James Alderton

The Real Learning Experience

James AldertonBamboo Bridge Pty Ltd

Bridging the CulturalCommunication Gap

Your Logo

Australia in the Asian Century• Top trading partners are China, Japan,

USA, South Korea & Singapore• 45% of us were born overseas or have at

least one parent who was• Mandarin Chinese is the most widely

spoken language after English

Culturally Diverse Teams:• Think Differently• Drive More Innovation• Make Better Decisions• Generate Higher Quality Solutions

Better Performance & Results

Cultural Diversity in Australia

Source: (1) Australian Census of Population and Housing, 2011, (2) Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 2013

Source: Vijay Govindarajan & Anil K. Gupta: Building an Effective Global Business Team, MIT Sloan Management Review, 2001

The Challenge of ManagingGlobal Business Teams

12 Dimensions of Culture

Source: The 12 Dimensions of Culture, Knowledgeworkx, 2013

Destiny

Outlook

Relationship

Context

Growth

ConnectingExpression

Decision Making

Planning

Communication

Accountability

StatusHow we form relationships How we communicate

with one another

A B

How do you communicate?

A B

Direct Communicator:

• Straight-forward and direct

• Express views and opinions in a

frank manner

• Openly confronts issues

• Says things clearly with little room for

misunderstanding

Indirect Communicator:

• Tactful and respectful

• Express views and opinions

diplomatically

• Avoids conflict if at all possible

• Expects the listener to “read between

the lines”

A B

Improving how we communicate

A B

If you’re a Direct Communicator:

• Be careful when raising difficult topics

• Don’t jump straight to the point

• Be mindful of how you say things as

well as what you say

• Pay attention to what is not said and

watch for non-verbal clues

If you’re an Indirect Communicator:

• Try to “say what you mean” and get

straight to the point

• Expect conflict to be dealt with more

openly than you’re used to

• Communicate in words and avoid

non-verbal communication

Universal

• Views workplace people as friends

• Talks about family issues at work

• Invites people home and has personal

friendships with co-workers

• Establishes comfortable relationship

and sense of trust before getting down

to business

• Indirect & tactful

Situational

• Strong sense of private space

• Keeps their personal and work lives

separate

• Gets to know their co-workers quickly

and superficially

• Will not usually invite people home or

talk about personal issues at work

• Precise & transparent

How do you form relationships?

Inter-Cultural Intelligence is the attitude and skills

to anticipate, correctly interpret and adjust to

the culturally defined behaviour of others

Leadership Competencies for the Culturally Diverse Workplace

Sufficient IQ

+ Sufficient EI

+ Sufficient experience

Is it enough?

Sufficient IQ

+ Sufficient EI

+ Sufficient experience

+ Sufficient Inter-Cultural Intelligence

= Successful Team Leader

Leadership Competencies for the Culturally Diverse Workplace

Conversations that empower people & transform performance

Source: Quiet Leadership, David Rock