Tension. Discord. Miscommunication. Friction. No team is immune to conflict. Whether trivial or major, dissonance will inevitably rise between teams – especially cross-cultural teams and, even more so, global virtual teams. Our research on global and virtual teams shows individuals tend to value similar characteristics that contribute to team success: collaboration, open sharing of information, pro-active engagement, organization, and willingness to provide feedback. So why do things still go wrong if everyone shares the same ingredients for success?
The answer is simple: everyone has a different recipe! Even though the traits above are rooted in open communication, engagement, and collaboration, individuals have different means of expressing them. Subtle and not-so-subtle variations from person-to-person and culture-to-culture can undermine the potential for everyone to experience these behaviors, values, and attitudes in the same way.
In other words, communication-related conflict within teams is typically the result of deeply rooted behaviors that can change dramatically from person to person. The successful integration of team members’ distinct work styles to achieve effective intercultural communication can be very hard, indeed.
But diverse teams can be and have been successful: In fact, multicultural teams are 35% more likely to have higher financial returns than industry peers. There’s no question that diversity heightens productivity by integrating a multitude of new perspectives and ways of solving problems. But friction from lack of successful intercultural communication can squelch productivity. So how can teams learn to ease tension and work together harmoniously?
Understanding Yourself to Understand Others
The first step to move beyond a disagreement or an argument is to understand one’s own behaviors and values. Self-awareness is at the core of effective cross-cultural interaction and communication. In other words, the only real solution that can get to the root of any intercultural problem is long-term personal development. In order to develop a global mindset and understand other cultures, we must understand our own culture and ourselves.
To do so, start by asking yourself questions like, “What am I familiar with and accustomed to in the workplace?” “What do I feel is my natural way of communicating?” “What do I think is the most appropriate and effective work style for this team, in this department, or in the workplace as a whole?”
Once your own values are clearly established, compare your answers and work style to what you are experiencing from others and try to detect where there may be a gap. A classic example is the difference between direct and indirect communication styles. Direct communication styles (a common trait in the US) can often rub the wrong way for people with indirect styles (common in East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and many other regions around the world). This is because the underlying value that influences the communication style is different. Direct styles are often attributed to a value for transparency and openness: direct business people say what they mean and mean what they say. Indirect styles, on the other hand, tend to value preservation of harmony between people at the expense of openness. Simply put, many indirect communicators value saving face and preventing embarrassment.
If you can get to the value that is driving the behavior, you will have an easier time recognizing and appreciating the behavior. This can help individuals learn to understand the intent of another’s actions in respect – not in spite – of personal differences and work styles. When business people take a values-based approach centered around self-awareness, we at CultureWizard have found that they are more likely to dig deeply into differences and look at what is beneath the surface. It allows them to better understand the diverse values that drive behavior.
To sum that up, it’s crucial to understand one’s own values in order to understand how to effectively communicate across cultures. This means having self-awareness of your own cultural values, traits, and biases and learning how to understand your own intrinsic traits in relation to others.
Quick Tips for Top-Notch Teamwork
Long-term personal development takes time, effort, and practice. While there is no substitute for diversity training in this capacity, we all need a quick fix every now and then. Here are some best practices to follow when teams need to meet a deadline, are in a pinch, or just need a quick refresher on what to take into daily consideration during the journey towards mastering a global mindset.
Talk about it.
One of the best ways to simultaneously build trust while deconstructing productivity stifling challenges is simply to talk about them! Communication is key. Swift intercultural communication is no easy feat to master but everyone must start somewhere, so it’s important to remember that disagreements and conflicts are bound to occur from time to time. Fortunately, facilitating a brief group conversation – as little as a 30-minute meeting – can sometimes be all that’s needed to get a project back on track.
Stage discussion to foster trust.
Staging the conversation is important, and don’t always expect these conversations to be easy. Discussions will depend on the specific situation and specific individuals involved. Sometimes a group meeting may work best, other times one-on-one, or sometimes in small groups or pairs. Remember that everyone is different and some personalities may feel more comfortable opening up than others. In the end, it’s about making sure everyone is comfortable and can trust each other.
Encourage everyone to participate.
When engaging in a constructive conversation, everyone should take turns talking about what they value in terms of how each team member collaborates and what they expect of each other. Work together to define expected team behaviors like timeliness, responsiveness, and participation, all while recognizing that some behaviors that are innate to some team members may be unfamiliar to others.
Don’t be afraid to focus on ambiguities.
If the issues causing problems seem unclear, it can be helpful to dive into the ambiguity of a situation instead of dismissing it. Intercultural communication can seem so strange and foreign at times and may seem easier to ignore. But dismissing conflict can only make things worse. Ask each other about behavior and the values at play to understand what is driving the behavior. If an indirect communicator seems quiet and ambiguous, it may be because they do not want to embarrass another team member. But if a direct communicator understands the indirect communicator’s values, they can work together to build trust and understand each other better.
Above all, it’s important that team members realize that all individuals have different work styles, personality traits , and cultural influences. While these differences breed myriad different perspectives, ways of solving problems, and potential solutions, they also can increase the risk of conflicts. Cross-cultural awareness can help team members understand that even though individuals have different values and communicate in different ways, they are all working toward a common goal: success.
Learn more about working successfully with your diverse team, 
