42 Business Spotlight 3/2020 BUSINESS SKILLS
➻ Become a skilled cultural scientist
Many interculturalists focus too much
on national culture as an explanatory
mechanism for the challenges of interna-
tional working life. This can lead to over-
generalized and inaccurate analyses that
provide few solutions for dealing with
specific individuals or analysing the dy-
namics of specific multicultural teams.
But the intercultural literature does in-
clude fascinating and useful insights
into potential differences you might en-
counter when working internationally.
Use these insights to think about ways
in which you can modify your behaviour
to become engaging and flexible. Watch
like a scientist the results of your changed
behaviour, and then keep reading and ex-
perimenting with your behaviour.➻ Think more openly and creatively
Perhaps the most important intercultur-
al competence relates to thinking rather
than behaviour. Corporate training pro-
grammes on topics such as cognitive bias
(see Business Spotlight 4/2018) and mind-
fulness have exploded in recent years.
Such programmes address the need for
individuals to learn how to think more
openly and creatively — beyond the con-
fines of natural ego-driven processes that
induce negative and intolerant thinking.
Emotional intelligence, which is a popu-
lar topic for soft skills training seminars,
is another route to access this enormously
important body of knowledge for person-
al development and self-leadership.➻ Co -create your own culture
We should not become victims of our
culture, trapped in inherited modes of
thinking and behaviour that are coun-
terproductive. We should not be shaped
by culture but rather be shaping culture,
discussing our own rules of engagement
with others. We should be co-defining
team cultures, so that teams can make
the most of their talents and perform in
the most efficient manner for specificsituations. Learning to discuss culture
and negotiate “micro-cultures” within a
larger corporate culture is one of the most
essential competencies for those working
in multicultural teams.➻ Make clear what is non-negotiable
Much of the literature on culture empha-
sizes flexibility. Yet cultures are not only
defined by rules; they also actively define
rules. When working in a diverse team or
environment, it is therefore important
to make clear what is non-negotiable —
what will be regarded as non-compliant,
uncollaborative or unacceptable behav-
iour. Developing the confidence and the
skills to set clear standards and bound-
aries, as adults do with their children, is
essential for creating a working environ-
ment in which people understand what
they need to do — by knowing what they
cannot do.- Soft skills
Many people criticize the use of the term
“soft skills”, as it suggests a subservience
to “hard skills”. Whatever the terminol-
ogy, skills focused on the human side of
business are increasingly recognized as
central. There are four essential dimen-
sions to these skills: understanding your-
self, connecting to others, working with
others and finding ways to make the col-
laborative performance sustainable.
➻ Know yourself
The cornerstone of soft skills is self-
knowledge: understanding one’s own mo-
tivations, talents, biases and potential as
a basis for finding personal fulfilment in
connection with others. There are various
mechanisms that you can use to achieve
this and to develop personal competen-
cies such as creativity and openness.
These include self-reflection, coaching,
therapy and the use of psychometric tests.
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ARE NOT
ONLY DEFINED
BY RULES,
THEY ALSO
ACTIVELY
DEFINE RULES