Fostering a cohesive and productive work culture can be a challenge. To top it off, today’s workforce comes from a variety of different backgrounds—different nationalities, ethnic groups, religions and the like. These five tips can go a long way toward endearing yourself to your colleagues and employees, creating trust and fostering a more cohesive work environment.
1. Keep an open mind. This may sound obvious, but keeping an open mind is the most important thing you can do in relating to people of different cultures. Keeping an open mind means, in part, not stereotyping. We’re bombarded with cultural assumptions every day, particularly in the media, and being an effective communicator means letting go of preconceived notions about team members and the backgrounds they come from.
For example, if you believe that all Latinos arrive for a 9 a.m., meeting at 9:40, you’ll project that belief in your interactions with Latino members of your staff. Also, if you have Hawaiians on your team and think that all they want to do is lounge around, hit the beach and surf, your interactions with them will suffer.
These and other preconceived notions about different cultures are simply not true. Your staff may be quite dedicated, committed and punctual despite cultural differences. It’s a matter of self-awareness on your part. It helps to ask: Am I holding on to any preconceived notions that are getting in my way? Simply asking the question helps to create an open mind that creates an inclusive and more pleasant work environment.
2. Familiarize yourself with others’ cultural backgrounds. To be fluid and cohesive with your team, it’s important to have at least a general understanding of each member’s cultural background. This will give you valuable cues as to how your team members approach people, their definitions of respect, their boundaries and their overall sense of how human interactions should be conducted.
An encyclopedic knowledge isn’t required. It’s more practical to arm yourself with some basics, especially if you know you’ll be working in or around other cultures. For example, in Japan it’s considered rude to show someone the sole of your shoe. Meanwhile, many Jews and Muslims don’t eat pork.
Again, having this knowledge is a matter of awareness. The more cognizant you are of your team members’ backgrounds, the better you’ll relate to them and the more effective your organization will be.
3. Practice active listening. All human beings feel more comfortable, valued and part of a team if they’re confident they’re being heard. Give people in your organization this value by making eye contact (or not, depending on the culture), nodding and giving verbal indications you’re listening. You may also find it helpful to summarize and restate what someone has told you, particularly if this restatement echoes a great idea or a concern. Active listening is an entire course unto itself, but practicing these points and simply keeping the issue in mind will boost team morale and improve your communication immeasurably.
4. Watch your nonverbal communication. Often included with the skill of active listening, nonverbal communication takes on special importance when it comes to the subject of multiculturalism. For example, many Native Americans do not make eye contact the way people do in a typical business or corporate environment. In some cultures, animated gestures or “talking with your hands” is considered normal, while in others it’s a sign of gross mental instability. Most everyone, however, considers it rude—or at the very least, poor communication skills—to speak to somebody while glued to a computer screen, a cell phone or the clock on the wall. Paying attention to your nonverbal messages can show you’re listening and that your colleagues’ opinions matter.
5. Maintain a personal touch. Even when faced with deadlines, financial constraints, a burdensome workload and all sorts of workplace disagreements, it’s important to keep a personal touch in your interactions. In multicultural communication, this point is again a matter of simple awareness. For instance, if you know that people of certain nationalities are family-oriented, it takes very little time to ask someone about their kids. The other person then sees you as nicer and more human, which in turn builds trust. Anything you can do to show an interest in your colleagues’ lives outside of work will build camaraderie among you and make your organization that much more effective and enjoyable.