Global communications, global market trends, emigration, and economic globalization are taking society to a higher level of interaction, and the need to understand cultural differences and similarities at the societal level has never been greater.
The ability to work in cross-cultural groups, it’s more essential than ever to be successful.
This can sound like a simple concept, in reality, is not that complicated to understand, but in real life can be challenging and frustrating. Yet, have a global mindset, is every day more and more indispensable. What can we do?
The effort to change to a global mindset should start with the understanding and acceptance that our old style of having a ¨unicultural¨ point of view must be upgraded to a ¨multicultural¨ approach.
As very well described in a recent Harvard Business Review article, there’s a disconnect.
In most societies, people learn to socialize and work with people who are like them, developing a unicultural position that helps them understand and interpret their surroundings.
Despite the fact that this approach has worked for many centuries, today is an obstacle. People grow up looking for people who are like them, but later as they join the workforce it is required that they build teams and be part of projects with people who are different from them and who have a different cultural point of view.
Business and organizations with multicultural teams, in order to succeed, need their leaders to increase their leadership skills and become global leaders with a global mindset.
Global Leaders who increase their ability to handle positively and effective practices, customs, and values totally different from what they are accustomed to, and still be able to succeed.
Question: What other changes can we make to have a global mindset?