Break out of the Cultural Bubble

Do you lead a Distributed Team?  Of course, it can mean managing across cultures and this forces Leaders to think outside their own cultural bubble. For some – that’s darned tough….

When we work and communicate across geographies, culture and language really does affect the way people will think and respond. I’m generalising a tad, but here’s what I’ve noted:

Latin cultures don’t see being ‘on time’ as important. In Italy, it’s OK to turn up late as a meeting can extend for as long as it takes to do business. We move on when the time feels right.

But over the border in Switzerland, they live by the clock – just like other Anglo Saxon cultures such as Germany & the UK, where rocking up late for a business meeting telegraphs a lack of respect, while in Poland there’s a bit more leeway.

Meanwhile, in Chennai what goes around comes around so don’t rush a decision. The sun rises & the sun sets each day so the same opportunities, risks or danger will reappear but we’ll be days, weeks or months wiser. Interesting isn’t it?

Whether you deploy distributed teams in the UK or across the globe, our Smart Leaders Programme unlocks cultural bubbles and that helps you manage the business more effectively

Are your leaders stuck in a cultural bubble? Contact us for a chat.