Ep 1: Communication Across Cultures

First up in the series is our team in cross-cultural management at Kongsberg, led by Gillian Warner-Søderholm, Erik Lankut, and Juel Helge Rye. They will provide us with a brief insight into communication across cultures and share their best advice on how to navigate a global environment, with a special focus on how to collaborate effectively in teams with people from different cultures.

What is Global talks?

A podcast that explores various topics and issues from an international or global perspective, based on the academic fields of USN School of Business.

Gillian: 00:15

Hi, and welcome to our Going Global podcast today, and we are your cross cultural management team here from USN Campus Kongsberg, the Business School. So today, our goal is to share some top tips and insights into communication across cultures, to help you navigate teamwork, whether as a business person or as a researcher or a student, to help you with project management with international groups. And first of all, Yuri, could you share your initial insights, please?

Juel: 00:46

Yes. Why not? Thanks for having me. I'm thinking about being a good leader or a team member in your own culture is one thing and often difficult enough. While working in a cross cultural environment, you need tools that help you understand from what possible other planets people may come from.

Juel: 01:03

So compared to working in your own culture, you need to give more space to others, you need to listen more to others and be curious.

Gillian: 01:11

Brilliant. Love the planet idea. Thank you so much.

Juel: 01:15

Eric, please go on.

Erik: 01:17

Well, thank you. I'm thinking in terms of my tips for best communication across cultures is to be humble. And I think it's okay to try because, if you are going across cultures, then all people are also natural to learn more about themselves, but also with you. So it's okay to try, you know, try out the ways they engage, they interact, try out their practices, try out their, you know, the way the things do around, then it's okay to try. Yeah.

Erik: 01:46

And then, I'm also thinking that in general, everyone seems to be very curious to learn about each other. This is also important to share something of yourself. So if you want to learn about a new culture, try to also share something from your own culture and create this positive and natural atmosphere where you have a a room for learning or an arena for learning. And finally, I think it's, it's it's important to be authentic to yourself and be authentic to others. So, sometimes it can be a bit too much for trying to do everything what people do from different cultures but it's fine.

Erik: 02:21

Just do what you think is natural to you and try to also see, pickup wings you which you might like or not like, and then get comfortable with that. Yeah. What do you think, Julie, on tips?

Gillian: 02:35

I love the the thoughts from both of you. In addition, I feel that it's critical to understand what is autonomy across cultures. Because when we say Inouye oh, can do ce for there? Can you have a look at this? What does that mean?

Gillian: 02:48

In many societies, most societies around the world, you would have great advantages by putting it in writing, setting clear milestones, and agreeing so that you have engagement in the project. Otherwise, if you say, yeah, let's do it, that can be misunderstood. So set, micromanagement, planning, clearly communicate milestones, because in many societies people feel they show you respect by telling you what they think you want to hear, not what they really mean. I think that, the idea of praise and face, building trust, is critically important. And as you said, being authentic and sometimes giving a compliment, that was a great job, well done.

Gillian: 03:33

And, maintaining that authenticity is as you mentioned, Eric. Good. Yuval, thank you so much for your final points before we close.

Juel: 03:43

Yeah. Well, yeah. Thank you. I'm thinking that to understand from what planets your colleagues are from, you need, especially to look at, are they from individual or collective systems planets, or are they from, other kinds of planets? And, one thing I especially tend to look for when I'm going out, working with people from from other places is does small talk and networking work better than directness and, time is money attitude.

Juel: 04:12

And also looking for the use of the word no, It relates often to the directness, time is money kind of cultures. Whereas some cultures, you never hardly hear the word no. And I think these are very important things to grasp from the very start. And these are important foundations for how relationships are shaped.

Gillian: 04:34

Yeah. So from all of us here at Campus Kongsberg, we wish you all the best, and good luck when you go global, everybody. Goodbye.

Erik: 04:41

Take care. Bye bye.

Gillian: 04:42

Bye bye. Take care.

Juel: 04:43

Bye bye.