The challenge of cultural barrier

In my experience managing multicultural projects, collaboration often occurs within the cultural perspectives of individual team members. However, cultural barriers can lead to misunderstandings, with each side perceiving the other’s methods as incorrect. To address this, I typically narrow down sprints, or (if it is the case) work packages to facilitate cultural management during execution.

Discussing cultural differences is challenging for any professional. Simply acknowledging these differences can be difficult and, at times, exacerbate the situation, leading team members to suspect ulterior motives. Often, cultural barriers are evident, and without proper acknowledgment, team members may become defensive. Additionally, company policies sometimes do not facilitate this process, further complicating the work.

Thanks for your feedback. It made me recaputulate.

For me, the topic cultural differences as it pertains to a project come down to two categories:

1) Time Management (i.e. How does my culture treat "time" in general?)

2) Personal experiences (i.e. Who I am and what made me who I am)

The first category is one that can be addressed through conversations. What are your expectations around work-life balance? How much time to do you expect to dedicate to this project? Do you have any upcoming holidays you anticipate will take you away from work? What do you wish your project team mates knew/understood about how you prioritize and manage your own work/time?

The second category is much more interesting, in my opinion. The "Who I Am" cultural differences give us all an opportunity to get to know each other more. For a while, my work place was hosting a once-a-week meeting where a different someone each week would tell the rest of us a little more about their personal lives and history. I learned that one of my co-workers was a refugee from the Vietnam War and had experienced fear of a kind I cannot imagine. And yet, he is one of the most friendly and cheerful people I know. Another co-worker used to be a professor at a university in China and was in Tiananmen Square when the tanks rolled in. Yet another co-worker's father used to be a Yogi in India and was fiercely determined to make sure his daughter received an outstanding education even during a time when many girls were not given that opportunity in India. All of these stories helped us understand each other better and helped us remember that we are all people worthy of respect, kindness, and patience. I think giving everyone a chance to talk more about who they are as people helps the team work together as team-mates.