How do you adjust your management style for different cultures?

1 Understand your own culture

Before you can appreciate and accommodate the differences of others, you need to be aware of your own cultural assumptions, values, and biases. How do you communicate, make decisions, give feedback, and handle conflicts? How do these preferences affect your interactions with people from other cultures? You can use tools such as the Hofstede Insights or the Trompenaars Model to assess your own cultural profile and compare it with others.

2 Learn about other cultures

The next step is to educate yourself about the cultures of the people you work with. You can research their norms, beliefs, customs, and etiquette, as well as their expectations and preferences in the workplace. You can also ask them directly about their views and experiences, and listen with curiosity and respect. Avoid making stereotypes or generalizations, and be open to nuances and variations within each culture.

3 Adapt your communication style

Communication is a key aspect of effective management, and it can be influenced by many cultural factors, such as language, tone, context, non-verbal cues, and formality. To improve your cross-cultural communication skills, you need to adapt your style to suit the situation and the audience. For example, you may need to use simpler words, speak slower, repeat or paraphrase key points, check for understanding, and avoid slang, idioms, or jokes that may cause confusion or offense. You may also need to adjust your body language, eye contact, gestures, and personal space to match the norms of the other culture.

4 Respect different work styles

Another challenge of cross-cultural management is to deal with the different work styles of your team and stakeholders. These may include how they approach tasks, deadlines, collaboration, feedback, authority, and risk. To respect and accommodate these differences, you need to be flexible and empathetic. You can try to find common ground, negotiate expectations, set clear goals and roles, provide constructive and timely feedback, and encourage participation and innovation. You can also celebrate the achievements and contributions of your diverse team members, and recognize their unique strengths and perspectives.

5 Seek feedback and improvement

Finally, you need to constantly seek feedback and improvement on your cross-cultural management skills. You can ask for input from your team and stakeholders on how you can better support them, and what you can do differently or better. You can also reflect on your own performance and behavior, and identify areas where you need to learn more or change. You can also seek mentorship, coaching, or training from experts or peers who have more experience or knowledge in cross-cultural management.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?