Managing multi-cultural, dispersed and diverse environments

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They say that if you sit more than 30 feet from a colleague, you are working in a dispersed environment (by way of illustration, if you want something from them, then rather than walk over, you're likely to ring them or send an email). And it's likely that whoever they are, and however much you think they are People Like You, they don't necessarily share all of your cultural values or assumptions. So, just because you are working in the same building with fellow nationals, doesn't mean this isn't for you.

For some, the challenges are considerable. You work with people on different shifts, possibly in partner, or customer, or supplier organisations, and with people of very different cultures. Maybe you work with people across continents, or in different time zones. Whatever the context, your opportunities for face-to-face contact are limited by time and space, and so effective working requires considerable planning and effort.

It's worth rehearsing a few of the problems:

• Out of sight becomes out of mind - the currency of the promise to a colleague is weakened by distance: how easily we are seduced by the person who can stop by and influence us with personal warmth, expressed face to face, whilst a distant colleague wonders what happened to the promise that hasn't been kept. The result: project deadlines slip, people fume in the cyber-silence, and relationships and trust deteriorate (and they can be hard to rebuild).
• In this extended space, there is no water cooler, or corridor or restaurant where you can bump into someone and button hole him or her over something you wanted to discuss. These same-time same-place, incidental encounters, which help to reinforce webs of trusting relationships and shorten decision cycle times, aren't available. Without efforts to build trust and keep the drumbeat going, this low visibility environment becomes a recipe for assuming the worst: are they working against me (and are they working at all)?
• We mistakenly assume that others share the same worldview, and we don't understand it when they don't and say those 'crazy' things. We may be quick to reject people who don't follow the same cultural dance moves as ourselves, leading to misunderstanding, conflict, rivalry and delay.

Whether you need to reach across the room or across a continent, we can help you to design the processes:

• We tailor the approach; we won't sell you some dismal standard package but help you to learn in your own environment and context, in order to create the knowledge, skills and processes that are suited to it.
• There is good evidence that innovative teams have clear objectives. We therefore set great store by the Team Charter i.e. Mission, Vision, Strategy, Processes and Measurement. In a dispersed environment the Team Charter creates the drumbeat that connects the team members to each other and enables the team leader to manage people by the required organisational ends, not micro-manage them by the means. We are also well aware that the team does not exist to produce fancy Team Charters, but business results. So, using excellent facilitation we help the team get the Charter done so that they can move on to what they are there for.
• As an OD organisation, we've worked in a dispersed context for nearly 20 years. We understand the communication technologies and how to make best use of video and teleconferencing and email.
• We equip the Teams with the processes they need for reaching rapid consensus on actions, decisions and solutions. We can equip the team leaders to be process facilitators, skillful in the art of helping people to navigate the processes that lead to agreed objectives in a way that encourages the participation of all. We use an efficient coaching system to help them achieve competence in designing and running meetings. We give them royalty free soft copy of the various processes that will help them to design and run highly effective and efficient meetings online or face-to-face.
• Dispersed teams face two cultural challenges. The first is actually recognising that there are important cultural differences in worldview, even amongst fellow nationals. Even then, understanding culture is not enough. What do you do about it when it surfaces? If we do it my way, I win and you lose. If I try to ape your culture, it lacks authenticity and I'm simply not credible. We will help your organisation with practical strategies for reconciling cultural differences and building win-win relationships, whilst remaining authentic.

Two brief examples of programmes we have provided to organisations

An IT Software Design organisation had re-structured into a global framework, which meant that groups of people who- together- were tasked with achieving a set of objectives, were now based on different continents and in differing time zones.

This necessitated most of the communication to take place by audio teleconference and it soon became apparent that the cultural differences and a lack of agreed structure severely impeded successful team working. OPDC facilitated a number of multi-cultural dispersed teams to overcome these differences and commit to a Team Charter, which led to highly effective and enjoyable meetings with high levels of equal participation.

Following an acquisition, a Telecoms organisation asked for help integrating the different functions and teams. OPDC offered a ‘Menu Approach' of Facilitated Team Events, offering a variety of agenda items aimed at enhancing newly merged, virtual teams. Many issues were cleared up, leaving all team members to get on with their work with a clear focus, re-energised and uncluttered.