MODERN LEADERSHIP
Cross-Cultural Conversation
in the Workplace, ‘WALKING
THE TALK’
By Holona and Trish Lui
Specific Human Resources
policies are a must
It begins with a conversation
and a desire to get to know others
better
It leads to more engaged staff,
more cohesive teams, happier
customers and a positive impact
on the bottom line
Cultural Diversity is increasingly
becoming a more explicit
conversation in the work place. It
will continue to grow throughout
2016 and beyond.
However, while awareness of
its importance is growing, the
conversation is by no means
universal and for some businesses
it is easier than others, while in
some, it doesn’t feature at all.
However, with an increasingly
mobile globalised workforce, it
does need to happen at some
stage, both in the board room with
senior leadership teams and on
the shop floor.
For multi-national global
organisations, export/import
focused trading companies
and aid organisations, the
22 ModernBusiness
April 2016
conversation and the need is
obvious. The more proactive
organisations invest resources,
precious time and training into
up-skilling their staff with cultural
awareness and inter-cultural
communications skills. They have
specific human resources policies
on diversity and designate events
such as a global diversity week,
company-wide national cultural
diversity days or single workplace
celebrations that embrace the
cultural diversity of their staff.
So, what about smaller businesses
and organisations? What can they
do to increase staff members’
insight into different cultural
perspectives of their colleagues,
customers and work mates?
No matter the size of the
business, the starting point
is nearly always the same i.e.
through genuine conversation,
leadership and management
commitment and active modelling
of expected behaviours. In popular
terms it’s called “Walking the talk.”
It begins at a personal level with
two people talking to each other
with a genuine desire to get to
know the other person better.
It is an engaging and curious
conversation and an exploration to
find a point where their interests
meet, an area of common ground
where they can enjoy each other’s
company. It is not a sparring for
position or advantage.
A genuine conversation can lead
to the start of building stronger
team relationships that deepen
and strengthen over time and
contribute to the company in the
pursuit of shared business goals.
An easy, non-threatening way to
do this can be through the age old
custom of the sharing of food.
This can be through organised
special diversity events such
as the multi-cultural lunch days
where staff members bring a
typical dish of food from their
culture to share with their
colleagues.
There could also be the
recognition and a gesture of
allowing staff members some
limited time off that coincides