May 21

World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development

Culture, Diversity No Comments »

Cultural diversity is a constant part of our society – people with different cultural backgrounds live next to each other and through new media we hear and see everything that happens on the other side of the world.  Today we celebrate this cultural diversity – it’s World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.

Team cercle Rafal Zdeb i1 World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development

© istockphoto.com/Rafal-Zdeb

Cultural Diversity day has its roots in UNESCO’s Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity set up in 2001 and was established to provide opportunities to increase understanding of the values regarding cultural diversity.  Cities around the globe hold events and activities to offer the chance to learn how to live together in harmony and how to build bridges to respect each other’s cultural boundaries.  The day aims to raise awareness on the importance of creating intercultural dialogue and encouraging social inclusion in society.

Today also offers government and religious leaders the chance to reaffirm their ideas that intercultural dialogue is the best way to establish peace amongst nations.  It encourages them to make an active commitment to prevent segregation and to minimise stereotyping that can so often lead to a clash of cultures.

The World Day for Cultural Diversity offers a good opportunity for businesses.  It offers companies with an international presence and whose employees represent a variety of cultural and religious backgrounds the chance to strengthen and promote their inclusion policies.  To those companies operating locally, it offers the chance to share the Day’s principles and consider embracing diversity to enrich their workplace.

A decisive change in behaviour depends most of all on us as individuals. It is in our hands to make the difference that matters so that diversity becomes a norm in our society.  Today offers us a chance to acknowledge not only the plurality within our communities, but also the plurality of our own identity.  Today people connect, collaborate and work together from different parts of the world more than ever before therefore acknowledging our differences as a positive force can make a crucial impact on our work and personal relationships.

So why not engage in a culturally different activity today?  Visit an art exhibition or a museum dedicated to other cultures, watch a foreign language film, listen to some world music, read a book from another country or even invite a family or people in the neighbourhood from another culture to share a meal with you and exchange world views.  The UNESCO’s Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity notes that “the cultural wealth of the world is its diversity in dialogue”.  Let’s be all part of this dialogue!

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2013

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Apr 08

Red Tape – Bureaucracy and its Influence on International Business

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Bureaucracy and excessive regulation, commonly known as red tape, has a strong influence in any country’s economy. Red tape includes all sorts of rules, paperwork, permits, taxes, procedures or requirements which can be crucial when setting up a company or doing business ina new market. Even though there may be great business opportunities, many organisations shy away from the so called ‘business-unfriendly’ countries.

Business Writing Viorika Prikhodko i Copy Red Tape – Bureaucracy and its Influence on International Business


© istockphoto.com/Viorika Prikhodko

According to an article published on the Grant Thornton International and Emerging Markets blog, the global impact of red tape on business expansion is now about 30%. The top 10 countries being strangled by red tape are shown in the article and curiously enough, except for Greece, which ranks first in the list with a 57% of bureaucracy pressure on business, the majority of countries that appear on the list are considered to be emerging economies.

Russia, India and Brazil, three of the four BRIC countries, are among the world’s top ten economies and will continue growing quickly. Such economies are considered attractive opportunities for investment, but they can also present high levels of risk to anyone doing business in there.

If we analyse the case of Brazil, for instance, we can see that bureaucracy can indeed be a challenge for anyone doing business there. Brazil ranks second in the list, with a score of 50% in terms of bureaucracy pressure on business. It was ranked 126th out of 183 countries on the last World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business report.

Reports suggest that about 17% of Brazilian GDP is lost in bureaucracy, and it takes from 13 to 17 procedures and 169 days on average to start a company in the country, but there are many cases of companies that after two years were not still able to legally operate. In fact, approximately 40% of Brazilian start-up businesses do not survive more than two years according to data published last year by the Brazil’s Government Research Institute and many foreign companies have failed after having invested huge amounts of money in Brazil.

A society’s need to create rules and processes, which can often result in heavy bureaucracy, is culturally driven. When people in a culture find risk or uncertainty uncomfortable, they usually define rules or policies to ensure that there is no ambiguity. Interculturalist Geert Hofstede analysed this component of culture and called it Uncertainty Avoidance. Cultures who feel a need to control things to avoid any risk or vagueness are often classified as having a low tolerance to uncertainty avoidance.

Countries who tend to be on this end of the scale, and who therefore are often perceived to have a lot of red tape, include Russia, Argentina Brazil, Poland and Greece. People in these countries do not like to be rushed into making decisions and think that detailed and rigid processes makes the world a better and more secure place. Bureaucracy may impede companies to take appropriate actions to achieve organisational goals or adapt on the changing market, but it is deeply rooted in some cultures as a mesure to guarantee equality. How things are run in other countries may cause frustration and failure, promote stereotypes and will undoubtedly make building trust and enhancing interpersonal relationships more difficult.

While it is easy to perceive red tape as a negative, it’s important to understand that it is a culturally driven behaviour resulting from a value of needing security and low risk. If interpreted differently and harnessed effectively, this could in turn bring your organisation more benefits than you realise in the long run. Doing business in one of these countries might be challenging at first, but it can also be a great opportunity once you know how culture affects every procedure, activity or objective.

Although things may take longer and may be more complicated, the end result of successfully dealing with the red tape you encounter could give you an edge on all of those companies who avoided these challenges.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2013

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Apr 05

“Fear and Trembling” – Tips for Doing Business in Japan

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources, Culture training for the Public sector No Comments »

Every culture has its own codes, values and work methods. These characteristics, which are often completely different from one culture to another, can create difficulties and misunderstandings which could jeopardise efficient business collaboration. Amélie Nothomb’s novel Fear and Trembling successfully depicts the dramatic consequences resulting from ignorance about cultural values of colleague or foreign counterparts.

Amélie Nothomb describes her expatriation to Japan and tells of how this experience becomes hell because of her ignorance about values and conventions of this other culture. Throughout the book, we notice several involuntary social and cultural mistakes which are not in accordance with Japanese culture.

Japan Chris Pritchard i “Fear and Trembling” – Tips for Doing Business in Japan

© istockphoto.com/Chris Pritchard

Doing business in Japanrequires a really good understanding of the key principals of Japanese business culture. Here are some examples that you should keep in mind:

Wa: The word “wa” means “harmony”. This is one of the most valued principles of Japanese society. In business terms, ‘wa’ is reflected by avoiding self-assertion and individualism. It is absolutely necessary to preserve good business relationships, despite differences in opinion. When doing business in Japanit is also important to remember the effect of ‘wa’ on Japanese behaviour and in particular their indirect expression of ‘no’.

Kao: One of the fundamental values of the Japanese social system is the notion of ‘face’. Face is a mark of personal pride and forms the basis of an individual’s reputation and social status. Preservation of face comes through avoiding confrontations and direct criticism wherever possible. When doing business in Jap an, causing someone to lose face can be disastrous for professional relationships.

Omoiyari: ‘Omoiyari’ relates to the sense of empathy and loyalty encouraged in Japanese society and practised in Japanese business culture. In literal terms it means “to imagine another’s feelings”, therefore building a strong relationship based on trust and mutual feeling is vital for business success in Japan. For example, keeping in touch with your former Japanese colleagues or counterparts will help you if you ever need to work or collaborate with them again.

Hierarchy: Respect for hierarchy is an essential element of Japanese organisations. Junior members of the team respect their superiors and their elders. For example, the order in which people enter a Japanese board room or in which presentations are made, tend to be in decreasing order of importance. Showing the same values and respect when working in Japan is always greatly appreciated. Despite this, it is important to note that an individual considered to be “at the bottom of the ladder in the company” may be promoted if he gets good results.

Punctuality and Courtesy: Being late is often considered to be a lack of respect. A meeting is always planned in advance and it is common to confirm it by phone rather than by letter or email. When doing business in Japan, it is important to arrive five minutes early in order to start the meeting exactly on time.

Doing business in Japan requires a strict knowledge of Japanese cultural practices and conventions. An accidental faux pas could damage a promising trade relation and could thus represent a substantial loss for the company. Intercultural training on Japanese culture will give you the knowledge and skills you need to build trusting relationships with your Japanese counterparts and take full advantage of business opportunities in the land of the rising sun.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2013

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Mar 20

Holi Cultural Festival Celebrations around the World

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As winter comes to an end and the month of March begins, excitement and anticipation is brought to the Hindu population of India; this is when the Holi festival starts. The word ‘Holi’ derives from the word ‘hola’, which is a thank you to the Almighty for the harvest. This is why Holi is celebrated as winter ends and the Spring Harvest begins.

People of all ages celebrate Holi by throwing coloured powder at each other’s faces, smearing coloured water everywhere, dancing under water sprinklers and having parties. Originating in India several centuries before Christ, Holi has now become a global festival, celebrated by thousands all around the world every year. This is because despite Holi being a Hindu festival, all cultures and religions are allowed to participate as it represents a single and global value: life.

Holi Festival Colours f9photos i1 Holi Cultural Festival Celebrations around the World

© istockphoto.com/f9photos

Anyone living and working in another countryshould be aware of Holi and the impact that it may have on social and business life. While most people focus on how Holi is celebrated in countries like India with a large Hindu population, here are a few unique examples of how this beautiful cultural festival is celebrated in other places around the world.

Los Angeles

In Los Angeles, Holi is celebrated in a similar way to the traditional festivities in India, but it tends to revolve more around music and the arts as opposed to the religious context of Indian Holi. Along with what is known in LA as ‘Colour Throws’, there are also bands playing, yoga classes, mantras, dances and cuisine. The festival takes place at Excelsior High School in Norwalk, Los Angeles. Even though the Los Angeles Holi is very much a different festival from the Indian Holi, the organisers of the festival, the Utah Hari Krishna Temple, are very aware of the importance of the Holi tradition. They believe “The colour, noise and entertainment that accompanies the celebration of Holi bears witness to a feeling of oneness and sense of brotherhood.”

Berlin

No official Holi festival had been celebrated in the whole of Europe until July 2012 when Berlin decided to bring the colourful and joyful event to Germany. Held in METAXA Beach, the Berlin Holi festival maintains the Hinduism roots of Holi and like Los Angeles, it adds an arts and music twist to the traditional festivals celebrated in India and other Hindu countries. Up and coming Indian DJs are invited to play during the festival as well as professional Hindu acrobats and dancers, both incorpo-rating the original values into their festival. Berlin is no longer alone as three other German cities, Munich, Dresden and Hannover, held Holi festivals which were attended by over 25,000 people. This year Holi is planned to be celebrated in 12 German cities including Dortmund, Essen, Frankfurt, Karlsruhe, Leipzig, Leverkusen, Mannheim, Saarbrücken and Stuttgart. All of these events are organ-ised in cooperation with the official Indian tourism office and have the support of the Indian Embassy in Berlin.

Cape Town

In the shadow of Table Mountain, the Grand Parade hosted Holi on 2 March this year. The open air atmosphere, described as ‘magical’, attracted over 10,000 people. Local DJs played and there were hourly colour throws. Like the other festivals, the organisers kept the values from the original Hindu festival. The success of the Cape Town Holi celebrations has now encouraged other South Africans to set up their own Holi festivals so next year there are celebration plans afoot in Johannesburg and Durban. Interestingly, Durban is the largest ‘Indian city’ outside of India, which promises a spectacular Holi to be hosted there.

In summer 2013 there will also be a large Holi Festival celebration held in London following on from the popularity and success in other countries and major cities. So if you are living and working in the UK, don’t miss out on the occasion to dive into a vibrant element of Indian culture and join a celebration close to you.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2013

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Dec 21

Christmas Carols around the World

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With Christmas just around the corner it’s time to ‘jingle bells’ and ‘deck the halls with holly’. This festive period comes with different trimmings around the world, but there is one tradition that has relevance across many continents: the Christmas Carol. If you are travelling this Christmas period, be sure to brush up your cultural sensitivity and learn some of the traditions of Christmas carols around the world.

Christmas Carols MKucova i1 425x284 Christmas Carols around the World

© istockphoto.com/MKucova

The history and origin of Christmas Carols can be traced back thousands of years to pagan songs that were sung at the Winter Solstice in Europe. These songs were sung in a lively and joyful manner and gradually came to be known as carols, meaning songs of praise and joy. While there is some overlap with Christmas Carols around the world, many cultures have their own unique traditions in how and what they sing.

Greece and Cyprus

In Greece and Cyprus children go out on Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve and Epiphany Eve with metal triangles and sing the relevant folk song for the current festival. The general format of these carols is to sing about the feast and offer praise to the women and man of the house, their children and the household. There is usually a request from the children for a treat and a promise to come back the next year for more well-wishing. The oldest known carol, commonly referred to as ‘Byzantine Carol’, is linguistically dated to the beginning of the high middle ages. Internationally known carols such as Silent Night and Jingle Bells are also sung in Greek translation.

Australia

In Australia the tradition is to sing carols by candle light during the weeks leading up to Christmas. This tradition was first started in Melbourne and then spread to other cities where similar events are held. The carol-singing events are usually arranged by churches, municipal councils or community groups and are normally held on Christmas Eve or the Sunday or weekend before Christmas Day.

Poland

The Polish word for Christmas carol is ‘koleda’ and it comes from the Latin word ‘calendae’ meaning the first day of the month. Carols in Poland date back to the fourteenth and fifteenth century and are mostly anonymous. They started as hymns to be sung during mass at church but they quickly became something that people also sung in other places. The most beloved Polish koleda include “Gdy sie Chrystus rodzi “(When Christ is Born), “Lulajze Jezuniu,” which is a lullaby to Baby Jesus, and “Przybiezeli do Betlejem” (The Shepherds Arrive in Bethlehem).

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom Christmas Carols play a key role in the tradition of Christmas. In cities, towns and villages people of all ages gather to sing Christmas carols such as ‘The Little Town of Bethlehem’ and ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’. People often sing for charities to raise money but you will often find them singing in pubs or in the street at events to celebrate and enjoy the festive period. Churches in the UK often have carol services leading up to Christmas. The most famous carol service in the UK takes place at Kings College Chapel in Cambridge on Christmas Eve. The ‘Christingle service’ has become a much loved and popular service for children and their families. The centre of the service is based around explaining the symbolism of the Christingle, an orange with a candle, a red ribbon and sweets. The orange represents the world whilst the candle is to remind us of Jesus because Christians believe Jesus to be the light of the world. The red ribbon goes all round the ‘world’ and reminds Christians that Jesus died because it represents the blood of Jesus. The celebrations often include the singing of Christmas carols as well as prayers and performances.

Anyone living and working in other cultures should have a high level of cultural sensitivity to these traditions. Knowledge of the local traditions will help you to integrate more effectively into the social culture of your host country and help you to build relationships and fully embrace the festive period.

Enjoy the Christmas carols wherever you are and merry Christmas!

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Aug 24

A Feathered London: The Success of Cultural Diversity at the Notting Hill Carnival

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As London winds down from the success and excitement of the London 2012 Olympic Games, the city is working hard to ensure that the summer continues to offer cultural diversity and festivities.  London’s Notting Hill Carnival is one of the most popular events of the year and one of the most famous carnivals in the world. Celebrated over the annual August bank holiday weekend, the Notting Hill Carnival brings together people from many different cultures and backgrounds and is a fabulous opportunity to appreciate and learn from the cultural diversity it offers.

Notting Hill Carnival Bikeworldtravel i A Feathered London: The Success of Cultural Diversity at the Notting Hill Carnival

© istockphoto.com/Bikeworldtravel

Carnivals and Lent – What’s the Connection?

In the Christian Catholic tradition, the Carnival is typically the period leading up to the forty days of pennitency, or Lent, that prepares believers for Easter.  These celebrations are common in countries with Christian Catholic traditions and beliefs and are often a significant influence on traditional costumes and rituals.  Although carnivals were traditionally connected to religious events, over time many countries have adopted and adapted the celebration in a more secular way.  As such there are many countries with celebrations they refer to as ‘carnivals’ which tend to have diversions, parades, masquerades, costumes or krewes.

London’s Notting Hill Carnival is not in any way connected to Lent.  It was introduced during the 1960’s by members of the Caribbean communities that live in the area as a response to the racially-motivated riots that had rencetly taken place in the neighbourhood.  Their reaction of unity and integration continued for many years and gradually evolved into one of London’s more important events.  More than a million people attend every year generating over £93 million. The renowned London Notting Hill Carnival is now a dynamic and colourful event consisting of two days – one mainly targeted at kids and one for adults.  Led by the Trinidadian and Tobagonian British population, it has become an event to celebrate London’s cultural diversity.

Every Carnival is a Different Event

Carnivals are usually cross-cultural events made up from a number of different nationalities.  The optimistic and festive atmosphere is open to many different kinds of celebrations, values and customs so that everyone feels welcome and integrated in the event.  To a certain degree, these festivities can work as a barometer indicating the cultural wealth of a city or a country. The group of diverse people that takes part in the celebration makes the carnival an altogether different event depending on where it is celebrated.

Looking at the most famous world carnivals we can appreciate important differences between them such as different attitudes to time and space, approaches to rules, degrees of collectivism, different perceptions of hierarchy, use of humour and so forth.  In Rio’s Carnival, for instance, cultural diversity is an essential characteristic.  Brazilians give particular attention to the African-rooted ‘samba’, staging massive choreographies that spread all along the city and the party extend untill dawn. In contrast, Berlin’s Carnival of Cultures enhances diversity by giving more importance to performing arts and organised shows that take place in a part of the city under a more restricted timetable. In Spanish carnivals the ‘comparsa’ contests, the election of the Carnival’s Queen and the ‘Bury of the Sardine’, tend to play a crucial role while in Venice everyone becomes equal by wearing masks as the nobles used to remain anonymous during the Renaissance and take part in smart and exclusive parties.

Not only Feathers…

London’s Notting Hill Carnival is not only a very colourful event with beautiful costumes and feathers, but a real opportunity to meet people from everywhere and get to know a bit more about the different cultures that inhabitate the city.  From deeply rooted music genres such as as Calypso, which had its roots in the sugar plantations where it was created by the slaves to mock their masters, to a wide range of different and tasty food products from different and exciting parts of the world, the Notting Hill Carnival has something for everyone.  Join the Carnival this weekend and find yourself in several global locations in one day.

The 40,000 volunteers that make this event possible have developed their intercultural skills to a high degree which enables them to work effectively with counterparts from other cultures achieving breathtaking results.  Any global organisation might benefit from this approach to cultural diversity.  The many advantages of a diversified workforce can boost any business and highly increase its possibilities of success. However, some challenges might arise when promoting multiculturalism in the workplace and cultural diversity training may help.  Either way, the feathers probably won’t be necessary in the office.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2012

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Jul 13

London 2012 Olympics Scheduled during Ramadan – Cultural Faux-Pas?

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London’s Mayor and Culture Secretary are working hard to ensure that the London 2012 Olympics involve all of Britain’s ethnic groups equally. This may be more challenging than they thought, however, as the Olympics fall during the important religious event of Ramadan. Thousands of Muslims who will compete in, work or volunteer at this summer’s Olympic events will be left with the question on whether or not to follow Ramadan in the traditional sense this year.

The timing could not have been more inopportune, but there was no real choice for the LOCOG (London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games) to schedule the 2012 Olympics outside the Ramadan period. Being provided a strict window for the Games to take place by the International Olympic Committee and the need to consider aspects such as public transport in London and the availability of volunteers needed, they decided to schedule the Olympics from 27 July to 12 August, which lies in the middle of Ramadan.

Quran Koran Retrovizor i London 2012 Olympics Scheduled during Ramadan – Cultural Faux Pas?

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The religious fasting period of Ramadan takes place this year from 20 July to 20 August. The period of Ramadan changes by about eleven days every year according to the lunar calendar. The 30 day long period of fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam, considered to be a time of worship and closeness with God and therefore one of the most important celebrations for Muslims.

As most Muslims strictly fast from dawn until dusk during this period, the impact of Ramadan on personal and professional spheres must be acknowledged – not only in Arabic countries. The Olympics being a huge multicultural and multi-ethnic event will therefore require cross-cultural sensitivity towards this religious tradition and how it may impact everyone involved in the games.

Influence on Athletes

There are an estimated 3,000 Muslim athletes who may be impacted by Ramadan during the games this year. Fasting during the Olympics is not only inconvenient and challenging, but depending on the type of sport it could deplete an athlete’s liver and muscle glycogen stores and lead to dehydration and a drop in performance.

As Muslim athletes are usually allowed to defer their fasts, many of them are going to postpone the fasting period to maintain the performance they have been working so hard for during the last years. Not all Muslim sportsmen and women will do this, however, especially if not fasting during the holy month is frowned upon in their culture, so it’s important to be conscious of this.

Influence on Staff and Fans

Although the athletes are the ones which are most obviously influenced by the clash of these two important events, we cannot forget about the enormous number of Muslims who will work or volunteer at the Olympics or be watching the games as spectators. Organisers will need to consider the requirements they have for praying and eating during this period and provide the time and space they need to carry out these religious traditions.

What are they doing about it?

In order to meet athletes’ and workers’ Ramadan needs, organisers are putting in place a series of initiatives including:

  • Fast-breaking packs with dates and other traditional foods
  • Open dining facilities 24 hours a day so that competitors will be able to eat before dawn
  • Prayer rooms at every venue with Muslim clerics on hand to assist people
  • Large multi-faith centre at the Olympic village in Stratford with a common lounge and specific areas for the five largest faiths

The Olympic Games are a true test of London’s well-known multiculturalism and cross-cultural sensitivity. This great event will determine whether organisers have been able not only to make the most of London and its people but whether they can create an environment where all athletes will be able to have outstanding performances. All of this must be done with minimal frustration and difficulties to the organisers, athletes, volunteers and spectators as well as to the general population of London.

Some may argue that the organisers of the Olympics have made a cultural faux-pas by scheduling them during such an important religious event celebrated around the world. It should instead be considered as a cultural opportunity – a time when we can allow all cultures and traditions to shine in the face of adversity and challenge.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2012

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Apr 30

Effective Virtual Working on May Day, Mayday!

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May Day is a popular tradition all over the world, but celebrations tend to vary dramatically from one place to another. Traditions around this day are sometimes so different that the holiday itself is not even on the same day in every culture so anyone working virtually should be aware of how their international counterparts may be celebrating.

In the Northern Hemisphere, May Day has its origins in different pagan cults that celebrated the arrival of the farmable period, such as Beltane in Ireland, Walpurgis in Scandinavia or Floralia in ancient Rome. Many of these traditions were abandoned or Christianised in Europe in the Middle Ages, although since then most have lost any religious meaning.

Today May Day is more commonly known as International Worker’s Day or Labour Day in more than 80 cultures. This has its roots in the events following the Haymarket Massacre in Chicago in 1886 which resulted in several deaths of demonstrators and police officers involved in a strike to fight for an eight-hour work day. Several years later workers finally succeeded in having this day marked as a public holiday to commemorate labour efforts.

In some countries there will be protests or parades around labour, socialist or communist causes while in others the holiday incorporates more traditional and pagan customs. Here are a few examples of how May Day is celebrated around the world.

Typing Dmitriy Shironosov i Effective Virtual Working on May Day, Mayday!

© istockphoto.com/Dmitriy Shironosov

Germany – Tanz in den Mai!
May Day celebrations in Germany referred to as ‘Tanz in den Mai’ (Dance into May) parties are commonly celebrated outdoors. For these parties men erect worshipped maypoles, an old Germanic custom some believe symbolises the sacred spring tree. In some parts of Germany young men traditionally erect small decorated maypoles in front of their girlfriends’ houses. May 1st in Germany is a public state holiday so people have the day off.

France – Flowers on Street Corners
The 1st of May is the official Labour Day in France and a public holiday. In France May Day is strongly connected with pagan traditions, and people will give loved ones lily-of-the-valley or dog rose flowers to bless them with happiness and luck. On May Day in France you will therefore see people selling small bouquets of these flowers in the shops or on street corners while some people make it a family event to go to the woods to pick flowers together. You will also often see political parades or protest events, particularly in the capital Paris.  If May Day falls on a Thursday or Tuesday, people will often create a ‘pont’ and take off four days.

Finland – Picnics and Parades
Vappu, or Walpurgis Day , is ‘the Day of Finnish Work’ and is celebrated the most by Finnish students on the evening of 30 April into 1 May. Finns will prepare lavish picnics and attend festivals or activist parades during the day. Students, and often statues, will wear traditional white caps to celebrate this holiday.

China – Travel Mayhem
Labour Day historically lasted one week in China until 2008 when it became a one day holiday to favour the revival of other ancient Chinese holidays. When the 1st of May falls on a weekend, the festivity is extended to the following Monday to allow Chinese people to travel and have free time with their families. As a result, travel during this period can be very difficult and expensive since there will be millions of Chinese people travelling either domestically or internationally to visit family.

These are just a few examples of how May Day is celebrated around the world. Effective virtual working and communication require an awareness of how, and when, this holiday may be celebrated so that you can plan any calls or meetings accordingly. In some countries there is no holiday at all around this time, so if you have the day off be sure your colleagues in the US or Canada are aware of this. Whatever your plans, happy May Day!

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2012

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May 09

Cultural Intelligence: A Necessity for Working Effectively across Cultures

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Doing business with colleagues, clients and partners from around the globe is now commonplace for many professionals. While some of us frequently travel abroad to do business with colleagues in a different cultural background on a daily basis, others are communicating with international counterparts by phone, email or other virtual platforms.  Working effectively across cultures, whether face-to-face or virtually, requires a high level of cultural intelligence.

Business Meeting 13 track5 i Cultural Intelligence: A Necessity for Working Effectively across Cultures

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Cultural intelligence has been defined in many ways over the years, but in simple terms it is the ability to interact confidently and effectively with people from different cultural backgrounds on a social and professional level.

Cultural intelligence requires being aware of your own culture as well as cultural differences in the way that others behave and think. Many individuals, though not all, who have extensive experience travelling and working with other cultures often become “global chameleons” and develop a high level of cultural intelligence. Through experience, intercultural training initiatives and cross-cultural interactions, global chameleons are people who have learned to effectively adapt their behaviour and attitudes instinctively when working across cultures.

According to Joo-Seng Tan, Director of the Centre for Cultural Intelligence at the Nanyang Business School in Singapore, there are three key steps to developing cultural intelligence:

1. Think about culture

2. Be motivated to change your behaviour

3. Act in an appropriate way

Although these three steps seem pretty straight forward, they require a specific set of cross-cultural skills and attitudes which can be difficult to develop on your own. Most of us simply lack the knowledge to do so and, as we all know, motivating yourself can be quite hard too. Participating in a cross-cultural awareness course like Working Effectively across Cultures can help you work through these three steps and others to develop the level of cultural intelligence you require in your unique international role.

Experienced cross-cultural experts will not only tell you more about different cultural values, such as how attitudes to time, tasks or risk might impact your working relationships, but they will also help you to reflect about your own cultural identity to increase your self-awareness. By sharing with you anecdotes and first hand experiences and discussing your own, they will help you to identify differences and similarities between cultures so that you start to understand how to respond appropriately in each cultural context.

Cultural intelligence is important for anyone working across cultures, but it is particularly beneficial for international managers and global business leaders. Culturally intelligent managers are able to see how their employees behave in different cultural settings and understand what they expect. Culturally intelligent managers have the ability, as Tan suggests, to “create a new mental framework for understanding what they experience”, which allows them to consider how working practices and communication styles could be different when working across cultures. A high level of cultural intelligence helps them to create a positive environment, harness team member’s skills and develop high performing teams that will deliver the best results when working across cultures.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2011

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May 06

Understanding the World of ‘Third Culture Kids’

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What do Yoko Ono, Carlos Fuente and Barack Obama all have in common? A shared cultural identity based on similar upbringings: they are Third Culture Kids.

Third Culture Kids spend their developmental years in a fusion of multiple cultures, typically growing up in countries different from their parents’ ‘passport country’. Dr. Ruth Hill Useem first coined the phrase in the 1950s when she was conducting primary research on American children in India. Useem recognised that children growing up in this fusion of cultures exhibited elements of their parents’ cultural background as well as facets of their immediate cultural surroundings, thereby creating their own ‘third culture’.

Flower Tulips Maria Pavlova i Understanding the World of ‘Third Culture Kids’

© istockphoto.com/ Maria Pavlova

TCKs have an innate open-mindedness and cross-cultural awareness that significantly helps them to cope with their unique cultural make-up and use it to their advantage. They usually come from globally mobile groups such as expatriate communities, the military, governmental bodies or missionaries.

When parents decide to accept an international assignment they must consider the long-term impact that exposure to multiple cultures will have on their children. Unlike adults, children and teenagers can be more deeply affected by their experiences abroad. Why? Because, unlike their parents, they are in a natural process of developing their identity.  Exposure to multiple cultures at an early age means that each new experience will be embedded in their identities for life. This is a key characteristic of TCKs and a massively potential tool for their future professional lives. Given the implications that international assignments can have on families, spouse and family training can be worth its weight in gold.

The TCK community is vast. TCKid, a non-profit community supporting TCKs around the world, welcomes over 21,000 website members, and that is just the tip of the iceberg. Every TCK possesses a unique multicultural identity but they are all able to lay claim to a common TCK identity. Common behavioural characteristics of TCKs might include the ability to:

  • Build cultural bridges easily
  • Integrate well into new surroundings
  • Adapt well to unfamiliar situations
  • Pick up new languages with ease
  • Adopt an open-minded and flexible approach with others
  • Demonstrate maturity at an earlier age than their non-TCK peers

Although TCKs tend to have a high level of cross-cultural awareness, they also have a concerning identity dilemma. TCKs live in a dichotomy of worlds. They identify with an abundance of cultures but yet they are unable to take full ownership of any. As they get older, questions such as ‘Who am I?’ and ‘Where is home?’ becoming increasingly difficult to answer. For a TCK, home is everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

TCKs have little experience in domestic schools where peers do not fully appreciate their multicultural backgrounds. Often on repatriation to their ‘passport countries’, this can sometimes push them to the fringes of social groups where they are misunderstood or simply do not feel like they fit in. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it is common to find TCKs who possess a deep-rooted wanderlust.

Third Culture Kids are Third Culture Kids for life. When they can recognise their own TCK behaviours, feelings and identity traits they are more likely to realise that they do in fact share a common ground with others. TCKs of all ages can manage their cross-cultural awareness and unique multicultural identities and use them to their advantage rather than a restraint, throughout life.

Parents and TCKs alike can benefit immensely from spouse and family training programmes before, during and after an international assignment. Culture for relocation programmes like these provide opportunities to discuss the challenges of each international assignment and develop strategies for the whole family to ensure they effectively adjust to their new environment, no matter how many cultures may be present.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2011

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