Managing Cross Cultural Remote Teams | Ricardo Fernandez | TEDxIESEBarcelona

TEDx Talks

15 Jun 201713:15

Summary

TLDRIn this engaging talk, the speaker shares his experience managing a diverse, remote team and the challenges of cultural differences in a global workplace. He highlights the benefits of remote work, such as flexibility and employee satisfaction, but also addresses the potential for misunderstandings and loneliness. The speaker emphasizes the importance of physical presence to build empathy and strong teams, suggesting a blend of remote work and occasional in-person meetings as the key to a successful multicultural team dynamic.

Takeaways

🌐 The speaker manages a globally distributed team of 30 people from 10 different nationalities, highlighting the challenges and benefits of multicultural remote work.
🏡 Remote work has become a norm, with the speaker's morning routine now involving immediate family interaction and work that starts within seconds.
🕒 Cultural differences can lead to misunderstandings, such as the South African concept of 'just now', which can mean a significantly different timeframe than intended.
📈 Millennials prioritize flexibility in the workplace over traditional benefits like cash bonuses, private healthcare, and additional vacation days.
📚 The speaker addresses communication challenges by providing the team with 'The Culture Map' by Erin Meyer, which improved self-awareness and understanding of cultural differences.
🗣️ Direct communication is crucial; remote work can exacerbate misunderstandings due to the lack of non-verbal cues and immediate feedback.
🏙️ Remote work can lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation, necessitating the need for co-working spaces or other community-oriented work environments.
🤝 Physical presence is essential for building empathy and strong team relationships, suggesting that occasional in-person meetings are beneficial for remote teams.
🌟 Despite the challenges, the speaker sees remote work as the future, offering flexibility and the potential for a better work-life balance.
🔄 The speaker's personal journey, moving across different countries and cultures, has equipped them with practical experience in managing multicultural teams.

Q & A

What is the speaker's typical morning routine now?
-The speaker wakes up between 7 to 8:30 AM, plays with their kids, and then quickly transitions to work in their study where they manage a remote team.
How many people does the speaker manage and from how many different nationalities?
-The speaker manages a team of 30 people from 10 different nationalities.
What challenges does the speaker face in managing a remote multicultural team?
-The speaker faces challenges such as cultural interpretations of everyday workplace occurrences, remote communication limitations, and the lack of physical presence to create empathy within the team.
What is the significance of the speaker's personal journey in their ability to manage a multicultural team?
-The speaker's personal journey as a 'nomad', having lived in various countries, has provided them with a wealth of experiences that help in managing everyday problems arising from a multicultural team.
What does the graph in the speaker's presentation reveal about Millennials' workplace preferences?
-The graph shows that Millennials prioritize flexible working hours, remote work options, and training over cash bonuses, private healthcare, and additional vacation or maternity/paternity benefits.
Why did the speaker purchase 30 copies of 'The Culture Map' by Erin Meyer?
-The speaker bought the books to address communication problems within the team, aiming to increase self-awareness and understanding of cultural differences.
What was the outcome of the team reading 'The Culture Map'?
-Reading 'The Culture Map' helped the team to openly discuss and understand their cultural differences, which was a key factor in improving communication and team success.
How does the speaker feel about remote work contributing to loneliness?
-The speaker has experienced loneliness while working remotely, highlighting the need for physical presence to create a truly connected team.
What is the speaker's view on the necessity of physical presence in a remote work setting?
-The speaker believes that while remote work is the future, physical presence is still necessary a few times a year to build empathy and create an amazing team.
What is the speaker's final thought on the benefits of being away from co-workers?
-The speaker suggests that sometimes being away from co-workers can be beneficial, as it allows for flexibility and the ability to work from various locations, including home.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Managing a Multicultural Remote Team

The speaker begins by introducing a new participant, Mark, to the call amidst technical difficulties. They then transition into sharing their personal experience of managing a team of 30 people from 10 different nationalities remotely. The speaker's background includes living in various countries, which has given them a unique perspective on cultural diversity. They emphasize the challenges of remote work, such as different cultural interpretations of everyday workplace interactions, and the benefits it brings, like flexibility and increased employee satisfaction. The speaker also highlights the importance of understanding and adapting to cultural differences, as well as the need for physical presence to build empathy within the team.

05:00

🗣️ Navigating Cultural Miscommunication in Remote Work

The speaker recounts a story from their early days of remote work with a team in South Africa, where a misunderstanding about the term 'just now' led to a scheduling mix-up. They use this anecdote to illustrate the complexity of time expressions across cultures and how it can affect remote work. Another example is given where the speaker's praise for an Indian team member's performance was misinterpreted, leading to confusion. The speaker then discusses the challenges of communication within their US and London-based teams and how providing a book on cross-cultural communication, 'The Culture Map' by Erin Meyer, helped improve understanding and collaboration among team members.

10:01

🏡 The Impact of Remote Work on Team Dynamics

The speaker reflects on the feelings of loneliness that can accompany remote work, sharing personal experiences of isolation while working from home or on the road. They suggest that co-working spaces can alleviate this by providing a sense of community and inspiration. Despite the benefits of remote work, the speaker argues for the necessity of physical presence to foster true team empathy and cohesion. The speaker concludes with a call to action, encouraging the audience to consider how they can work towards a future where they can enjoy the flexibility of remote work while still maintaining the benefits of in-person interactions with their teams.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Remote working

Remote working refers to a work arrangement in which employees perform their work outside of a traditional office setting, often from home or a co-working space. In the video, the speaker discusses the shift towards remote working as a desired workplace benefit, highlighting how it offers flexibility and can lead to increased employee satisfaction. The speaker's personal experience with remote working is used to illustrate both the benefits and challenges of this work arrangement.

💡Cultural differences

Cultural differences pertain to the variations in customs, social norms, and ways of communicating that exist between different nationalities or cultural groups. The video emphasizes the importance of understanding these differences, especially in a remote working context where misinterpretations can occur due to differing cultural interpretations of everyday expressions and behaviors. An example from the script is the confusion over the phrase 'just now', which has different meanings depending on the cultural context.

💡Flexibility

Flexibility in the workplace typically refers to the ability of employees to have some control over their work schedules and location. The speaker in the video discusses how millennials value flexibility, including remote work options and flexible working hours, more than traditional benefits like cash bonuses or additional vacation time. Flexibility is portrayed as a key driver for job satisfaction and employee retention.

💡Multicultural team

A multicultural team is a group of individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds who work together towards a common goal. The video script describes the speaker's experience managing a team with members from over 10 different nationalities, which presents unique challenges and opportunities. The speaker's journey as a 'nomad' and exposure to various cultures is used to highlight the complexities of managing such a team remotely.

💡Communication

Communication is the process of exchanging information, ideas, or feelings through speech, signals, writing, or behavior. The video underscores the importance of effective communication in remote and multicultural work environments. Challenges such as time zone differences, language barriers, and cultural nuances are discussed as they impact the clarity and effectiveness of communication within the team.

💡Context

Context refers to the circumstances or setting in which something occurs, which can affect its meaning. In the video, the lack of context in remote communication is highlighted as a source of misunderstandings. The speaker shares an anecdote where a positive comment was misinterpreted due to the absence of non-verbal cues and the cultural context that would have clarified the intended meaning.

💡Cultural awareness

Cultural awareness is the understanding and appreciation of the diverse cultures that make up a team or society. The video script mentions the speaker's use of a book, 'The Culture Map', to increase cultural awareness among team members. This initiative is described as a turning point in improving communication and reducing misunderstandings within the multicultural team.

💡Millennials

Millennials are the generation born between the early 1980s and the mid-1990s to early 2000s. The video discusses the work preferences of millennials, who are depicted as valuing flexibility, remote work, and continuous learning opportunities over traditional benefits. The speaker uses data from a graph to support the claim that millennials prioritize these aspects of the workplace experience.

💡Co-working spaces

Co-working spaces are shared workspaces that are flexible and affordable, providing a communal atmosphere for freelancers, startups, and other independent professionals. The video suggests that co-working spaces can help alleviate feelings of loneliness and isolation that can accompany remote work by providing a social and professional environment.

💡Physical presence

Physical presence refers to the act of being in a particular place at a specific time. The speaker argues that while remote work is becoming more prevalent, occasional physical presence is still necessary to build strong team relationships and empathy. The video suggests that in-person interactions are crucial for creating a cohesive and empathetic team dynamic.

💡Loneliness

Loneliness is the feeling of sadness or distress caused by a lack of contact with others. In the video, the speaker shares personal experiences of loneliness while working remotely, emphasizing the importance of finding ways to connect with others and feel part of a community. The video suggests that loneliness is a common challenge for remote workers and that strategies such as co-working or occasional in-person meetings can help mitigate this feeling.

Highlights

The speaker manages a team of 30 people from 10 different nationalities, emphasizing the challenges of remote and multicultural team management.

The speaker's personal journey includes living in various countries, providing a unique perspective on cultural diversity.

Despite not being a cultural expert, the speaker has extensive experience managing multicultural teams remotely.

Millennials prioritize flexible working hours and remote work options over cash bonuses and additional vacation days.

Remote work is becoming more common due to its cost-effectiveness and the desire for flexibility among the new generation of workers.

Cultural differences can lead to misunderstandings, even when teams share a common language.

The speaker shares a story about a cultural miscommunication regarding the concept of 'just now' in South Africa.

Lack of context in remote work can lead to confusion and misinterpretation of intentions.

The speaker discusses the challenges of loneliness and the importance of physical presence for team building in remote work settings.

Co-working spaces can help alleviate feelings of loneliness and provide a sense of community for remote workers.

Physical presence is necessary to create empathy and strong team bonds, despite the benefits of remote work.

The speaker recommends reading 'The Culture Map' by Erin Meyer to improve cross-cultural communication in the workplace.

Self-awareness of cultural differences is crucial for effective communication and teamwork in diverse teams.

The speaker highlights the importance of flexibility in the workplace, as it is highly valued by the younger workforce.

Remote work can lead to increased working hours, but offers more flexibility during the day, which is appreciated by employees.

The speaker shares personal experiences of feeling lonely while working remotely and the importance of finding ways to connect with others.

The future of work may involve a blend of remote flexibility and occasional physical presence for optimal team dynamics.