Managing Cultural Difference in a Distributed Team.
Years ago, as UK & Ireland HR Director in a major Global Business, I worked and learned alongside some of the most authoritative HR Brains in Europe. A Spanishman, Dutchman, a Frenchman and a German – I learned a lot about cultural difference from them:
The Spanish bought idealism, imagination & human worth to the table – even though we Brits muttered that their planning was a tad shaky – we knew where we were with them.
The Dutch HR leader loved a debate, a consultation, had a quiet, roll up your sleeves determination and if anyone was late for the morning meeting, would simply greet them with ‘Good Afternoon.’
The French HRD exuded logic & rhetoric while my East Europe colleague spoke 5 languages & was incredibly culturally aware.
The German HRD was a genius in managing relationships between works council, union & the business. I learned so much from him albeit I don’t speak German & he didn’t do English. We had an interpreter!
The UK got a new Boss. He made his first speech to the European Leadership Team. I concluded, the Boss was a bit over optimistic on the numbers.
The Spanish HRD said, “Your Boss is Superman!”
The German HRD whispered to our Translator, who smiled and said, “Jack says your Boss is a…….Tool!”
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