Cross Cultural Interpersonal Skills play an important part in Working Effectively in England.

I recently had the pleasure of hearing social anthropologist and bestselling author Kate Fox speak on “Defining Englishness.”  Her book Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour has already sold a quarter of a million copies. Fox spoke about researching “her own tribe,” and the social and cultural aspects of the English national character.  Through her study she has pulled together a great deal of information on business protocols in England which can be a helpful reference to ex-pats coming to work here.

An international assignment provides a unique opportunity for career advancement, but in accepting an assignment (or agreeing to accompany your partner), you may find cultural adaptation in business more challenging than you expected. Consider the recent experiences of two ex-pats:

“It’s been six months since I began my international assignment here in the UK and I’m still not performing well in my new role. I’m uncertain how to work best with my European marketing team."

“I’ve just been to another job interview in London where we had a very pleasant chat, but when they don’t contact me for a further meeting it’s unclear what’s gone wrong.”

This discomfort is the result of cultural misunderstanding. You’re adapting not only to the differences in daily living in the UK, but also to the differences in how business is conducted. Perhaps you hardly noticed any problems when you worked with the London office from your home country, but now that you’re here as a part of the team you may find several business approaches that differ from what you’re used to. On the other hand, if you’re an ex-pat looking for a job in the UK, your focus may be on changing your CV into a British format, determining where to send it and how to interview effectively.

Either way, you may achieve greater success if you follow the advice of author Stephen Covey. In his best-seller The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Covey suggests you take time out to “sharpen your saw.” In other words, before beginning an international assignment or job search, take some time to strengthen your cross-cultural interpersonal skills.

Employees and their partners often receive some form of cross-cultural training when being sent on an overseas assignment, usually a two day program. However, recent research indicates that just four to six weeks thereafter, nearly 80 percent of what was covered has been forgotten unless there’s a mechanism to support and facilitate the adoption of the learned material.

Companies are beginning to offer in-depth global development programs that allow individuals an opportunity for cultural assessment.  According to intercultural trainer Dean Forest, “Global effectiveness skills need to be constantly refined. We’ve come to realize that the effective implementation of cross-cultural knowledge is not the result of a one-time training program, but rather a process of constant learning, reflection, refinement, re-grouping and re-application.”

Focus Information Services is one resource in London that uses a blended learning approach utilizing one-to-one coaching, e-learning and group-oriented seminars to strengthen interpersonal skills and improve the chances of career success. This work can be tailored to fit an individual’s needs whether he or she is an employee posted here on assignment or an accompanying partner.

Working with a career coach is another way to help you define your business goals and identify your cultural assumptions. This process allows you to see where there may be differences, and difficulties, in your approach. The coach can then help you develop strategies for working through these cultural differences. Benefits of working with a coach include help in “real time” when you need it, and the suggestions come from a professional who, like you, is an ex-pat, has experience in the UK work environment and can offer support and confidentiality.

Another tool that can be used in strengthening your awareness is the Argonaut™ assessment.  Administered by a licensed coach or trainer, Argonaut produces an easy-to-understand graphical map of cultural differences, focusing on 12 key cultural dimensions. The “learner” can immediately identify the areas that need greatest attention. Comparisons are possible between the learner’s own perceptions of self, home culture and target culture, or against a “reality check” from Argonaut’s database of cultures, which is based on contributions from accumulated surveys and the expertise of its global network of cultural contributors.

Argonaut’s additional features include:

• Graphical Personal Profiles which allow users to see their preferences in comparison to co-workers, cultures or their own organization;

• An intercultural study guide that introduces concepts of intercultural communication and provides a virtual orientation to the program. This helps you focus quickly on key issues, skill development and problem-solving;

• Skill- and knowledge-building resources that complement an individual’s expertise and accommodate different learning styles;

• Country information covering dozens of cultures. Tutorials and forums encourage transfer into practice. This is particularly helpful since more than 80 percent of international assignees have work responsibilities for multiple cultures (e.g., you may be based in London but are vice president of your company’s western European operations);

• Intercultural Negotiation Simulation Tool which promotes trust building and effective negotiation across cultures. Learners can use the tool before training and coaching sessions to identify weaknesses and after the sessions to apply new techniques as they prepare for real-world negotiations.

Argonaut can help individuals develop more realistic expectations of how things might be different in their new working environment. For example, initially Scandinavians may perceive the British as hierarchical, whilst South Americans may see them as quite flatly structured.  By better understanding the business structure that you’re used to, you can then grasp how it differs from your new business circumstances.

Argonaut also examines concepts such as formality. For example, Germans typically call their superiors Herr X and Frau Y and can find the first-name culture in most UK companies to be uncomfortable and even disrespectful. While you can't change this, you can appreciate the values behind them, leading to mutual understanding and a healthier work environment.

Once we understand our own culture and how it differs from others, we can create strategies that help bridge the gap. In a recent Working in Britain workshop, some delegates found that while they noticed these differences, they didn’t understand them or the underlying motivations. Developing greater intercultural understanding would allow them to feel more compassionate and deal better when encountering differences in the future. For example, oere is one small example. ne business situation that can confuse foreigners working here is the ritual Kate Fox describes as “polite procrastination.”  When you first arrive at a business meeting or on an interview for a job, often there will be quite a bit of time spent on the greeting: “How was your trip? Did you have far to travel? Was the Underground a nightmare? Isn’t the weather awful today?” If you come from a culture that is more direct, this can be frustrating and your assertiveness (“Can we get started?”) may be interpreted as rudeness. The underlying rule here is that in England it is impolite to start talking business right away.  The English like to pretend that it is a friendly social gathering and once they feel comfortable will then get down to business.

Re-visit these cultural aspects of interpersonal skills and spend time developing and sharpening them. Incorporating your business experience along with cultural sensitivity can help you tailor a dynamic way of marketing yourself no matter where in the world you develop your career.

RESOURCES:

Watching the English by Kate Fox   ISBN 0-340-81886-7
Focus Information Services, www.focus-info.org +44 (0)207 937 7799
Argonaut™ Assessment Tool, http://argonaut.coghillbeery.com/?pid=1

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