Most of my blogs focus on the Global Leader, the expatriate leader joining a foreign corporate assignment. Intercultural Executive Coaching and Intercultural Awareness Training have always mostly focused on preparing executive professionals assigned to a new country. In this blog, I will review the importance of involving the “Local Workforce” or the host country team members.
When I say Local Workforce, I’m referring to those managed by the new expatriate leader in the Host Country. Their exclusion from expatriate management processes may suggest a belief that the assignment’s success relies solely on the expatriate. This overlooks the potential contributions of the local workforce in reducing uncertainties and optimizing productivity in any major change. As I’ve mentioned in my past work, all influencing factors must be considered to minimize uncertainties associated with new cultures and environments.
I’m passionate about this subject, as my first encounter with dual-sided intercultural preparedness in my professional career was when working in Sony Mexico. I loved sharing Cultural Training sessions with my Japanese boss, the Japanese managerial team, and my fellow Mexican colleagues. My unknown love of all interculturality had started to blossom.
Setting up Intercultural training for the Local Workforce
I have written and expanded on the importance of Intercultural awareness in many posts and invite you to review them. We know such training is essential to enhance the productivity of the assignment. Also, it is key to increase the Global Leaders’ promotability and adaptability across cultural contexts. In other words, make the most out of the time appointed to the job.
But what we need is to look at the entirety of the Intercultural Preparedness program. As I mentioned in a previous blog, a comprehensive human resource planning and development effort must also include all stages and all those involved.
Any Leadership program, should be in sync with the Company values, so I’ll leave a few Organizational Values here that shouldn’t be left out:
- Participation and Teamwork emphasize the valuable contributions of leaders and team members in decision-making processes.
- Effective communication is facilitated by training in listening skills and cross-cultural awareness.
- Increased trust, communication, and understanding among individuals and groups contribute to responsible actions and honest relationships.
- Enhanced Inclusion and Diversity through awareness for both leaders and employees, fostering personal growth and development while acknowledging cultural differences.
Bridging the gap between Local Workforce and the Expatriate
As in all Coaching, in Intercultural Coaching one must assure that the participant make an initial situational analysis of themselves. This is before proceeding to learn of the new leader’s or Expatriate’s culture.
The next step is to identify techniques to communicate across the cultural barrier, and adjust some actions as needed when interacting with the new leader or leaders from other cultures. As in all intercultural coaching, the objective is to not necessary abandon one’s own culture but recognize the differences.
I shared a recent Linkedin post on the Nihonbashi principle of leadership coaching. Here I highlight a guiding framework that encompasses the idea of bridging a gap. In this case, not between the leader’s current state and their desired future state, but where the general Local Workforce is today and the cultural position where the new arriving leader(s) is. The intention is never to adopt this cultural position by the LWF. Merely to understand it, be open to work with the differences, and combine the best of each culture.
Comparing Cultural Similarities
As in all training and coaching programs, one must be careful when preparing for the expatriate management assignment. It is essential that the influence or the degree of cultural similarity be examined between the Local Workforce and the new global leader or expatriate. As I mentioned in my blogs, many factors should be considered such as: hierarchical level of the host country employee. There may be factors that are appropriate to share with one level of employees who work directly with the expatriate. However, they may be different from the one provided for lower-level employees.
As an example: although one would say that Japan and the US have similar economic situations, and organizational cultures. This may represent some common factors between them, nonetheless intercultural differences exist. Such as in the case of Communication, Conflict Resolution, Relationships, and Power Structure dimensions to name a few. Hence, it is important to always identify the dimensions where the cutures involved are similar or quite different.
Challenges and Solutions
- Training programs in expatriate and cross-cultural awareness should align with both corporate and country cultures, incorporating principles of instruction and adult learning. Understanding different learning styles, such as Western preference for classroom-based learning and theory before practice, versus the apprentice style training favored in Japan and some Asian countries, is essential for effective instructional system design.
- I have used the words Training and Coaching in this post in an indistinctive way. Allow me to emphasize their respective roles in workplace development. While Coaching involves ongoing interaction between a Coach and an employee to address specific issues, Training typically focuses on teaching new skills or information. Tailored Intercultural Training benefits larger groups by enhancing understanding of cultural differences and facilitating collaboration. Conversely, Intercultural coaching aids in navigating complex cross-cultural processes, supporting individuals during expatriation and international collaboration, considering individual needs and professional contexts for effective development.
- As an Intercultural Executive Coach, I accompany and assist Global Leaders in understanding the differences among various intercultural dimensions. I offer practical skills and strategies to navigate the complexities of Intercultural Leadership. An Executive Coach can support you through the highs and lows, guiding you through the challenges you may face. I can assist you in defining clear and attainable leadership goals, ensuring they align with your long-term personal and professional aspirations, or the organizational objectives established for you. Do you have a comprehensive roadmap for ongoing improvement and success?
