The workplaces of the 20th century were largely defined by a great lack of diversity, cross-cultural communication, and different perspectives. Thankfully, the age of mono-culture is getting left behind in the new millennium. Now in favor is clear cross-cultural communication and a celebration of diversity and inclusion. Society is quickly transforming into an inclusive multicultural hub full of different languages, cultures, personalities, perspectives, and belief systems.
Communication across cultures is now a crucial aspect of the global workforce and a primary driver of corporate success.Â
The question is: how is it possible to implement this into employees’ working lives in a way that improves their chances of long-term success?Â
Culturally diverse workforces have proven to strengthen businesses and the interpersonal relationships that govern them. Moreover, individuals’ strengths and abilities can give rise to more innovative, creative, and flexible solutions, both within and outside of an organization.
Diversity in the workforce is just one step toward greater cross-cultural communication, integration, and collaboration. Organizations need to implement clear, open and effective channels of workplace communication to drive their own success. In doing so, they’ll encourage meaningful interactions between their human talent and their wealth of culture as a whole.
See More: 3 Actions Leaders Should Take To Build a More Productive Workforce
Why Cultural Diversity Promotes Success
Cultural diversity promotes success in organizations and corporate environments in a number of key ways. The results are proven by statistical research. For instance, studies have shown that diverse companies enjoy 2.3x higher cash flowOpens a new window per employee than their peers. And that diverse management teams have increased business revenues by 19%.Â
Moreover, a whopping 3 out of 4 workers (that’s 75%) prefer diverse work environments. Offering a culturally inclusive work environment for your workers will appeal to the preferences of the majority, reduce staff turnover, improve your bottom lines, and boost workplace satisfaction. Plus, it will help your entire team to come up with more creative and out-of-the-box solutions to any challenges that they may face.
Cultivating Inclusive Workspaces
An organization that wishes to facilitate healthy workplace communication needs to dedicate itself to cultivating an inclusive and cohesive workspace. The first step toward achieving this is redefining what is ‘normal’ within this workspace. The next is to encourage a company culture that is both inclusive and welcoming toward people of all ethnic backgrounds, cultures, and identities.
The concept of ‘normal’ or what is commonplace varies vastly according to each person’s unique perspective, their location, past experiences, and where and how they focus their attention. Normalcy in relation to culture is almost entirely subjective. This means that there is no normal in theory. However, this concept can be difficult to translate into a real-world work setting, especially when the workplace culture prioritizes a certain set of norms and expectations.
Some people may naturally become uncomfortable when confronted with people, culture, behavior, or identity that does not adhere to their own cultural background or style of workplace communication. This is not an uncommon reaction. But it must get addressed to facilitate respectful engagement and cross-cultural communication within your team.Â
Mastering Workplace Communication
It’s no secret that effective workplace communication powers organizational success on a large scale. When it comes to cross-cultural communication, there are challenges like language and culture barriers to consider. But these too can be overcome with patience, awareness and good humor.Â
These three traits are crucial elements of spoken communication between any employees of diverse lineages and cultures. It is not always easy to convey complex and detailed ideas to someone who speaks a different language. But reacting in a negative way, say by becoming irritated or condescending, only makes matters worse.Â
Instead, workplace success is promoted when workers improve their attitudes and think up creative solutions to communicating Opens a new window across cultural barriers. It’s also important that each member of your team appreciates the effort that their colleagues, clients, and managers put in when speaking with them. And that they are willing to forgive small mistakes when they happen.
Teams should think about how non-verbal forms of communication may assist or hinder their workplace goals. For example, body language, facial expressions, and other important cues make up a significant part of how we relate to each other. They also play a major role in how we convey our emotions and attitudes.
These forms of communication vary from culture to culture. You simply cannot assume that body language, gestures, and facial expressions are universal. While Western employees communicate with visible smiles, confident body language and plenty of eye contact, someone of Latin American, Asian, or African descent may find the same gestures disrespectful or challenging. Encouraging each employee to understand their own cultural contexts and how they compare to the cultures of others can make cross-cultural communication easier. Plus, it can prevent disputes before they happen.
The more aware an employee is of how different cultures communicate and show each other respect, the less likely they are to become offended. Or to engage in negative interactions with their peers. The modern multicultural workforce should be built on a culture of self-awareness, curiosity, patience and mutual understanding in order to drive ongoing success and growth.
These guidelines are ideal for implementing to facilitate clear communication:
- Deliver messages clearly using simple but descriptive language
- Listen carefully to instructions and other people’s input and take notes if necessary
- Be clear about your expectations and requirements of others
- Ask questions if there is anything that’s said that you don’t fully understand
- Avoid gossiping and making assumptions
- Offer positive feedback where appropriate
Set the Tone With Strong Leadership
As a workplace leader, it is your role to lead by example. You need to set the tone for the culture of inclusiveness and diversity that you want your company to display. This starts with ensuring that all of your interactions with people within your organization are underlined by patience, mutual respect, and honest communication.
Leaders must always be willing to accept differences between their colleagues and themselves and demonstrate this acceptance openly among other team members. Managers and CEOs who prioritize acceptance in their workplaces provide positive models for their employees. most of whom will do their best to uphold the culture and attitude that’s demonstrated.
Cross-cultural communication means embracing, accepting, and celebrating everyone’s differences rather than expecting them to conform to a set of cultural norms belonging to your current physical location.Â
See More: Collaboration is Key to Improving Efficiency in Your Organization
Making the Change
In today’s multicultural world, workers want to work in diverse workplaces that prioritize cross-cultural communication.Â
Creating an outstanding workplace cultureOpens a new window that’s inclusive and facilitates healthy communication can help an organization attract and retain talent and improve its cash flow. Additionally, it can diversify its human capital and the ideas and abilities that each employee brings to the table. In short: we are stronger together.
What steps have you taken to promote healthy communication between employees of different cultures in your organization? Share with us on FacebookOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , and LinkedInOpens a new window .