Over coffee: 5 tips for successful multinational teams

International businesses are considered by many as the richest environment to generate best practices and best added value. However, there are a number of executives and managers who consider them at the very least ‘challenging’.

Why what many think is a great opportunity may be taken as a threat? International working environments give you the opportunity to get many different ideas out of the very same basic information since every individual comes from a different background. However, if not managed correctly multinational environments are misunderstanding-prone for the very same reason they are idea-rich: each one of us interpret facts differently based on our culture and experiences. What is a courtesy in your home land may be very offending in other countries.

Let’s take coffee as an example: in the UK it is considered as pure courtesy to ask your colleagues whether they would like some coffee and drop the cups at their desks to enjoy them privately. Conversations by the coffee machine might be considered as time wasters.

 In most Southern Europe countries, asking your colleagues whether they would like some coffee implies an invitation for a conversation by the coffee machine. You may be considered rude and not social if you wait for the coffee to land on your desk.

 In Greece, they go even further. If anybody makes you a coffee, you can consider that as a sign of ‘friendship’ or at least ‘respect and closeness’. You may not be offered coffee when you arrive at a customer till they trust you and think you have something worth listening. That might not happen till the third meeting. If you fail to appreciate the gesture, your business or friendship might be ruined.

Cultural differences show even over coffee

Should we stop the coffee habit now? Or should we focus on managing multinational teams it in the best possible way? Given half of the country struggles without their dose of caffeine, let’s focus on how to make the most out of international teams and cultural differences. Here are some commonalities for successful organisations in taking advantage of cultural diversity:

v  Leadership which appreciates the cultural differences and reinforces the value of different costumes and points of view. Successful leaders are open-minded and impressive good listeners.

v  Team building aimed to increase cooperation and time spent together as means to increase personal knowledge and cultural differences awareness.

v  Outstanding listening, characterised by being fully present and putting away judgement. The best in class corporations are such just because they give a voice to the different ideas and the diversity of ideas is what makes them reach the customer’s hearts and pockets.

v  Carefully chosen language when leaders and team mates speak and loosely interpreted when they listen. Non natives may use words incorrectly and create misunderstandings if we listen to them in a narrow-minded.

v  High self-awareness, which requires a special effort in understanding that what we take as polite may be consider very offensive and none of the postures are right or wrong.

Nel Rivero

International Corporate & Executive Coach 

@ Sky Ladder Coaching 

The Sky is the limit, getting there is up to you!