Working with people from different cultures and nationalities is no easy task. And the difficulty level goes up a notch when it comes to managing them, so how do you go about it?
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What is the difference between multicultural management and intercultural?
In the workplace, these terms are usually interchangeableBoth are used interchangeably. If we go a step further :
- Talking about multiculturalismIn other words, there are several cultural groups that coexist with little interaction between them.
- Whereas interculturalism speaks of groups where there is deep mutual understanding and respect for all cultures, and where strong relationships and team spirit develop.
As the word multicultural is more widespread, it is the one most often used.In this article, I will use both terms interchangeably. In this article, I will use both terms interchangeably.
Intercultural management is particularly relevant to companies expanding internationally: integration of foreign employeesproject management within a company. multicultural team, working with international suppliers or customersetc. I'll leave the international mobility of expatriate employees to one side in this article - that's a field of management that I'll deal with in another article.
Added to this are a variety of working environments: local teams working from home, projects spanning several countries, teams interacting on a matrix basis while being physically remote, etc. Issues that were previously individual or bilateral have become multicultural and cross-functional.
What are the advantages of a multicultural team?
Many French companies are expanding internationally to conquer new markets. This expansion means that managers have to manage people with a vision of the world and of their professional identity that are very different from those adopted in French culture, and more broadly in Western culture.
As with an intergenerational team (=a diversity of ages), cultural diversity often increases the complexity of the manager's role and of teamwork: communication difficulties within the team, collaboration difficulties, adaptation difficulties, inter-relational conflicts, etc. So theow can teams with a "heterogeneous" culture really drive new growth? Yes, when you know how to manage them!
Here are some of the advantages of multiculturalism:
- A talent pool much broader than if it were just Franco-French
- More open-mindedness and adaptability than in "homogeneous" teams. Why is that? Because it forces you to have a broader vision of your business and its competitive environment
- A increased creativity to solve problemsthrough other ways of thinking and doing that can open up new perspectives
- A better adaptation to local contextsThis is particularly useful for sales and marketing teams: brand names, products, communications and the values promoted take better account of the country's culture.
What are the keys to becoming a better intercultural manager?
No universal ideal management model
Cultural differences can be difficult to manage because the behaviour, norms and values of another culture are often unfamiliar to us. We don't know how to interpret them. But ignoring cultural differences is taking a big riskbecause it is embedded in every one of our professional interactions:
- In your communicationwhich may be explicit or implicit
- In the way you balance your personal/professional life
- In the way you give your trust
- Your relationship with time
- In your relationship with hierarchy / authority / loyalty
- In your relationship with the group vs. the individual
Let's take a concrete example A promotion is not perceived in the same way everywhere. If you're an Indian manager, you probably won't want to accept a "functional" promotion to a more senior position with no team to manage, even with a good pay rise. Only a "hierarchical" promotion, with a bigger team to manage, will be worth promoting in your eyes.
Trust, time, hierarchy... These notions refer to very different realities in different cultures. And let's not forget that beyond culture, everyone has their own history. There is no universal management model that can be adapted and accepted everywhere. To avoid the risk of creating cultural resistancethe cornerstone of intercultural management is the individualisation of leadership depending on the profile of each member of the team.
Renewed amazement
Interculturality means voluntary astonishment when faced with behaviour and practices that are different from our own. It forces us to wonder and question before acting. Managers have to take an almost sociological, anthropological look at people from different cultures.
As a result, as a manager, you need to set a framework in which you accept the astonishment of people who do not share the same culture/nationality. This involves :
- Know your own frame of reference and understand that of the people you are dealing with, and don't hesitate to ask questions like "What surprises you about the way our team operates?
- Identify the effects of intercultural issues (stereotypes, biases, misunderstandings, etc.) on your management style so that you can adapt your communication style.
- Knowing how to stand back even more when faced with high-stakes international situations
The expression of difference
Intercultural differences help us to better understand the diversity of our customers. But we still have to allow this diversity to express itself freely, to flourish! Rather than trying to erase cultural differences in multicultural teams, and make everyone fit into the 'mould' of your culture, exploit it. This means recognising the specific skills of each individual and building a personalised relationship.
What are the pitfalls to avoid in multicultural management?
1. Underestimating the challenge of being an intercultural manager
Your management style stems from your personality and from habits developed throughout your career, which makes them difficult to change. What's more, just because you managed a Brazilian yesterday doesn't mean you'll be able to manage a Japanese tomorrow. You will probably have to unlearn many of the "techniques" and tricks that worked and develop new ones.
2. Limit yourself to one perspective at a time
If you're managing an international team made up of English and Americans, it's not enough to know how your own culture perceives each of the other two. You also need to understand how the English perceive the Americans, and vice versa. And finally, you need to go back to your own culture, which may still perceive them differently. Not to mention how your corporate culture can influence your degree of acceptance. Playing with multiple perspectives will help you generate better team cohesion.
3. Not taking advantage of what each culture has to offer
If you clearly identify how people from different backgrounds behave in your team, you can turn these cultural differences into an asset to be used depending on the task in hand. Depending on the moment, you may need experts to challenge your ideas and find the best solution, or you may need a high level of responsiveness and streamlined processes to respond to an order on time. In this context, for example, it would be preferable not to ask the Chinese to criticise your ideas, when they could be much more comfortable and efficient in streamlining processes.
So remember: to succeed as an intercultural team managerYou'll need to develop your ability to navigate a wide spectrum of ways of thinking, without taking offence at cultural differences. And remember: you're always someone's stranger. You yourselves are a stranger to others !
