What Makes Cross-Cultural Collaboration Work?

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Cross-cultural communication in the workplace, where different perspectives and backgrounds come together to build a stronger and more innovative team. We all know that communication is the key to success, but when cultures collide, things can sometimes get lost in translation. So, how do we adapt our communication styles to bridge those gaps and make sure that everyone is on the same page?

In today's episode, we'll dive into some real stories of how cultural differences have shaped the way we work, the lessons we have learned from those awkward moments, and how embracing diversity can spark creativity and better problem solving in teams.

Susmita Sarma: Hi, everyone. Welcome to another exciting episode of the Vantage Influencers Podcast. I'm your host, Susmita, and today's guest is Hisham ElSaied, the Regional HR Head, MENA, at Helmerich & Payne, an award-winning HR leader, certified executive coach, speaker, and trainer, and of course, an expert in navigating cross-cultural dynamics in the workplace. So, let's begin. Welcome to the show, Sam. I'm thrilled to have you with us today.

Hisham ElSaied: Thank you, Susmita. It's my pleasure.

Susmita Sarma: Thank you for joining me. So, before we dive into our discussion, Sam, could you share a bit about your corporate journey, like what experiences led you to focus on cross-cultural communication in the workplace?

Hisham ElSaied: Sure. So, my name is Hisham ElSaied. I've been working in corporate for over 18 years across three continents, and I have worked with organizations from different cultural backgrounds, from Japanese, American, Canadian, French, and the Middle East. I also lived in more than four countries, and it gave me a fascination about cultural intelligence and cross-cultural communication. So, I studied at an academic level, and I got certified as a cultural intelligence facilitator and trainer from the center of cultural intelligence in the US. I'm currently based out of Dubai, heading the HR function for an American oil and gas company.

Susmita Sarma: Okay. That's a fascinating journey, Sam. It's clear that your experiences have shaped your understanding of the complexities involved in cross-cultural communication. So, as we explore the topic further, I would like to dive into some specific examples and insights that can help others navigate similar challenges. So, let's start with our first question. I'm really curious to hear about this, Sam. Is there a specific example of a cultural norm or practice that you initially misunderstood in a workplace setting? I'd love to know how that experience changed your perspective.

Hisham ElSaied: Well, absolutely. In general, we tend to stereotype and label people. So, if we find someone who is not interactive or not speaking much, we might label them as shy or introverted, or having social anxiety, or any of these labels that we love to put on people, without really understanding their cultural preferences.

And we often ignore one of the most important cultural dimensions, which is power distance. In some cultures, it is unacceptable to speak in the presence of your manager, to provide a different point of view, or to oppose them. In other cultures, conflict is seen as unhealthy and should be avoided, so people will not be in conflict with each other in public, and that's simply their cultural preference. It has nothing to do with them being shy.

Most of the leadership theories in books and podcasts are based on the US market, but we have to remember that more than 75% of the world's population do not share the same cultural dimensions and cultural values. That's why a different view is needed, more culturally intelligent leadership theories are required.

Another example of a cultural norm that can be misunderstood is eye contact. It's always encouraged to maintain eye contact while speaking, but that's not a universal trait. In some cultures, maintaining eye contact with the opposite gender is not accepted, and is sometimes considered disrespectful. In other cultures, maintaining eye contact with more senior people in the organization is a sign of respect. So, before jumping into conclusions and stereotyping or labeling people, we have to increase our cultural knowledge and understand the cultural preferences of different groups.

Susmita Sarma: And this really highlights the importance of being open to learning from these differences, right? So, building on that, have you ever had to change your communication style to foster effective collaboration? I'd love to know how you navigated those adaptations, and what specific strategies or approaches worked for you when working with a colleague from a different cultural background.

Hisham ElSaied: Yeah, absolutely. As you're saying, there's no one-size-fits-all, that's for sure. We've always been taught the golden rule, that you treat people the way you want to be treated. But I'd like to replace this golden rule with a platinum rule, which is to treat people the way they want to be treated. You won't know the way they want to be treated unless you enhance your cultural intelligence and better understand different cultural values and behaviors.

Two cultural behaviors heavily impact communication here. We already talked about power distance, so I won't repeat it. But the other one is direct and indirect communication, so flexing your style depending on your audience is really important. In a direct communication culture, the message is the words themselves, the words that are being said. In an indirect communication culture, also referred to as a high-context culture, the message is not only the words, it's also about how, where, and when it's said. Context plays a big role, the body language, the tone of voice, the setting where the conversation is held, whether it was an informal chat over coffee or a formal meeting.

So it's important to keep this in mind when dealing with different people. With direct communicators, my advice is to be precise, be direct, don't spend a lot of time on introductions or setting a lot of context, it doesn't matter to them, they need to hear the message as it is. With people from an indirect communication culture, it's not only the message, so listen carefully, allow them time to reflect and think, and get their input by asking indirect, open-ended questions, because the whole message is not only the words, it's also how they are being said.

Another cultural dimension that plays a role in communication is trust building. In some cultures, trust is built based on competency, it's called competency-based trust, you trust someone's credentials, their previous experience, their degrees, their certificates. In other cultures, trust is built based on relationships, people trust based on personal knowledge of a person, word of mouth, not only competencies or degrees.

So, going back to your question on flexing style, when you deal with people from a relationship-based trust culture, it's very important to spend time getting to know them on a deeper level, beyond their job titles and responsibilities. That helps any leader build trust with team members from those cultures. This was personally important for me, because I originally came from a competency-based trust background, so I would go straight into the meeting agenda and notes without getting to know people. I discovered through my journey that it doesn't work with everyone. Some people won't trust you unless they know you, unless you spend time together and talk about non-business things to build the relationship before jumping into the to-do list or the projects that need to be finished.

Susmita Sarma: All your examples highlight how being respectful, flexible, and empathetic can enhance collaboration in a team, and it can definitely inspire others to be more mindful in their communication. But Sam, if we talk about handling team meetings, working with diverse cultural backgrounds can bring its own set of challenges. So how do you stay committed to inclusivity and set a positive tone for team dynamics?

Hisham ElSaied: Absolutely. It's very important, especially now in this age where most team meetings are happening via Teams or Zoom, remotely, not in person. That adds another layer of complexity to making sure your meetings are inclusive.

When we look at facilitating team meetings, we have to pay attention to two more cultural dimensions. One is direct and indirect communication. When we ask indirect communicators, especially in virtual settings, to give feedback, we have to give them multiple ways to speak up, not necessarily by putting them on the spot in front of everyone and asking them to share their opinion live in the meeting, because they might not be comfortable doing that, especially if they come from a high power distance and indirect communication background. So what we can do is have one-on-one conversations, or use anonymous surveys where they don't have to reveal their identity. These strategies help indirect communicators feel heard. You can also do quick one-on-ones before the meeting and ask for their views, so they don't have to speak in front of everyone and feel put on the spot. And when we do talk to them, we have to recap the points discussed and agree on action plans and deadlines, because indirect communicators are always thinking about context, not just the message, so make sure nothing is left to interpretation or left vague.

The other dimension in facilitating team meetings, a funny one, is the relationship with time, because there are two types of cultures here as well. The first is what we call monochronic, or clock, linear culture, people from these cultures tend to deal with one task at a time, in sequence, and respect the clock, the hour, and the minute. The other is what we call polychronic, or event, culture, people from these cultures tend to multitask and juggle many things at the same time, and have a more flexible relationship with time.

In monochronic cultures, we talk about work-life balance, a term that comes from the Western world. In other parts of the world, you will see more of a work-life blend rather than work-life balance, so you will find people attending virtual meetings with their kids around, or something happening in the background at home. They don't split work and life the same way. When we run or facilitate a meeting virtually, we have to keep in mind that people's relationship with time is not the same.

So when dealing with polychronic people, we have to make sure deadlines are communicated clearly and reminded, and another tip is to build in some buffer time beyond the deadline, because they will most likely ask for an extension. Their relationship with time is flexible, and we're not saying that's good or bad, it's just a different culture, and that's the importance of cultural intelligence, flexing to it, and understanding that it's not a sign of disrespect or a lack of commitment. It's just that the relationship with time is different according to culture, and that's important to keep in mind.

Susmita Sarma: So much to learn from you, Sam. Because of time constraints, we've kept it to just a few questions, so let's move on to the next one. As we explore these dynamics further, I know it can be tricky to navigate the line between cultural norms and individual personality traits. So I'm really interested in your take on this, how do you figure out the difference when working with colleagues?

Hisham ElSaied: This is a very good question, Susmita, because the two usually overlap. Generally speaking, personality is individual, and it's both inherited and learned over time. I don't want to add more complexity to your question, but I want to add a third layer, which is human nature. Human nature is the base of the pyramid, it's based on evolution and shared across all of humanity, the need for shelter, food, safety, and a sense of belonging, anything you find at the base of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Then comes personality, the second layer, which is a mix of what's inherited and what's gained through life, some personality traits come from your DNA, and others are shaped by your environment, your family, and the way you were raised.

When it comes to culture, culture is not inherited, we're not born with cultural norms, we're just born with human nature and some personality traits. Cultural norms are 100% learned, gained from our societies over our lifetime. So to help differentiate, culture in general is not individual, any cultural study that's happened across history looks at groups and societies, not individuals. Personality traits are very individual, a mix of what's inherited and what's learned by the person themselves. Culture belongs more to groups than to an individual. I hope this helps differentiate between what's personal to one person and what's more of a societal or cultural norm.

Susmita Sarma: That truly emphasizes the value of communication and personal connection in understanding our colleagues better. Your insights are incredibly helpful, Sam, and there's so much to learn about individual personality traits too. I recently had a fascinating conversation with Dr. Muhammad Hassan, who shared insights on the MBTI framework, so if our listeners are curious about that topic, I highly recommend checking out that episode, you're going to love it, and I'll make sure to include the link in the show notes. So, was there a moment, Sam, when a team member's cultural background inspired an innovative solution that you wouldn't have thought of otherwise? Can you highlight how unique contributions from different cultural perspectives can enhance teamwork or a project?

Hisham ElSaied: Absolutely. Let me start with an interesting study conducted by a center for cultural intelligence. It aimed to measure the number of creative solutions based on the diversity of a team, so they divided people into two groups, one homogeneous and one diversified. Surprisingly, the homogeneous group produced slightly more creative solutions at first, but that was because the diversified group had low cultural intelligence. When they repeated the experiment with a diversified group that had high cultural intelligence, the number of innovative solutions coming from that group doubled.

So, in summary, diversity without cultural intelligence won't have a positive impact on creativity. Cultural intelligence is the key, because with it, people work better as a team, they're more considerate of their differences, they understand each other's cultural values, and they communicate better and more efficiently. When you're culturally intelligent, you're able to help a team reach more innovative solutions. Diversity by itself is not the solution, cultural intelligence is really the key.

Susmita Sarma: That's an inspiring example, Hisham. As we wrap up, what final piece of advice would you offer to our HR audience looking to enhance cross-cultural communication in the workplace?

Hisham ElSaied: Well, cultural intelligence is usually overlooked, and the impact of cultural differences is somehow underestimated in the workplace. So my first and foremost advice would be to build your cultural intelligence capability, by reading books, listening to podcasts, even taking formal training. We're not asking anyone to change their culture, because culture is the lens through which they see the world. Learning more about cultural intelligence will even help people understand themselves better, they'll know how their culture shapes their behavior.

Going back to personality traits, culture is only one aspect of personality. Culture, personality traits, and the surrounding environment together shape human behavior. Look at cultural intelligence, look at your own culture, try to understand different personality types without ignoring the role the surrounding environment plays. If you understand these three pillars together, you'll understand human behavior.

Susmita Sarma: That's brilliant. Thank you so much, Hisham, for sharing your invaluable insights with us today. It's been a pleasure having you on the show.

Hisham ElSaied: Thank you, Susmita. It was my pleasure. Thank you so much.

Susmita Sarma: That conversation really highlighted how essential it is to blend empathy and adaptability in today's multicultural work environments. It's fascinating to hear the creative ways you can tackle challenges and build an inclusive culture. We're sure our listeners will walk away with fresh perspectives and actionable insights to apply in their own workplaces.

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