Working across cultures is rapidly becoming the norm for most people across the world.

As a result, intercultural conflict is also becoming more common. 

A report commissioned by Air France-KLM to try and work out what is causing tensions within the airline company has discovered that cultural differences between Dutch and French employees are potentially ripping the merger apart.

Air France-KLM, which is the result of a 2004 merger, asked Philippe d’Iribarne from the French Institute of Science and Niels Noorderhaven of Tilburg University, to carry out the research which involved 47 interviews with Air France and KLM staff between January and April 2017.

According to new research, the cultural divide between the West and the East can be explained by the type of farming methods used between the regions.

As rice requires more human labour, researchers say it’s no wonder that people in the East are more interdependent.

In 2001, the UN General Assembly declared May 21st to the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development due to UNESCO’s Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity in the same year.

This day is dedicated to enhance our understanding of values of cultural divergence and raise awareness for cultural differences for a better collaboration around the world.

By overlooking the importance of intercultural training, companies do not get the most out of their employees.

David Livmore is here to make us aware of the significance of knowing a bit more about  your co-workers’ cultures.