How Do Cultural Differences Affect Collaboration in a Cross-Cultural Environment?

In today’s realities, when the increase in international contacts in various spheres of life is gaining more and more relevance, the question arises about the effectiveness of intercultural communication in the working environment. The success of such communication depends not only on knowledge of the language but also on the national characteristics of people. Agnieszka Kolanowska, general manager at Smart Solutions Poland, talks about how cultural differences affect cooperation and how they can be effectively coordinated to achieve common goals.

What is cross-cultural effectiveness?

To begin with, let’s define that in the context of the work team, “intercultural effectiveness” is an opportunity to use the best competencies and experience of employees from different countries. At the same time, it is building an organization based on mutual tolerance, trust and openness to new things. Using these best practices allows for maximum results in synergy.

The most important cultural differences in communication and collaboration in the work environment are business style, chances and openness to risk.

Everything related to the assessment of the real state of activity has significant differences. If we take Ukraine and Poland as an example, then in the framework of macroeconomic activity in Poland, the risk is statistically lower, and the decision-making process is much longer than in Ukraine.

“In the case of our colleagues from Ukraine, also taking into account the military context, their decisions are made quickly and they are not afraid to try something new, take risks and test different options,” Agnieszka Kolanovska notes.

Development begins when we leave our comfort zone. “And I am happy, – says Agnieszka, – that I can now take this experience from different countries, inviting people from different cultures and nationalities to cooperate.”

Differences in cultural approaches can create challenges for effective teamwork.

These challenges can only be overcome through open communication and compromise. But the difference is sometimes really noticeable. Agnieszka recalls an incident that their team recently encountered. The situation happened precisely because of the arrangement of comfortable conditions for the employees: “For colleagues from Ukraine, unfortunately, the arrangement of comfort for the employee is not a priority at the moment. In some cases, it is simply impossible due to martial law.”

In Poland, they try to surround the C-level employee with maximum care, to focus more on his provision. On the other hand, in Ukraine, it happens that joining the company itself is already a great privilege and value. Because of this, companies do not consider it necessary to provide additional benefits to employees.

Unfortunately, there is no concrete strategy for raising intercultural awareness in the team.

But tolerance, openness, trust and the ability to listen are the main tools that need to be conveyed to team members to increase awareness and understanding within the team, according to the General Manager of Smart Solutions in Poland.

The same is believed at the University of Colorado (USA), where they are engaged in the study of intercultural features of communication: “Understanding intercultural features is the key to effective communication.”

The study also notes that it is very important for people to understand the potential problems of intercultural communication and make conscious efforts to overcome these problems. In addition, it is important to realize that the efforts themselves will not always be successful and adjust their behavior accordingly. For example, take into account that cultural differences can cause communication problems. Therefore, it is necessary to be patient and lenient, not hostile and aggressive in case of problems.

The key role in promoting intercultural effectiveness and ensuring harmonious cooperation is played by the leader.

The role of a leader is key and strategic. The example comes from above. It starts with the management, then it is transferred to managers and all employees. When a conflict arises, the leader must react correctly and resolve it immediately.

Three main tips for company management to create an effective intercultural workspace from the General Manager of Smart Solutions in Poland:

• to invite people from different parts of the world to our structures, especially since we now have many opportunities for this;
• implement a policy of respect for foreign cultures and customs;
• look for unity, not limitations or difficulties.

Intercultural communication is a special form of communication that requires mutual understanding of cultural differences, taking them into account when interacting in the work team and the desire to make cooperation as effective as possible.