Your Challenge

Multi-national organisations; Business executives who work with different countries and cultures; Diplomats – in fact anyone who travels for business.  The challenge is that there is a lot that we simply don’t know that we don’t know.  We make assumptions based on our own worldview.  We tend to focus on the business objectives and the task at hand, while not necessarily fully aware of all the hidden cultural motivators of behaviour.  The result is a lot of misunderstandings that create tension in the team, slowing down the workflow or even resulting in the early termination of contracts – costing the business a lot of money, time, and effort.

YARNU’S intervention

According to the Harvard Business Review, 40% of international business ends up in failure – 70% of those failures are due to the lack of cultural awareness and understanding.  We start by first taking an honest look at your own culture that has shaped your beliefs and values and the way you view the world.  Only then are you able to map and anticipate other people’s culturally motivated behaviour; correctly interpret that behaviour, and then adjust your own actions to suit the situation you are in. The more you are aware of other people’s perspectives and world views, the more equipped you are to turn situations for the better.

Using the inter-cultural mapping and assessment tools developed by KnowledgeWorkx ® we design a workshop that is specially tailored to your specific field and needs.  We help you create an environment in which people from different worldviews are able to feel comfortable, communicate clearly and be understood.

A healthy Third Cultural Space is created by bringing the best of each other’s world views together, while leaving behind the unhelpful aspects.  If people remain unmovable in their own space, refusing to grow and change, an unhealthy environment is created, often unintentionally.  An environment marked by miscommunication and discomfort.

The result

• A deeper understanding of how your cultural beliefs affect your perceptions, your view of the world and communication style
• Every team in the organization will have behavioural statements that everyone agrees are behaviours that are right for everyone involved; that bring honour to their organization, clients and others; and that are empowering.
• A higher level of harmony, efficiency and productivity