Following the event organised during ITB this year, our HR Department organised a cultural agility workshop. Several colleagues from the Shared Service Centre and Axis Data attended the workshop earlier this month, held by Simone-Eva Redrupp.

With a vast number of different nationalities, at MTS Globe we all have our cultural differences. What people of one culture or country see as appropriate behaviour or common sense may be quite different from what individuals of other countries expect. Which is why, it is paramount to decode cultural differences and learn to avoid the cultural traps that might occur due to the complexities of cultural differences.

During the workshop uses the Erin´s Meyer Framework based on 8 aspects of business culture (communication, performance feedback, persuasion, leadership and hierarchy, decision-making, trust, disagreement, and perceptions of time) to give practical advice for succeeding in a global world. Our colleagues were able to distinguish similarities and differences among our cultures and have a better knowledge and understanding of the culture of each employee. This will definitively be useful in their daily interactions when dealing with colleagues belonging to another culture. Maria Henry, Junior BFS Specialist comments, “I believe this course was necessary for all of us who deal with colleagues or clients from other countries. For me, it is especially important when presenting trainings: the goal being to transfer the knowledge, speaking the same language may not be enough. You have to consider that the same word can have different interpretations depending on the context and region backgrounds.“

The approach of the workshop was interactive, allowing our colleagues to be able to debate and share their own beliefs and experiences. The feedback received so far has been positive. Sarah Bailey, Product Owner mentions, “I found it a well-presented, interesting and fun session where colleagues from different teams, cultural backgrounds and countries were able to share their experiences adapting to other cultures as well as learn strategies for the future. I personally loved the tips for how to identify which end of the spectrum you are on in each situation and adapting yourself to better work with people who may be at the other extreme. It was also mind-expanding to see how much my cultural background (being from USA) colours my everyday choices and beliefs at work, which will allow me in the future to be more open to considering different choices and beliefs.” National culture shapes people and being able to understand the impact of cultural identities on our relationships and communication in a multicultural environment is a necessity. The workshop definitively helped our colleagues to take advantage of this diversity and face the cross-cultural challenges that might occur