INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
Henry Miller, an executive search
Seven Ways to Better Communicate
in Today’s Diverse Workplace
Now as never before, managers need to make sure
that communication problems don’t get in the way
of performance—including theirs.
avid Cane is a manager at a
D U.S.-based scientific publishing
house. Recently, when he needed to
hire three new programmers, he ended
up filling the slots with people who
were born and educated in China.
The new programmers had the right
skill sets, but Cane was concerned
about how they would fit in at the
company. So he set about devising
ways to ensure that cultural differ-
ences—and the communications
problems that can follow from them—
didn’t get in the way.
One of the first steps he took was to
use reflective listening around busi-
ness objectives and goals.
“I have implemented a policy where
any projects that I assign should be
reverse-specified by the assignee,
meaning that they will write specifica-
tions for the assignment and we will
review these together before the actual
project is embarked upon,” he
explains. “In this way, everyone is
clear what the requirements are and
what the results should be.”
This is but one example of steps man-
agers are taking today to get the best
out of a diverse group of employees.
Immigrants have always been an
important part of the U.S. workforce,
and their contribution is growing.
They bring with them a wealth of
knowledge and expertise that are
invaluable to businesses.
The challenge is to ensure that com-
munication problems don’t keep these
sources of business benefit from being
Copyright © 2002 by Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.
BY KIM RIBBINK
tapped effectively. Here are seven
steps managers can take to meet that
challenge.
1 Learn how the source culture
best receives communications.
Deborah Valentine, of the Management
Communication Department at Emory
University’s Goizueta Business School
(Atlanta), advises managers to analyze
their audience to find the best way to
communicate a message.
“Different cultures like to receive
information—and trust information
they receive from different sources—
in different ways,” she says.
People from some cultures don’t trust
information that comes directly from
a manager, for example, preferring
that the word come instead from a
leader of the employee group, a head-
man, or shop foreman.
Some workers don’t feel comfortable
being singled out for praise in front of
the entire employee group—a typical
way to dish out praise in the U.S. For
these workers, quiet praise in a private
office is much preferred.
2 Train international employees
early and often. Many of the pitfalls
of misunderstanding and cultural con-
fusion can be prevented with early and
ongoing training.
“It’s very important that incoming
employees be taught in orientation
sessions and in ongoing training what
the company’s expectations are, that
they be acculturated to the way that
company does things,” Valentine says.
consultant with the Philadelphia
office of Heidrick & Struggles Inter-
national, points out that many mis-
conceptions about conduct in the
workplace can be avoided by ensuring
that rules are defined and observed
even during the interview process.
“It is also important to state with no
ambiguity the policies and procedures
adhered to in the U.S.,” he says.
“Addressing this area prior to coming
on board will avoid pain on both sides
“There are major and minor
cultural differences, and we
cannot be effective in our area
of business if we don’t
embrace them.”
later. Accepting some cultural
nuances is important, but be careful
not to adversely affect your existing
culture by ‘customizing’ what is
acceptable or appropriate behavior by
individuals.”
3 Train the non-foreign-born,
too. The Boston Consulting Group
(BCG) has training programs to
ensure that its employees not only
understand the mission of the com-
pany, but also the significance of
diversity, both within the workplace
and among clients.
“We train people to get into the shoes
and the mindset of the person oppo-
site them,” says James Lowry, vice
president and director of diversity at
BCG. “The biggest mistake people
make is to look at issues only through
their eyes. There are major and minor
cultural differences, and we cannot
be effective in our area of business if
we don’t understand them and em-
brace them.”
Managers also need to be taught that
there is an acculturation process and
3
Better Communication in a Diverse Workplace, continued
should understand how that may
affect employees. “Managers must be
aware that immigrants go through
stages of culture shock,” Valentine
says. “A manager who is not aware
that a person is going through these
stages is not as well prepared as he or
she needs to be.”
As someone who has gone through the
acculturation process himself, having
moved from Australia to the U.S. sev-
eral years ago, Cane agrees.
“Employers need to understand that
culture shock is real, and while there
is little one can do, just evidence of
understanding will help,” he says. “It
is not easy being placed in a foreign
culture and being removed from the
support network that you’re used to.
Anything that an employer can do,
such as being very flexible with time
off and being willing to provide
‘local’ information and contacts, will
help build a good relationship with
the employee as well as minimizing
the stress that the employee is sub-
jected to.”
4 Assign mentors and take care of
the spouses. Managers need to
understand the important role they
play in helping a new employee
become an important contributor, no
matter what her country of origin.
But the issue is especially important
for foreign workers with different cul-
tural expectations.
“As consultants in leadership issues,”
Miller says, “the best advice we could
provide is to take two approaches.
Firstly, assign a mentor in the business
operation, preferably a well-respected
person from the department who can
assist in helping ease integration. Sec-
ondly, if a spouse or family is involved
in the move, become involved in mak-
ing them feel comfortable with the
change.”
4 H A R VA R D M A N A G E M E N T C O M M U N I C AT I O N L E T T E R N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 2
Recent figures suggest that a failed
expatriation can cost a company as
much as $1 million and that 44% of
expatriations fail because the spouse
has been unable to adjust.
Effective mentoring can be critical.
Valentine says, “Using peer groups,
with one experienced employee men-
Employees unused to U.S.
business practices may be
reluctant to go to the head of
their department for guidance.
toring a new employee from a differ-
ent cultural background, will enable a
person from a background unused to
going to a manager to turn to the peer
counselor to help mediate a situation.”
Lowry has helped implement men-
toring programs throughout BCG.
“We try to mentor people of all
backgrounds on the way we conduct
studies and the way we look at and
analyze issues,” he says. “In addi-
tion, every professional has some-
one who guides them in the culture
and in their professional skill devel-
opment, and we have an evaluation
process that parallels that. Our
younger professionals are assigned
a sponsor manager, who mentors
and coaches that person in a way
that will make them effective.”
Coca-Cola is another company that
has put a formal, one-on-one mentor-
ing program in place.
“We wanted to create the best and
most desirable working environment
for our employees,” says Dwight
Williams, media relations manager at
Coca-Cola. “This program can help
promote employee satisfaction and
development by forming one-on-one
relationships that facilitate network-
ing, coaching, counseling, and career
and life lessons. It’s a win-win for our
employees and our organization.”
5 Practice open-door communica-
tion—carefully. Keep in mind that
employees unused to U.S. business
practices may be reluctant to go to the
head of their department for advice or
guidance.
“The idea of the open door is so for-
eign to about three-fourths of the cul-
tures of the world that it doesn’t even
translate,” Valentine says. “And the
downside is that sometimes the man-
ager, by encouraging an employee
from a different culture to talk directly
to them, is seen as weak.”
The option here may be to use an
intermediary.
“Many times if you are dealing with a
group and you’re trying to get feed-
back, one idea is to use an elected rep-
resentative who is empowered to
report problems and suggestions to the
department head,” Valentine suggests.
Keep in mind that the best way to
bridge the communication gap is to set
a good example, says Miller. “Do not
wait for them to come through the open
door, go to them. Ask them about their
concerns and questions. Nothing is
more credible than setting the example.
An open door goes both ways.”
6 In companywide communica-
tions, avoid jargon and slang.
Employees from outside the U.S. may
have difficulty understanding com-
pany communication that uses U.S.
jargon and slang, as well as any num-
ber of culture-specific idioms.
“U.S. business is driven by sport and
war metaphors because the rules of
business tended, for years, to mirror
the rules of engagement,” comments
Better Communication in a Diverse Workplace, continued
Valentine, who, with Sherron B. Ken-
ton, coauthored the book CrossTalk:
Communicating in a Multicultural
Workplace. “Using metaphors may be
problematic with people from other
cultures, even English-speaking
employees, since they don’t necessar-
ily use the same metaphors.”
Others with experience in the field
agree.
“Slang and colloquialism are definite
challenges in all areas of communica-
tion,” Miller says. “I had a U.S. client
who had been waiting for a signed
acceptance letter from a candidate in
the U.K. The U.S. client had expected
to receive the fax the previous day and
had left instructions and numbers via
voice mail for the candidate. The can-
didate called me and said everything
was fine, but he had a disturbing mes-
sage from the U.S. client talking about
needing a ‘John Hancock’ in order to
formalize the relocation package. The
confused candidate did not know any
John Hancock and asked how John fit
into the process.
“In the end, we obtained a signature
and all was well.”
Cane says, “When communicating
with my Chinese staff, I am very care-
ful to keep my spoken and written
language very simple, avoiding jar-
gon and colloquialisms at all costs. I
learnt very early on that using such
language was met by polite smiles
and a look that said, ‘I have no idea
what you mean.’”
H A R VA R D M A N A G E M E N T C O M M U N I C AT I O N L E T T E R N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 2
7 Play by the rules and stick to
business. Finally, the best way to cre-
ate an environment that people of all
cultures and ethnicities can participate
in is to ensure that the company’s mis-
sion and goals are communicated
clearly and that the workplace is
driven by business requirements
rather than personal preferences, says
R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr., a writer of
many books on diversity, including
Building a House for Diversity, and
president and founder of The Ameri-
can Institute for Managing Diversity
(Atlanta).
“It is important that managers and the
people within the mixture make deci-
sions that are not based on personal
preferences, traditions, or conven-
iences, but rather on what is the mis-
sion and vision, and what are the
requirements necessary for achieving
that mission and vision,” he says.
“Consistency of message from the top
of the organization is important to
avoid conflicting agendas,” Miller
points out. “At the local leadership
level, a manager must determine the
best way to communicate, which
means knowing the team, seeing
through the integration, and under-
standing their concerns personally
and professionally.”
Building a productive workplace with
employees from many backgrounds
can enrich a company on many differ-
ent levels—but it’s not a process one
can take for granted. “Ethnic and cul-
tural diversity can…enrich our lives if
we are open to the possibilities of
reaching out and learning new ways of
communicating,” the authors of
CrossTalk write.
The bottom line? Diversity makes
good business sense in today’s global-
ized world.
Says BCG’s Lowry, “We have to
understand different markets and we
have to have people of diverse back-
grounds to understand those markets.
So you’re better off, from a strictly
business perspective, to get a mix in
your workforce.” ❑
Kim Ribbink is a freelance writer and editor
who focuses on business, health care, and the
changing face of industry. She can be reached
at hmcl@hbsp.harvard.edu
FURTHER READING
CrossTalk: Communicating in a
Multicultural Workplace
by Sherron B. Kenton and Deborah Valentine
Prentice Hall  1996
Building a House for Diversity:
A Fable About a Giraffe and an Elephant Offers
New Strategies for Today's Workforce
by R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr.
AMACOM  1999
WEB SITES
For more information about The American
Institute for Managing Diversity, go to
www.aimd.org
5
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