Cliffe, Sarah. “Companies Don’t Go Global, People Do”: An Interview with Andy Molinsky. Harvard Business Review. October 2015.
3 Key Takeaways
The article espouses the idea that it is not the companies that go global, rather it is the people within the organization who go global. The people from different cultures are the ones who relate with each other and work together to achieve their company’s goals.
The interview explains the three stages that can turn cultural differences into behaviors that adapt effectively to these differences. The first step that was discussed is the need to determine the differences between one’s culture and the other existing cultures. The focus should be on the six dimensions namely, directness, enthusiasm, formality assertiveness, self-promotion and self-disclosure. The second stage is to figure out the “zone of appropriateness” in the other culture. This means that one does not necessarily need to adapt to the new culture if one thinks that it is not acceptable. A certain comfort level or balance must be achieved. After identifying what adaptations one is willing to do, the last stage comes in which is practicing these adaptations to make them spontaneous and become natural.
Lastly, Molinsky emphasizes that there is no need to learn various languages to adapt to the varied cultures in an organization. Although there will be psychological barriers in the process of adaptation, such as being anxious or feeling incompetent, what is important is having an open mind and willingness to learn something new about the culture and in the process learning something about one’s capacity to adapt to a different culture.
Question:
What steps can management take to assist their employees in adapting to a culturally-diverse organization without losing the company’s own organizational culture?
Works Cited
Cliffe, Sarah. ""Companies don't go global, people do" An Interview with Andy Molinsky." Harvard Business Review October 2015.
