5 characteristics of successful international organizations
Working in a culturally diverse environment can often be tiring. It sometimes feels like people have to continually adapt to everyone else’s preferences, while misunderstandings can occur easily and be frustrating.
In an international organization with a healthy - cultural intelligent - environment, diversity is managed in a positive way. People are encouraged to be comfortable in their own skin while learning which behaviors and procedures need to be adjusted. Diversity is used as a strength to foster creativity and constructive problem solving.
The five factors below are a few of the essential characteristics that need to be present in international organizations to make them successful:
1. Engagement Culturally intelligent organizations provide multiple ways for team members to participate and contribute to the objectives of the organization. Leaders know how to recognize the differences and leverage the diversity on their teams to produce innovative solutions.
2. Trust Culturally intelligent organizations create structures where members deliver specific results in a coherent sequence. Rules are clear. Their leaders know how trust can be built among people with different value orientations.
3. Influence Culturally intelligent organizations promote individuals who are effectively working across cultures. People are supported in their learning about how to wield influence on their peers regardless of their background.
4. Authenticity Culturally intelligent organizations have a strong sense of their own identity. They’ve learned how to enact those values and policies in various cultural contexts.
5. Positive Intent Culturally intelligent organizations are places where people stop to consider whether an “inconsiderate behavior” might be a result of a cultural difference before assuming something else is going on. They have learned to be mindful and postpone judgements.
Based on an article by David Livermore of the Cultural Intelligence Center USA.
