Cross-cultural training: Definition, elements, benefits and examples

What is cross-cultural training?

Cross-cultural training is a training that helps individuals learn how to interact effectively with people from different cultures. Like, it is for the employees who are working in international organizations or who frequently interact with customers or clients from other cultures. It is also for any employee frequently attending international business trips or conferences.

A cross-cultural business training program can help businesses,

• understand the cross-cultural differences between their colleagues and their own culture and
• learn how to best work together with people with cross-cultural differences
• avoid any misunderstandings that could potentially occur due to cultural differences

However, there is no one-size-fits-all solution, as different companies face different challenges. Cross-cultural training can come in many formats, with a mix of both online and in-person classes being the most popular. But there are some elements that organizations can incorporate into their Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Do you want to know what are they? Let’s discuss them.

Elements of effective cross-cultural training

As already said, there is no singular approach to cross-cultural training. Here are some key elements you will need to keep in mind before creating an effective cultural training program. You can add and customize accordingly.

Let’s discuss them in detail.

1 – Acknowledging cultural differences

The very first step should be acknowledging the fact that cultural differences exist. As a person in a society we need to work to understand diverse cultural behaviors and motivators. We need to avoid cultural stereotypes and become aware of our pre-existing biases. From this starting note, employees gain control over their own behaviors and actions to adapt to each other. It ensures clarity in communication and reduces potential conflict.

Wanna learn more about building an inclusive organizational culture? Please read our blog on 7 Important Tips to Build an Inclusive Organizational Culture Using Diversity.

2 – Interactive ways learning methods

In order for a learning journey to be successful, it must be interactive and engaging. Incorporating engaging content into your training program is crucial. Your employees need to be able to interact with the content to fill their cultural skill gaps. High engagement allows employees to gain a practical understanding of how cross-cultural values can be implemented in the workplace. You can incorporate real-life case studies, short animated videos, and even scenario-based role-play models to help your employees see what cross-cultural understanding looks like in real life. For example, a role-playing exercise can help not just with navigating cultural differences but also with conflict resolution.

To ensure more engagement, you need to offer flexible training options that caters to the job structure as well as the learning styles of individuals. Like in-person instructor-led workshops to asynchronous e-learning modules and simulated training sessions. When you deliver your training in multiple formats will ensure everyone can be involved. Moreover, an effective cross-cultural training program should not only be focused on interpersonal skills such as empathy and adaptability, a balanced program should also impart other skills like communication, leadership, team management and conflict resolution.

To learn more about ways to build an effective training plan so you can elevate your training programs, read our blog on 7 Steps for Building Training Plan for Staff.

3 – Clear communication

Lastly, learning to understand cultural differences doesn’t end with acknowledgement and a cross-cultural communication training, but continues into the day-to-day life of the workplace. Therefore, having open lines of communication is important for encouraging continuous learning and growing together. When employees can communicate respectfully and transparently, they continue to learn from each other. It enhances their active listening skills. Communication issues can be resolved as they arise. This can help build an inclusive work environment where multiculturalism can thrive.

Want to enhance your ability to use and interpret verbal and non-verbal communication? Check out our course on Business Communication and Multicultural Etiquette.

Now comes the “why” of it. Do you need to invest in cross-functional training at all? Should you rather focus on investing in enhancing the technical skills of your employees only?

Why do you need cross-cultural training for your organization?

With the world becoming more connected every day, it’s more important than ever for businesses to be able to operate across cultures. There are many benefits to investing in cross-cultural training, like:

1. It improves the level of communication and understanding between the employees of different cultural backgrounds when they function globally.
2. It reduces the potential for conflict due to cultural differences or cultural unawareness in the workplace.
3. It helps your employees to adapt to new cultural backgrounds easily when working abroad.
4. It also increases the amount of creativity and innovation by bringing together employees from different cultures. Which, in return, improves the overall quality of your workforce.

Do you want to learn what the 7 characteristics of an excellent organizational culture are? click here.

Four examples of cross-cultural training programs

Let’s discuss these examples.

Example no. 1 – Cross-cultural training for expats

An expat or expatriate is an individual living and/or working in a country other than their country of citizenship. When you move to a new country you experience a cultural shock, right? You need to adjust to their new culture and understand its cultural norms. Cross-cultural training for expats is for helping the employees who are moving to another country. If businesses are sending employees to work in another country, it is important to ensure that these employees are prepared for the culture shock they may experience. What’s more? Well, individuals can gradually develop the ability to adapt to different cultural norms, values, and practices.

Example no. 2 – Cross-border business training

Another example of cross-cultural training is cross-border business training. In this training employees get support in international business communication and collaboration. In this global economy, it is becoming more and more common for businesses to have employees based globally. Cross-border businesses cross-cultural training can help them overcome the challenges of working across cultures and time zones, building cultural competency for global business workers on both sides of the border.

Example no. 3 – Global executive training

The third example of cross-cultural training is global executive training. This is for the businesses that operate in multiple countries. It prepares their executives for working in a global environment. Executives need to be able to effectively communicate with employees from different cultures globally. Cross-cultural training for global executives can help these executives thrive in a global environment. It gives them a cultural understanding of their colleagues or clients. Cross-cultural training also helps executives learn about the different business etiquette norms in different countries. So that executives can avoid any potentially costly cultural misunderstandings.

Example no. 4 – Multicultural teams training

This kind of training is to help businesses that have employees from multiple cultures work together. Cross-cultural training for multicultural teams can help businesses create a diverse and inclusive environment. This help businesses understand the various cultural backgrounds of their employees and how to best utilize their individual strengths within their business practices. It also helps prepare employees for the upcoming cultural and world events of their colleagues.

No matter what method you choose, cross-cultural training can be an invaluable asset for your business in a number of situations, as our key cross-cultural training examples above have outlined.

Do you like to add anything? You can comment us below!

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What is cross-cultural training?

A: Cross-cultural training is a training that helps individuals learn how to interact effectively with people from other cultures.

Q: What is organizational culture?

A: Organizational culture is the collection of values, goals, and traditions that guide and inform the actions of all team members.

Q: How do you conduct cross-cultural training?

A: To ensure more engagement, you need to offer flexible training options that caters to the job structure as well as the learning styles of individuals. Like in-person instructor-led workshops to asynchronous e-learning modules and simulated training sessions. When you deliver your training in multiple formats will ensure everyone can be involved.