Berrison discusses the importance of respecting cultural differences
Company culture is now (rightly) recognised as a vital element of an organisation’s success. A good company culture allows employees to bring their true selves to work, setting the foundations for a happy team and real, tangible growth.
As events become larger to reflect the global business hosting them, we are naturally seeing wider demographics in the attendees and delegates lists.
There is a real need to prepare for this in any conference and teambuilding activity, as the aim of these events is to ensure that everyone feels comfortable and that communication lines are open between all the individuals and businesses, for a more streamlined and successful way of working.
This is not just about the internal company culture at different organisation branches. It’s about adhering to societal customs and laws and recognising that different continents, countries, even regions, have contrasting ways of working.
Our role at Berrison is to work with these global companies, often managing linked up sessions with huge teams, to help everyone work as one unit.
Here are some ways to help ensure your global team works well together at any event or team building session:
- Define your core values
These should be across the board. Agree them, send them out, promote them in all regions in advance. A company ethos needs to apply across the board and all your team should know it and be reminded of it regularly – then it can be reflected when you all come together.
- Communications
Before the event takes place, open up the internal PR! Create an online newsletter that goes to all and reports news on all the areas. Set up an intranet system so that people can communicate and access documents and information easily. Consider company Facebook pages and ensure teams share their successes.
- Keep it standard
A little internal competition can be a good thing but not when it starts to needle. This is why a level playing field needs to be established (as much as possible). This applies to targets, systems, procedures, rooms, activities and benefits – when working and when creating a successful conference or event.
- Acknowledge the differences
Making everyone feel equal should not ignore their differences. Diversity needs to be open for discussion and promoted. Learn from each other and share best practice. Before organising an event or teambuilding activity, invite opinion from each region to ensure you know what they hope to achieve and who they hope to connect with.
- Participate
Travel throughout the regions is not always possible, but there are other ways to participate and make every region visible. An event, conference or teambuilding activity may sometimes need to involve some remote connections and technology makes this possible. We regularly set up teambuilding events across continents. If one region cannot attend in person, ensure they are present and included in other ways.
Companies today are working on an international basis more than ever before. A logical result of working with international companies is that we have to adapt to different cultures. Communication problems can slow things down and impact customer confidence, but this can be easily be avoided with the right planning.
Increased technologies and global markets mean that efficiency is increased, but then it can be affected in subtle ways when cultural integration is not considered. It ultimately comes down to the fact that people buy into people. By breaking down barriers, getting to know one another, and following the same business path, we can all work together more happily and more efficiently.
