Peralta Associates
people skills for a global economy

Tip #1 Establish clear lines of communication, organizational structure, and tasks.
Avoid instituting change for change's sake, as this can be seen as unstable and unreliable, rather than innovative, by the people you are managing.

Tip #2 Set recognizable milestones for performance.
Managers of culturally diverse employees need to set very clear and quantifiable expectations so as not to create confusion and false assumptions.

Tip #3 Avoid assigning roles to people based on stereotypes.
Assuming that people are "good with numbers" or "creative types" based on national or ethnic origin can under-utilize individual talents.

Tip #4 Be careful about promoting people based on performance alone.
Seniority structures and family ties may be strong and promotions "out of line" may offend other employees.

Tip #5 Keep in constant touch to reinforce progress and identify problems.
In many settings, it is the manager's responsibility to recognize when an employee is dissatisfied or troubled.

Tip #6 Invest in training.
Studies have shown that diverse teams that learn together perform better.

Tip #7 Avoid over-analyzing problems and concentrate on what is working.
An overly analytical style can seem critical or argumentative in some cultural settings.

Tip #8 Form a network of cultural mentors.
It is important to find "cultural mentors" that can help you distinguish between personal, organizational, and cultural issues.

Tip #9 Set a realistic pace to meet goals.
Tasks and projects across national boundaries and with people of different languages and/or cultural orientations always take longer.

Tip #10 Build similarities by recognizing differences.
In other words, try to find out about issues and concerns BEFORE creating policies and procedures.