07 Apr 2018

Transition time? The RFP is done successfully. You are now sitting plum on a huge deal and all you have to do for the next promotion is to see that it goes smoothly. Are you the transition manager for the big deal everyone in the office is talking about? Are you the one who's taking over the reins for that winning logo? Easy, right? Or...wait a minute... is it keeping you up at nigh...

29 Mar 2018

Cross culture can be serious. Or it can bring a smile on your face. Here are some ways Cross Culture and Cultural Diversity can actually be funny. There's one way of looking at cross cultural teams. And there's another way of looking at it. And there's a way of looking at cross cultural communication   Diversity can be welcomed. Or diversity can be viewed with a ...

22 Mar 2018

Cross culture understanding comes with a bit of awareness and empathy.Working with another country culture is not easy.Just because you speak the same language does not mean you are saying the same thing. When working as a team, say with Indians, here are three vital things to remember - 1. Don't jump to conclusions It's okay to ask questions. Sometimes you may not realise why are person...

21 Mar 2018

A ROUND UP OF THE BEST CROSS-CULTURAL CONVERSATIONS In the past week I have been talking (to those who cared to listen) about Cross-cultural Conversations and their significance in the workplace. Today it's worth looking back at each of them and seeing what they spoke about. Click on the links below to read any of the posts We started with how important cross-cultural conversa...

21 Mar 2018

Cross-cultural communication can literally make or break a team. In a workplace without borders, increasingly every function in a large organisation has a global team. Large US corporations have a back-end team in Europe. European organisations may be working simultaneously with the US and India. And some may have a team that consists of members from China, India, Germany and the US. Whi...

19 Mar 2018

There are many way to look at Cross-Cultural Communication. But one possible way is to look at it going horribly wrong. And sometimes pictures can say it better than words. Worth looking at communication landing you in a soup. Literally. Close the culture gap Of course, you could also look at getting a deeper understanding of how to close the culture gap and work towards a globa...

18 Mar 2018

Much of cross-cultural communication rests on understanding of the culture. India is often knows as the culture of celebrations. And what better than today to talk about it. It's day for celebration! And a new year celebration at that. Today marks the new year for many communities in different parts of India. Gudi Padwa for some, Ugadi for others, Cheti Chand for still others. Gove...

18 Mar 2018

Cross culture is the unspoken issue in many a  global collaboration. When global conglomerates seek out Indian talent to work with them, a lot of attention is focused on quality of work and cost arbitrage. But there is one important aspect that gets left out. Here's an example. A large Dutch financial organisation is seeking to outsource its IT business to a large multinational ...

16 Mar 2018

Cross-cultural communication can make friends. And it can make... well...enemies. Or not friends. Here's one memorable conversation I've had with someone. This young man was an Indian working in Germany. He had been there for almost 8 years when I met him to do a cross culture workshop. In an informal dinner he talked about his challenges studying, living and working there. While h...

14 Mar 2018

Cross cultural communication is one of the biggest disasters that technology has enabled. Seriously. Picture this scenario (quite a common one at that) Bob is running a very important project out of Texas, USA. His counterpart in India, Raj is now on a call with him. Here's a conversation that takes place between two people who speak English but whose communication styles are diffe...