The majority of people working in global teams want to be respected and respect others.
But what does being respectful mean?
To quote David Livermore, "People repeatedly suggest that we should sum up cultural intelligence with one word: respect. I’m on board with respect as a driving objective for cultural intelligence but here’s where it gets tricky—what you consider respectful and what I consider respectful may be entirely different."
I have found this to be true.
Last week I facilitated three workshops with Taiwanese who work with Americans and Europeans. We discussed how a highly valued trait in Taiwan, which is to open a communication channel using slightly vague language so as to maintain the 灰色地帶 or 'grey area,' thereby avoiding any face loss for both parties, may be confusing or even seen as disrespectful by an American counterpart due to lack of clarity.
So what can you do?
Begin by understanding what both we and others view as respectful.
As David writes: "Respect is a universal value, but its varied expressions between cultures often create friction, especially on global teams. Culturally intelligent teams take the time to explicitly discuss what respect looks like—both individually and collectively. They establish norms that foster mutual respect while still achieving their goals."
The power of conscious reflection
When you reflect on and discuss your own and other's values around respectful communication, you can go beyond 'behavior as normal' and begin to implement mindful alternatives.
It may take more time and energy, and perhaps even cause you to feel out of your comfort zone for a while, but it will certainly result in more inclusive, and successful communication outcomes.
Contact me here to set up a Discovery Call on how you can develop your own CulturalEQ communication skills for leadership and team communication in today's VUCA world.
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