\u26a1\ufe0f Get instant candidate matches without searching Try Arc to hire top developers now \u2192<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n While practicing cross-cultural communication skills interaction in the workplace does have its challenges \u2014 like working across different time zones<\/a> \u2014 there are also plenty of benefits you can reap from a culturally diverse team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For starters, these teams are less prone to homogenous thought and tunnel vision because employees from different cultures can often offer differing perspectives on the same issue, making more informed decisions and exploring more options before arriving at the best possible solution. A more diverse workforce is better equipped to tackle any bug or design issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most computer science college courses won\u2019t focus on this \u2014 but in practice, software development is more about efficient collaboration than individuals displaying any \u201cscientific\u201d knowledge. In corporate IT, there are no solo fliers and teams of one \u2014 if you can\u2019t be productive with other people, you won\u2019t get far in software development. These days, pretty much everything except the most trivial software is just too complex and too big for one person to maintain alone \u2014 global teamwork is essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is evident from a financial perspective as well \u2014\u00a0this McKinsey study\u00a0shows that companies with more ethnically and culturally diverse teams are 33% more likely to reach above-average profits. And while businesses stand to earn a lot from culturally diverse employees \u2014 the individuals themselves won\u2019t be unrewarded either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s a lot of valuable personal experience they can earn from intercultural communication. For instance, a culturally diverse team has a broader insight into UX design for a global audience. Also, working in cross-cultural teams helps developers become more adaptive, making them more competitive in the worldwide job market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the other hand, cross-cultural teams also come with their own unique challenges. For instance, team members from different cultures might be used to starting meetings differently \u2014 some like to get straight to business, while others think it\u2019s customary to chat and socialize first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are also different ideas about punctuality \u2014 different degrees of \u201clateness\u201d are appropriate for different cultures. And the same is true for other aspects of communication, like whether it\u2019s normal to publicly disagree with a team member or voice concerns in one-on-one conversations. Generally, the public vs. individual approaches to feedback can vary wildly across cultures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Considering all of this, learning to communicate with people from different backgrounds is an essential skill \u2014 in the workplace and beyond. It ties in handily with interpersonal skills<\/a>. And working in a cross-cultural team helps people excel in precisely that skill while also opening them up to various perspectives and opinions that will shape their viewpoints going forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read More<\/strong>: How to Collaborate Effectively as a Remote Developer<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n All of us have some preconceived notions about different cultures \u2014 and the stereotypes tend to be more general if the culture is more distant from ours. However, for remote development teams to function, we must move past these preconceived ideas and become more open to cross-cultural relations based on mutual understanding and respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s no single \u201ccatch-all\u201d recipe for this, as every cross-cultural melting pot is different. However, here are some things to keep in mind as you conduct yourself in a cross-cultural remote workplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first trap people fall into \u2014 even those honestly invested in cross-cultural communication \u2014 is assuming that one culture is doing something right while the others are wrong. Even when we put time and energy into learning about different cultural perspectives, we still often have the subconscious assumption that our culture is right about something, while the others should simply adjust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In reality, there\u2019s no right or wrong answer to cultural differences \u2014 nor is there a single benchmark that all cultures can be compared against. At the end of the day, people are just different and need to find a middle ground \u2014 there\u2019s no incorrect or inferior culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After working in a cross-cultural space for a while, plenty of developers gain valuable experiences with other cultures. However, that opens up an entirely different can of worms \u2014 for instance, assuming that individuals and their personalities represent their entire culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In other words \u2014 just because a team member from Sweden preferred straightforward and direct communication doesn\u2019t automatically mean that every Swedish person likes that kind of discourse in all circumstances. Just think about how different you can be from a colleague from your hometown \u2014 let alone from other members of your own culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And it goes both ways \u2014 once you learn the shared preferences of one cultural group, it can be tempting to assign these to every single member of that group. Unfortunately, communication across cultures is more complicated in reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, there are some rules and cultural norms that people with the same backgrounds share, but you should learn to differentiate these from personal preferences, tastes, and personality traits we all have. In many cases, these can go against the standards of the person\u2019s culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And while you\u2019re getting to know your colleagues, it\u2019s great that you\u2019ve taken the time to become familiar with their cultural backgrounds. You just need to do the same with individuals\u2019 personal preferences and personalities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, the business world is more uniform and globalized than ever, and there\u2019s no question about that. However, it\u2019s easy to assume that people conduct business the same regardless of their cultural backgrounds \u2014 but that\u2019s just not true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In reality, many small differences depend on people\u2019s cultural backgrounds \u2014 and assuming that people conduct themselves the same in business environments is another ethnocentric viewpoint. You see the business conduct of your culture as so natural and intuitive that it\u2019s easy to assume it comes as quickly to others as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And sure, software developers tend to focus on formality less than employees in other industries and businesses \u2014 but it\u2019s still important to mind potential lapses in communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read More<\/strong>: How to Keep Learning on a Busy Developer Schedule<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n Arc is the best place to find great remote jobs. Find great remote jobs at top startups and tech companies. Freelance and full-time remote opportunities are available. Now that you\u2019re in the proper mindset for cross-cultural communication, we\u2019re going to share some practical tips on communicating in diverse teams more effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first step to more effective communication across cultures is awareness. You need to be aware of the communication style of your team members from different cultural backgrounds and their different habits. Stop assuming that everyone will communicate the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As we\u2019ve mentioned before, there are two different aspects here \u2014 researching different cultural norms and becoming more familiar with people\u2019s individual preferences in the context of those norms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And when you start working with new colleagues from different cultures that you aren\u2019t familiar with, the quickest way to a common language is an honest conversation. Don\u2019t hesitate to ask them polite, but direct questions like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Especially if you\u2019re new at intercultural communication, this can seem a bit forward \u2014 but if you ask this kind of stuff in a low-pressure, friendly way, you and your colleagues will quickly get on the same page, resulting in a mutually beneficial and more productive<\/a> working relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read More<\/strong>: 15+ Powerful Tips for How to Work From Home Successfully<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you don\u2019t have a culture coach at your company, you will likely need to do some research into your colleagues’ cultural norms to communicate with them more effectively. Of course, these days, that amounts to a simple Google search; but you could probably gain more valuable insights if you expressed your interest to your colleague directly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More likely than not, they\u2019ll be happy to share details about their culture. And that will get you all the info you need, with the added benefit of bringing you closer together for more friendly workplace relations moving forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Slang and jargon can be misinterpreted even when talking to someone from the same cultural background, let alone someone you\u2019re working with who\u2019s from the other side of the world. That\u2019s why you should avoid idioms, slang, and jargon that can easily be misunderstood \u2014 focus on clear, direct communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jargon rarely translates well across cultures because it\u2019s so heavily dictated by specific cultural norms. Instead, make your communication explicit and to the point \u2014 and you shouldn\u2019t have any problems to solve<\/a> getting your message across.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read More<\/strong>: Learn Remote Work Jargon and Terminology in Our Glossary<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, no one has the time to become fluent in all the foreign languages of their coworkers. However, demonstrating a basic level of investment and engagement with their culture through language is always a great way to bring people closer together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just putting in the small amount of work needed to learn a friendly greeting or a simple \u201cthank you\u201d will go a long way towards showing your supportive, understanding, and open-minded nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This doesn\u2019t mean you should slow down to a crawl \u2014 but talking just a bit more slowly will give everyone involved in the conversation time to process things. Plus, the rate of speech is another communication factor heavily influenced by our cultural norms. While Mandarin is a slow and deliberate language, Spanish is widely known as rapid and fast-paced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the other hand, it\u2019s also important not to adopt a sluggish pace that would make you seem condescending to others, especially when talking in your native language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you\u2019re communicating with people from different cultures, adopting this as a habit is extremely useful. Once you\u2019ve done with a verbal or written exchange, take a few moments to confirm and recap what you\u2019ve just discussed, just to be sure you\u2019ve understood everything correctly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is as simple as finishing with a \u201cTo summarize, you\u2019re going to ____, and I\u2019m going to ____ by Monday.\u201d Such an extra step may seem unnecessary, but it will come in handy and help you avoid a lot of frustration, headaches, and hassles down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read More<\/strong>: How to Optimize a Software Developer LinkedIn Profile<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Cross-cultural communication in the workplace has a longer history than most people realize; we\u2019ve communicated and worked with people from different backgrounds even before the Internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the number of global development teams brought into existence by advanced technology is much higher today. What was once an incidental novelty is now a fact of business life \u2014 especially in the world of software development, where more people are working remotely than in any other field. The employees of today\u2019s dispersed work culture constantly face challenges related to successful cross-cultural communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even with the best intentions, it\u2019s important to realize one thing. At the end of the day, better cross-cultural communication won\u2019t happen instantly, regardless of how many articles and studies on it you consume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just like any other competency or skill, it takes time, energy, and hard work to get better at it. And it\u2019s a process of constant learning \u2014 but one that bears plenty of rewards, both in the professional and human sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u26a1\ufe0f Identify top applicants from our network of 350,000+
\u26a1\ufe0f Hire 4x faster with vetted candidates (qualified and interview-ready)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat Does Cross-Cultural Communication Bring to the Table?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Right Mindset for Cross-Cultural Communication<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s no \u201cright\u201d answer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
People don\u2019t represent their entire culture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Business is not conducted the same everywhere<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Sign up here<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nHow to Approach Cross-Cultural Communication<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Become more aware<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Put in the work<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Steer clear of jargon and slang<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Learn their language<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Talk more slowly<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Confirm what you\u2019ve discussed<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Better Cross-Cultural Communication Doesn\u2019t Happen Overnight<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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