact what you do somewhere, somehow.

A common misconception people have of cultural awareness is that it’s about “the other”; that its main focus is learning about other people and how they do and don’t do things.

Although this is certainly part of it, cultural awareness also relies heavily on self-awareness.

Google Search Engine data provides a fantastic window into the cultures of different countries by giving us an insight into online searches.

By understanding what people within that country or culture are searching for, we can start to appreciate the topics and concerns that bind them together.

The training world is evolving at an incredible pace.

Indeed, discussions of blended learning by L&D professionals have quickly moved beyond ‘why do we need it?’ to ‘how do we do it?’

Self-awareness is fundamental in raising cultural competence.

If you are unable to understand yourself, it will be very difficult to understand another.

Why focus on 'culture' in the workplace?

Why do we need to look at 'culture' specifically?

A common misconception held by many is that cultural awareness is a skill.

You either have or you don't have, or, at the very least, is a skill that can be learned through training.

For many Western cultures, witches are an innocuous subject.

Long gone are the days where innocent women were dragged from their homes to be burned at the stake.

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.

Do you want to sell your products or services internationally?

Global sales are important for businesses looking to expand their client base, increase revenues or attract investment.

Expectations are that Asia will overtake the US as the largest global consumer market in the next couple of decades.

The Asian Development Bank reported in 2020, that growth prospects for Asia are continuing to strengthen with expected increases of 7.2% for 2021. 

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.

The Cross Cultural Training sector is predicted to grow at a compound annual growth rate of just under 15% from 2017-2021.

This growth is due to an increased need for relocation training for expats and online cultural training programmes for international teams. 

For some, globalization is dangerous for cultural diversity. The fear of cultural dilution and being imposed upon by a foreign, sometimes corporate, culture drives many people to deduce that the global economy is doing us more harm than good. 

However, new research coming from academics in Morocco and Canada suggests that globalization is certainly not killing our cultures. 

:: As of this week Brexit negotiations have officially commenced.

:: The UK will be leaving the EU within the next few years.