blog: cross-cultural training

Our blog keeps you informed about the cultural characteristics of different cultures and countries. This will ensure that you have the most up-to-date background knowledge, including information on such topics as negotiations in China, leading employees in Brazil or successfully writing e-mails with Italians. Furthermore, you will get the latest news about cross-cultural communication and cross-cultural training.

In case you’re interested in seminars, workshops or coaching on these topics, here’s an overview of our services, which we offer worldwide.

Overcoming hierarchical differences

Posted on 30. April 2021 by Markus Eidam

There are certain cultures in which a lot of value is placed on hierarchies – for example, in Japan, South Korea and Brazil. In contrast, there are also countries and regions where almost all people tend to be treated equally, where hierarchy is considered rather unimportant; examples include Sweden, the Netherlands and Canada.

This article will give you specific tips and strategies on how to best handle both styles and how to achieve your personal goals easier and with fewer gray hairs. Continue reading →

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Direct and indirect communication in business

Posted on 12. April 2021 by Markus Eidam

Today we’d like to introduce you to a cultural difference that causes misunderstandings in global collaborations extremely often. You’ll encounter the issue of direct and indirect communication when collaborating with people all over the world, wherever they come from. Because this issue directly affects all forms of communication [face-to-face discussions, e-mail, telephone, etc.], it’s especially important to have good strategies to handle it. Continue reading →

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Conflict management / giving feedback in a cross-culturally adept way

Posted on 9. April 2021 by Markus Eidam

Feedback isn’t easy. Even when I want to give feedback to someone from my own culture about a specific behavior, it can easily lead to conflict, especially when it comes to negative aspects and wishes for improvement. For instance, the feedback recipient can easily feel attacked, misunderstand what was said or draw the wrong conclusions.

When the culture factor is added to the equation, giving feedback can become significantly more complicated. For that reason, I’d like to give you some practical tips and strategies on how you can form your feedback in a constructive and internationally productive way.

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Practical strategies for successful collaboration in virtual international teams

Posted on 12. February 2021 by Markus Eidam

According to a recent study, 67 percent of managers find that their virtual teams perform worse than comparable local teams. A mere ten percent of respondents attributed outstanding performance to their virtual work groups. Insights can be gleaned from both sides, which is why we looked more closely at practical examples and derived findings from them.

Our article reveals how you can get your virtual international teams working at their true peak performance without sacrificing enjoyment in the actual tasks at hand.

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Process management in China

Posted on 29. January 2021 by Andreas Riedel

In recent months, the Chinese stock market has shown considerable growth. But economic and political events throughout the world could significantly influence these figures, as many experts fear. This is where strategic management comes into play.

This, in addition to handling problems in general, are done differently in China. In this week’s post, we’d consequently like to get you a little more familiar with the particularities of process management in the Middle Kingdom. Continue reading →

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Hierarchy: Cultural differences

Posted on 15. January 2021 by Markus Eidam

Experience has shown that dealing with hierarchy is one of the most important topics when it comes to work-related communication. Considered simply, there are two distinct styles worldwide with different advantages and disadvantages: a hierarchy-oriented style and a style with the flattest hierarchies possible. Our article reveals important background information on both. Continue reading →

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Employee leadership “Made in Japan”

Posted on 18. December 2020 by Andreas Riedel

In Japan, very special cultural challenges are waiting for western visitors, which can also have an impact on business cooperation. Today we want to provide you with important background information on the topics of hierarchy, seniority and leadership.

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Do your foreign contacts often say “yes” and then do nothing? Do you never get negative feedback?

Posted on 4. December 2020 by Markus Eidam

Especially in very indirect cultures there is a tendency not to speak out negative things openly. Instead, you usually say “yes”, even though you cannot complete a task at all, for example. Or you only get to hear praise, although there are actually enough things how the company could be improved. As a result, you are missing important information that you urgently need for successful work.

We have put together practical tips and strategies that will give you better / more honest answers.

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