Cross-Cultural Team Synergy Strategies
A new TV series in America, called “Outsourced”, presents an interesting (satirized) view of cross-cultural team integration and management. I will try and follow this one closely! The main character is “the silly American”, Todd, completely unaware of cultural faux pas, who is sent to India. This ought to be fun to watch, and full of good lessons!
In the first episode, here are a few things I picked up, as the “what NOT to do’s” if you are relocating to another country to manage a team comprised of people of a nationality other than your own.
- Greet People by Shaking Their Hands. The “silly American boss” tries to shake hands with everyone, and presents his right hand, and, clearly some people in the room are very uncomfortable with this greeting style. Always study up on appropriate ways to greet people, and whether one hand may be taboo!
- Show More Interest in Meeting Some People Than Others. The boss in this show is clearly more interested in meeting the women in the room, which he shows by heading right for them, and spending several minutes with “the pretty one”. You should make sure to express equal value to everyone on your team, especially the first day!
- Make Silly Jokes. The boss, in typical “Homer Simpson” fashion, has an obnoxious comment for just about everything. One of his male subordinates is named “Mamit” (spelling?) and the boss hears it as “Man Meat”. He then says, “Wow, your name is really ‘Man Meat’? Must make chatting on the internet hard!” In another section, he makes fun of the “head gear” they wear – saying the women, especially, wear some weird stuff.!!!! Refrain from making jokes that may be taken as offensive, or injure the self-esteem of your new employees. And, comments on how people dress are completely rude, and should be avoided.
- Sit with People From Your Country at Lunchtime. The first lunchtime, the boss has the opportunity to sit with his team, where there is one empty seat at their table. Instead, he sees another person who appears to be American, sitting all alone, and decides to bond with him. It may be “scary” or “overwhelming” to be the only person of your nationality at the table, but it’s a fantastic opportunity to get to know your new team! Mealtime is often when people have their guard down a bit, feel more relaxed, and you can get to know them a bit more personally than you can at their desks. This is a huge opportunity for you to more effectively transition to a new culture. Don’t miss out! That being said – of course make sure you ASK if you can sit with them, rather than just subjecting them to your presence by pulling up a chair and interrupting them.
- Isolate Yourself. Todd, while sitting with his new American friend, is told NOT to eat the Indian food, as it will cause all sorts of bathroom ills, and that he should stick to American food instead. One of the worst things you can do is to completely avoid the culture you are in by avoiding its people and its foods. This is a sure-fire way for you to end up being isolated, unaccepted by your colleagues, and feeling alone. Instead, make the effort to try out local foods and customs and blend in!
- Make Judgments. Todd is informed, again by his rude, American friend, that there is an “A” team (the employees dressed in suits who can speak with American accents), and a “B” team (Todd’s new team, who is sitting at the lunch table in casual dress and laughing) who “probably don’t know anything about America.” Get to know people, find out what THEY value, otherwise you’re setting yourself, and them, up for failure when it comes to cross-cultural team synergy.
- Place Opinionated Pictures on Your Desk. Todd places a photo on his desk (simply a desk and chair on a podium, in front of his new call center colleagues) of his American OFFICE – clearly he misses his American style office, with a door he can close, and which is a sign of authority. Every time you look at a photo like this, it will make you think “things are so much better at home…”, and your peers will understand that you don’t like their culture. Instead, consider photos of people you love, this could be an opportunity for new colleagues to ask you a bit about you!
The TV show seems to be promising of interesting cross-cultural situations. One of the things I saw on a positive front, is that the manager seems invested in the success of his staff, and spends time helping them learn the information they need to be able to sell the company’s products more efficiently – that’s a great thing to do! And, at the end of the first episode, the manager even chooses to sit and eat lunch with his team, and sample the Indian food! So, stay tuned….
Want more tips for successfully handling the professional changes you’ll encounter when moving overseas for work? Click here!
If you’re going to continue to work for the same company, the adjustment could be even harder because you may expect the new job to be just like the old one. It’s very easy to start a new job with the expectation and hope that you’ll fit in perfectly, be well-respected because your great reputation from your current department will precede you, and that hard work will help you get a promotion within a defined period of time.
