Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Learning & developmentGlobal HR

Globalisation: Educating staff through cross-cultural training

by Ross Bentley 23 Jan 2007
by Ross Bentley 23 Jan 2007

The English are reserved, Italians passionate, Germans matter-of-fact, and Americans brash and loud.

These are national stereotypes, but they exist because they reflect an element of truth – a fact recognised by an increasing number of organisations which, according to specialist training firms, are requesting more cross-cultural training.

Norman Renshaw, managing director of training specialist Intuition, believes cross-cultural training is about understanding how people from different countries behave and conduct business. “This helps to optimise international relationships and build trust,” he says.

Sales managers heading abroad to negotiate a deal businessmen or government officials relocating to foreign climes multicultural teams within large organisations and individuals involved in international merger and acquisition activities are just some of the groups that may benefit from cross -cultural development.

The pitfalls for businesses that skimp on training in this area are numerous and potentially very damaging, warns Jeff Toms, a director at intercultural trainers Farnham Castle, which has worked with several well-known clients, including AstraZeneca and Tesco.

He says that those who go to Japan unprepared for the high levels of etiquette and ceremony risk offending valuable clients, for example.

Ditto those who arrange a week-long visit to China expecting to return with a signed contract, who could well be frustrated by a culture where businessmen take their time, often months, to suss out potential partners.

The attitudes of different cultures to time and their varying decision-making processes are common subject areas covered by many cross-cultural training providers.

Typically, each programme is tailored to the specific situation of the client after an initial meeting where aims and requirements are discussed.

Cath Weelings, culture and communication manager at training company Communicaid, says courses can be devised to deal with specific issues. For example, the cultural aspects of living in Spain, or the basic rules of doing business in Russia. Employers may, on the other hand, want to explore more specialist skills such as making a presentation to Saudi clients or chairing a meeting in Korea.

Cross-cultural trainers generally deliver tuition face-to-face, either to an individual or group, and it costs around £500 per head per day. Most providers also offer telephone tutoring, and, if the price is right, they can fly a tutor to most locations in the world if it is required.

Intuition, for example, offers a three-day Business Cultural Trainers Certificate. This is a ‘train the trainer’ course for companies that want to incorporate cultural awareness into in-house cross-cultural and diversity training. It costs £3,000 per head.

Many programmes feature a post-course troubleshooting session where a tutor revisits the client to ensure techniques have been applied and any problems have been ironed out.

For organisations looking fore-learning alternatives, these are not as readily available.

However, some providers are using the internet to assess participants before training. Cross-cultural training specialist Richard Lewis Communications, for instance, offers online personal cultural profiling. This uses software to assess where an individual’s cultural profile fits in national contexts.

And while some cross-cultural training may simply be expert advice and tips on how to survive abroad, other programmes take a more scientific approach. Culture Smart Consulting, for example, bases its training on the findings of retired Dutch professor Geert Hofstede, who has specialised in the cross-cultural field since the 1960s.

Hofstede defines five dimensions that affect culture, such as hierarchy, risk aversion and whether a culture is more feminine or masculine.

The benefits of cross-cultural training may ultimately be more visible than those of other training initiatives. A client list bursting with international business is a clear indication that an investment in building awareness of other cultures was worthwhile.

Case study: De Beers

In 2003, upmarket diamond jewellery retailer De Beers was preparing to open three new stores in Japan.

The project was being overseen by a 25-person teamin London. HR manager Claire Lamb commissioned training firm Communicaid to design and deliver a training programme for these employees, who were anticipating more contact time with their opposite numbers in Japan as the launch dates drew nearer.

Communicaid’s approach was to divide the team into smaller groups of five or six delegates and provide them with a series of one-day face-to-face sessions.

The two parties agreed on a standardised programme to increase the participants’ awareness of the cultural differences affecting communication styles and working practices. They devised bespoke modules for each group, according to their job functions, with specific advice and tool kits on marketing, sales and merchandising.

The programme was deemed a success and sincethen more UK-based employees have taken the training.

“The Japanese briefing provided an invaluable insight into working effectively with our Japanese counterparts and an understanding of Japanese society andvalues – key to the success of our new operationsin Japan,” says Lamb.

This month in Training & Coaching Today

  • Go go gadget – how new technology can brighten uptraditional learning techniques.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Personnel Today’s sister publication, Training & Coaching Today, is a monthly magazine dedicated to keeping you on top of training issues. Click here to subscribe, or call 01444 445566. Out on 23 January.




 

Ross Bentley

previous post
CBI predicts ‘quiet revolution’ in flexible working
next post
McDonald’s shrugs off ‘McJob curse’ to win Best Place to Work in Hospitality Award

You may also like

Immigration white paper: which jobs will be affected?

19 May 2025

Immigration white paper: 10 key points and reaction

12 May 2025

Investing in skills when budgets are tight

12 May 2025

Labour MPs urge more flexibility with EU over...

24 Apr 2025

Leading with honest feedback: A responsibility in recruitment

24 Apr 2025

UK employees worried by potential rise of US...

24 Apr 2025

High-level apprenticeship spend doubles in five years

16 Apr 2025

Number of SMEs hiring staff in decline

10 Apr 2025

Gen Z and ‘conscious unbossing’: how can HR...

7 Apr 2025

How to build a commercially-minded workforce

3 Apr 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+