Intercultural Solutions
INTERCULTURAL SOLUTIONS
Build the skills your teams and leaders need to successfully adapt in an increasingly globalized world
Our Intercultural Solutions team includes consultants, coaches, facilitators and trainers who are certified in cutting edge methods, models and industry-standard tools to deliver workshops and solutions that build intercultural competence as well as organizational effectiveness.
Our services include educational workshops, individual and organizational working style assessments, coaching intercultural skills for global talent, corporate D&I cascades and relocation programs.
Our clients who use these services include Fortune 500 multinationals, Chinese private and state-owned enterprises, and embassies and consulates across Asia.
- Intercultural Effectiveness
- Global Team Effectiveness
- Effective Virtual Teaming
- Relocation Coaching Pre-Departure and Post-Departure Training
- Diversity and Inclusion Policies and Development
- Working with Colleagues from Country X
Core Programs and Applications
A Chinese E-commerce Company International Orientation Programs
Client Case 1
As part of a weeklong orientation, this Chinese e-commerce leader invites newly hired talent to their headquarters for a special program introducing culture and strategy. As intercultural collaboration and global teaming are critical needs, they requested a tailor-made program that includes cross cultural foundations as well as content around creating effective remote teaming.
We are the exclusive external vendor for these orientations and monthly one-day sessions for new incoming leaders with content tied to:
- Awareness of the impact of culture
- Building a multi-cultural and adaptive work mindset
- Describing cultural working styles and proactively planning to adapt
- Strategies and best practices to establish a foundation and systems to improve remote team collaboration
- Strategies to improve information and relationship building while on-site with headquarter’s teams
From the participants’ feedback, the training provided them with the essential skills to start working relationships off on the right foot and build the connections needed to open opportunities for remote and cross-cultural collaboration. After this workshop, participants gained even more confidence and competence to work effectively with the e-commerce company’s colleagues based in China and globally.
A FinTech Company and Their US Teams
Client Case 2
Following an acquisition of a US e-finance service company by the FinTech company, senior leaders from the recently acquired US company convinced the new parent company that a new business opportunity could be found with investment in a new joint team. They appointed the US leader to head the organization and split the team with half the team in the US and half the team in China. Later employees reported confusion about how to motivate, collaborate, and communicate across regions.
Prior to holding a customized cross-cultural team facilitation, our consultants worked closely with senior leaders in the US and in China to understand how both sides currently perceived the challenges of working together. Taking notes from both leaders and feedback from HR, we held a customized workshop aimed at establishing an understanding and opening up honest dialogue about frustrations and hopes for future collaborations. The session ended with practical steps to create access across borders and better bridges across nationalities.
Team members identified “shared battles” to work on together in order to begin applying their new cultural awareness and adaptation tactics. Local and US HR recognized that team members have greater transparency, patience and understanding for different working styles. Senior leaders reported that the team is more cohesive and has a deeper sense of shared team identity and spirit.
China Outbound M&A Trends
A Rapidly Growing Chinese Internet Company Goes Global
Client Case 3
A Chinese internet and APP company experienced rapid and successful growth overseas with popular smart phone applications leading to overseas mergers and team growth. Feedback from overseas teams and markets wasn’t entirely positive to how they were being managed and headquarters' culture.
We developed a workshop focusing on managing cultural diversity to improve team engagement and collaboration. The workshop featured three unique design elements for participants:
- A tool for adapting to challenging situations – the DIN analysis tool created a room to find new and innovative management choices based on informed reflection
- Customized case studies based on interviews from key stakeholders allowed hot topics to be addressed and solutions applied back at work
- The CSI assessment introduced cultural working style to reflect on personal preferences
Feedback from participants and line managers has been very positive about finding new solutions to teaming programs. The DIN tool has becoming a common tool shared among other leadership programs to build a more thoughtful response to diversity and team needs.
Intercultural Development Stages
Supporting APAC Regional and Global Collaboration
Client Case 4
After a recent acquisition, a US based medical device company was experiencing record setting sales growth in APAC with the region set to become the second largest market after North America. The APAC team felt that they were unable to inform and influence HQ team members and that their potential growth would be much better if they could improve those connections and relationships.
Sino delivered a three-stage series with key stakeholders across the globe to support global collaboration:
- We started with a two-part global leadership series for APAC leaders with workshops in Indonesia and Dubai to build regional collaboration as well as foundations to improve HQ connections.
- A workshop in Hong Kong with Global HR to align on best intercultural practices that HR can help support and encourage across global offices.
- Finally workshops delivered at HQ for team members with global roles to increase intercultural competence and adaptability.
Feedback from leaders and team members has been highly positive. The APAC team recently expanded to include the Japan market and leaders shared that their improved intercultural capabilities have made the merger more successful. APAC and HQ teams report improved communication and collaboration on product roll out and strategy alignment.
Comparing Diversity and Inclusion
Sharing Practical Inclusion
Client Case 5
A California based technology company had recently completed anti-discrimination and harassment training and wanted to bring this training to all staff in Greater China. Their hope was to enroll all employees in a corporate culture where everyone could feel like they were safe to contribute the success of the organization.
Sino’s Inclusion Consultant encouraged them to take their positive vision of “Including Everyone in Our Success” as the message for China and designed a workshop that could cascade to all employees featuring:
- A positive framework for inclusion tied to the CEO’s vision of including everyone in the company’s success
- Sponsorship and participation in every workshop from the CEO and senior leaders.
- Guidelines to address what is discrimination and what is team conflict and how to manage them safely to protect all team members
Participant feedback was highly favorable with some staff writing personal thank you notes that were given to senior leaders after the workshop. Feedback was so positive from the China team that Sino was invited to Silicon Valley to provide the same training for all the US team members. The program is now a standard program for incoming team members and critical part of organizational culture.
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