Three Steps
You are colleagues. In a multinational team. Experiencing cultural differences. You can address those differences in an honest, open, straightforward manner. By taking the following three steps:
1. Learn
Read/Reflect
Specific to the topic you have selected read and reflect on UC’s analysis. Be sure to look at the Patterns. They contain examples that illustrate how the two countries think and work.
2. Discuss
First Conversation
Specific to the selected topic, identify those differences which are exerting the most influence on cross-border collaboration. This is a conversation with yourself. Focus on what is not working. Share those differences with your colleagues from the same-country. They will do the same with you. Your colleagues from the other-countries will do the same on their side.
Second Conversation
Reflect on the differences submitted by your same-country colleagues. Then meet as same-country group. Discuss the influence of those differences on your collaboration. Decide which differences should be discussed with your colleagues from the other-countries. Then share those differences with them. They will do the same with you.
Third Conversation
Reflect on the differences submitted by your colleagues from the other-countries. Then meet as an all-countries group. The entire team. Discuss the influence of cultural differences on your collaboration. You are deepening your understanding of each other. About how you think. About how you work.
3. Apply
First Conversation
Specific to the selected topic, reflect on the current state of collaboration. This is a conversation with yourself. Recommend how the countries involved can better collaborate. Share those recommendations with your colleagues from the same-country. They will do the same with you. And your colleagues from the other-countries will do the same on their side.
Second Conversation
Reflect on the recommendations submitted by your same-country colleagues. Then meet as same-country group. Discuss the submitted recommendations. Decide which of them should be discussed with your colleagues from the other-countries. Then share those recommendations with them. They will do the same with you.
Third Conversation
Reflect on the recommendations submitted by your colleagues from the other-countries. Then meet as all-countries group. Again, the entire team. Discuss the recommendations submitted. Decide which of them should be implemented. Now implement, monitor, and improve.
Back to Exercises.
Welcome
We help colleagues.
In multinational teams.
To collaborate better.
By explaining culture.
Beginning with Germany,
the USA, and ten topics.
Dieter Rams is one of the most influential industrial designers of the late 20th century. His ten principles provide insight into fundamental German product philosophy. More
Countries and Contrasts are members-only.
With the exception of the topic Persuasion.
Gain full accesss to our analysis at Access.
Forums and Patterns are open to everyone.
Research
We at UC take a push-pull approach to research. We push foundational topics to you. Currently, there are ten, with three in the pipeline. And we pull topics from you.
By asking you what challenges you’re facing as colleagues collaborating in a multinational environment. Send us the analysis of your situation: pull@understand-culture.com
There are six steps. You take four. We take two.
1. Identify
Meet as colleagues. Not just one or two or a few of you, but instead all of the key players. You are colleagues. Then identify the problem.
2. Describe
Put the problem down on paper. In words: clear, concise, precise. Describe the problem. If helpful, use examples, scenarios. Paint the picture. Make it real.
3. Quantify
Quantify the negative impact of the problem on your collaboration. As best you can. Impact on schedule, budget, quality, etc. Get specific, concrete, granular.
4. Send
Send us just one document. With your responses to 1 to 3 above. We will review it. And most likely have questions. Please provide us with a contact person.
5. Research
If we decide to address your problem, by creating a research project, either we will finance it or ask your company to finance it or we will finance it together.
6. Upload
We will then upload to UC the results of our analysis. All members will benefit. Just as your team will benefit when other companies contract us to do research.
Overengineering
“We know that German engineers are top-notch. We have them as colleagues. However, they tend to overengineer. It’s expensive. And it’s not always what our customers have asked for, or even want. How can we get our German colleagues to engineer to customer needs?”
Get to 90%
“In so many cases our American colleagues seem perfectly satisfied with an 80% technical solution. Ok, we Germans don’t always have to aim for 99%. But, how can we get our team in the U.S. to strive for at least 90%?”
Judgement calls
“Often our colleagues in the U.S. seem to follow processes and procedures slavishly, even when it is obvious that the situation requires deviation. Why are they not capable of making the necessary judgement calls based on the situation?”
Undisciplined
“On the American side there are far more processes and procedues than on our German side. And everything is documented in great detail. Yet time and again our American colleagues don’t follow what has been documented. Can someone please explain this to us?”
Unemotional. Detached.
“When our German colleagues give presentations they are so unemotional, scientific, almost detached. Why? Is that convincing in the German context?”
Micromanagement
“We Germans in the team like and respect our American team-lead. However, she wants to be involved in the details our work. She is micromanaging us and we don’t like it. We hear the same complaint from German colleagues in other teams led by an American. What’s going on here?”
