Building cross-cultural effectiveness

Position yourself for the future

Cross-cultural effectiveness is an essential skill for the 21st century. Internationally the search for and retention of skilled and talented people is more competitive than ever before.  For these people, ‘the world is their oyster’ and they are choosing to bring their international skills, talents and experience to New Zealand.

The Kiwi workplace is now richer and more cultural diverse with more and more people from different backgrounds, cultures, generations and nationalities working together. It is a dynamic cultural mix. 

The ongoing challenge is getting the best from this dynamic cultural mix.

Well handled, cultural diversity brings strength to any business  if it is valued and integrated into the organisation’s development processes. 

Handled poorly,  cultural diversity can also contribute to unintended and disruptive flash-points in a team. This is why building cross-cultural effectiveness in professional development programmes is essential.These might arise from unvoiced expectations and  assumptions, differences in interpretation of events, instructions, roles and responsibilities. Any one of these can lead to miscommunication, awkwardness, conflict and hostility if not addressed right at the start.

Fortunately help is at hand, being able to communicate and work effectively across cultures in the workplace is a skill that can be learnt.

Practical solutions

We offer effective specialist Cross-cultural communication programmes that are designed for the Kiwi workplace and that can be tailored to meet your specific needs.

These might include helping you:

• Reduce turnover of valued team members
• Ask job candidates the ‘right’ questions to draw out their relevant strengths and experience
• Reduce absenteeism levels
• Reduce number of interpersonal disputes in teams
• Increase the percentage of attendees who are at meetings on time
• Reduce the number of serious staff disagreements brought to HR to fix

Proven international Cross-cultural awareness and communication training tools

You’ll benefit from practical, positive and energising programmes that will improve you Cross-cultural effectiveness. These include:

• Culture Active (Accredited NZ Partners)
• ExcelL Intercultural Skills
• A positive Appreciative Approach