building cultural agility - through people agility!
why does it matter?
Because it may turn your challenges and changes into achievements and success!
For most organisations, a major change initiative - like an M&A - is usually accompanied by major investment, and at very least, high stakes. And yet we know that the majority (up to 80%) actually fails to deliver the aim. And the main reason being poor handling of cultural aspects in due diligence and the integration management!
Anyone may have good products - but cultural agility may be the lever that helps you succeed, outperform your competitors, and exceed your own limits and expectations!
If agility means acting decisively, swiftly and effectively, then cultural agility involves doing all these things "the right way" across multiple cultures – each with deeply rooted values and its own very different way of doing business. This requires a flexible and smooth attitude and a lot of insight and competence.
Transformation comes in many forms – acquisitions, mergers, geographical expansion, as well as change programmes driven from within. Beyond the hard numbers of the business plan, each will need careful management if the transformation is to be permanent. And at the heart of that are your people. We need people agility!
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Cultural and people agility enable you to adapt your style to communicate, negotiate, and build trust in cultures different from your own. It provides you with tools and practical roadmaps to avoid the misunderstandings and cultural clashes that could spell disaster for diverse teams or cross-border cooperation. |
Imagine then, your organisation is taking on a more international profile, is part of a M&A, or perhaps is "only" expanding into markets which are commercially attractive but culturally confusing.
How well equipped are you to act agile along these very different routes? How successfully can you manage change that involves various cultures? Do you possess the agility it takes?
Do you know how to help your multicultural teams make more effective use of their diverse talents?
The role of leaders
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Research shows that, while nearly 90% of senior leaders view managing across borders as a critical skill, fewer than 10% feel competent themselves.
Put another way, most feel they lack proficiency in an area they see as critical to success. Does that make sense? As a leader, you have the power to throw a stone that sends ripples around the world. People take their cues from leaders. You are a cultural role model for your team, and being this role model, you can send a signal to the whole organisation that for your future and success, cultural awareness, competence and cross-border management skills are key.
Gandhi was quoted as saying we should: "Be the change you wish to see in the world".
Being a leader means equipping your team to be that change. But how can you be or lead that change if you don1t know how? |
With proven diagnostic tools and years of experience with integration and global teambuilding, we can ensure that your internal teamwork and external relationships tap into your organisation’s unique assets and foster global thinking as part of your company culture!
You wouldn’t leave your business plan to chance, so why take risks with cultural diversity and complexity?
By visiting culture-catch.com you have taken the first step towards developing cultural agility for yourself and your organisation. Take a few more steps by exploring the rest of the website, then contact us to see how we can help you to accelerate success and boost your global agility!