Cross-cultural cooperation - 3 recommendations for international projects
Cross-Culture! "It'll work out." Companies often plan projects involving people from different countries based on this maxim, because they usually underestimate cultural differences in communication and cooperation.
After a year or two in a foreign country, emigrants are often surprised to realize: "Now I may be living far away from home, but my best friends, with whom I talk about my feelings, worries and hardships, are still compatriots of mine. Before emigrating, I made a firm decision: I don't want to live in a German enclave, I want to build personal relationships with the "locals", Why do so many emigrants have this experience? Most people who have only ever spent their vacations abroad underestimate how strongly they are influenced by their home country.
- have gone through the same school system,
- listened to the same radio stations from an early age,
- are used to separating their waste,
and and and ...
The perception and behavior diverge
All of these factors shape how we feel and experience things and therefore what is important to us. This is why people abroad often have the feeling: my fellow countrymen understand me better and faster than the "locals". This is because it is only in their day-to-day interactions that they notice the cultural differences in perception that lead to different behavior. It is important to reflect on these differences, otherwise prejudices arise from them, which often solidify into (negative) judgments over time.
Two examples: Germans, but also Austrians and Swiss, often emigrate in order to live a "stress-free" life. But after a short time, they complain about the laissez-faire mentality of their new fellow citizens. And Germans who turned their backs on their homeland because the German bureaucracy "took the air out of their lungs"? After just a few weeks, they often start complaining about how arbitrarily the authorities act in their new home country and how difficult it is to obtain permits there.
The cultural imprint is usually underestimated
Similar processes are registered in companies whose employees suddenly have to cooperate with foreign partners - for example, because their employer is opening a new plant in France. Or because the company establishes a sales organization in China or the USA. Or because it is merging with a Spanish competitor. Or because it has been bought by an Arab investor.
In such situations, companies and their employees often initially underestimate the cultural implications of working together - even if the new partners are not "exotic" but, for example, Italian, French, Swedish or American. Precisely because Western industrialized nations have common roots and in some cases a common cultural identity, many things appear the same on the surface. This tempts companies to plan transnational projects according to the maxim: it will work out. This means that little time is invested in identifying potential sticking points in the projects and in preparing employees for the collaboration. Because, unlike when the new partners are Chinese, Saudis or Africans, this does not seem necessary. After all, the French and Americans also eat with a knife and fork - and not with chopsticks. And everything seems largely the same in business dealings too.
But then the project starts. And some time later, those responsible realize: Somehow the whole thing wasn't going as planned. There is constant friction. And our messages are not getting through to our counterparts. Then they gradually come to the realization that the cultural differences are greater than they thought. Unfortunately, it is then often too late to turn things around - or an enormous amount of energy would be required to do so. Because by this point, the latent prejudices that everyone harbours towards people from other cultures have often already solidified into judgments - judgments that manifest themselves in sweeping statements and thoughts such as "The French ...", "The Chinese ..." or "That's just the way Americans are".
There is no such thing as "the German" and "the Chinese"
This means that it is no longer taken into account that there is no such thing as "the French", "the Chinese" or "the American" or "the German" - even if certain behavioral patterns are differently pronounced in the individual cultures. It is also no longer reflected that every behavior results from a certain experience. This is why understanding is often not possible. Instead, behavioral patterns are linked to value judgments, such as
- "Americans are more superficial than we Germans."
- "Like all southerners, the Spanish are unreliable."
- "Like most Asians, the Chinese are obedient to authority."
And it is usually difficult to break these links again, as they are backed up with concrete experiences, at least in the subjective perception. It is important to avoid such processes when people from different nations and cultures work together and are dependent on each other to fulfill their tasks or achieve their goals - and to do so at an early stage. After all, the first few weeks usually determine how well transnational teams function in the long term.
It is therefore important to create forums in the start-up phase of such projects that enable at least the key people to get to know and understand each other personally and to agree on common goals and rules for dealing with each other.
Online communication makes it difficult to get to know each other
Phone calls, emails and video conferences are no substitute for meeting and getting to know each other in person. After all, how people work together depends to a large extent on the extent to which they can assess each other's reactions and trust them. And this presupposes that the people concerned have a mutual picture of each other and a shared wealth of experience. This personal image of the other person is only created to a limited extent when communicating via telephone, email or video calls. This is because communication is often largely limited to the exchange of technical information.
In addition, perception of the other person is limited. There is a lack of sensory experiences, such as those that occur when you shake hands with a person. Or when you look them directly in the eye during a conversation. However, it is precisely experiences like these that are important for building trust and a personal relationship.
Workshops to get to know each other
It is therefore advisable to hold at least one or two workshops with the key people before the start of transnational projects, where they can "get to know each other" - workshops that are less about planning the project and the cooperation down to the last detail, but rather about creating the emotional basis to ensure that the cooperation works in everyday life, even across long distances and cultural borders.
Such workshops cost time and money - regardless of whether they take place as a face-to-face event or, for example, as an online event due to coronavirus. However, they quickly pay for themselves, as cooperation then functions more smoothly - also because, for example, the Germans have advocates in the US or China and these in turn have advocates in Germany.
And do disruptions or irritations still occur? Then it is easier to call colleagues in France, China and the USA. Risks that could lead to problems are therefore discussed more quickly. And existing problems? They are not swept under the carpet until they become real crises and people start blaming each other.
Like all team development measures - regardless of whether they take place in person or online - such workshops require careful planning, as getting to know and understand each other is not without purpose. Rather, the participants should cooperate better afterwards. It is therefore important to clarify expectations with them at the beginning. Key questions for this can be
- From my point of view, the workshop would have achieved a lot in the end if ...
- The most important thing for me is that ...
Facilitating the learning process
Once expectations have been clarified, the following topics are usually discussed in such workshops:
- What features characterize the (business) culture of the countries from which the participants come?
- What are the characteristics of the (sub)organizations for which the participants work? What are the similarities and differences?
- What characterizes the participants as people? What preferences etc. do they have?
- What rules should apply to the collaboration?
No speaker should lecture on these topics. Instead, the participants should talk to each other about them to break the ice between them. After all, the central aim of such workshops is for the participants to value each other as individuals at the end. After all, misunderstandings and irritations will always arise during the subsequent collaboration. This is the case with every project. The most important differences in transnational projects:
- The possible causes are more varied.
- And: When something goes wrong, the participants are quick to offer an excuse: "It's the Americans..." the Chinese ...", "... the Germans, because they..."
Respect the other person as he or she is
It is therefore important to work out with the participants that mutual respect and the willingness to understand each other and cooperate are the basic prerequisites for successful collaboration. However, the way in which respect is shown varies from culture to culture. This is why such workshops should also discuss questions such as:
- In which situations did I (not) feel respected?
- What does respect mean for my life?
- How do I show respect to other people in my country?
- What are the differences between our countries?
- How should a person behave in order to be respected in our company?
No speaker should lecture on these topics. Instead, the participants should talk to each other about them to break the ice between them. After all, the central aim of such workshops is for the participants to value each other as individuals at the end. After all, misunderstandings and irritations will always arise during the subsequent collaboration. This is the case with every project.
Rules for dealing with each other can then be derived from the answers. One rule should be: If someone breaks a rule, I don't withdraw in a sulk. Instead, I ask the person why they have behaved in this way. Because most rule violations are due to misunderstandings. Or because the person in question lacked information. Or because they were under stress. Or because ...
Accordingly, irritations resulting from breaches of the rules can usually be easily resolved by talking to each other - without immediately accusing the other person.
WE BRING YOUR STRATEGY TO LIFE
Cultural cooperation - building bridges across borders. International projects succeed when cultural differences are consciously recognized and addressed with openness. Workshops and shared experiences create trust, reduce misunderstandings and strengthen cooperation worldwide. If you are considering how intercultural cooperation can be promoted in your company, please contact us - together we will develop approaches that make global teamwork successful.
You can find out what this can look like here: Case studies & experience reports