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What have we learnt?
In this article we reflect on our learning from the final week of Harnessing Cultural Diversity.
FARRAH KING: I think the first thing is to acknowledge it is a multicultural team. I think if you come in with a lens that we’re all going to work the same, you’re setting yourself up to get frustrated really quickly.
KOMALA MURUGIAH: Sometimes I don’t have to directly manage someone. I can do it in a very indirect manner. And that is influenced by the culture that the person is from and also the culture that I’m setting up for the team to function in. And knowing that balance is very helpful, and it takes time to build that.
AAKANKSHA CHHIKARA: Embracing the differences, because the differences don’t have to be bad differences. Bring diversity, right? It brings new experiences. It brings new ways of thinking or learning about a place. So as a team, we really enjoy that.
KOMALA MURUGIAH: Saying please, thank you works in any given situation. I think being genuinely polite and showing that we are putting in an effort to learning about how people would like to work. Having that openness is something that is a useful tool to carry anywhere.
FARRAH KING: And just having that appreciation for everyone bringing their own experiences is really exciting. And I love the idea that there’s actually something you can learn from other people and their cultures, if you just bring that curiosity.
Congratulations, you’re nearly at the end of the course!
Before we put everything together, let’s reflect on the key ideas from our final week.
Over the last week, we’ve focused on culturally intelligent leadership, and what you can do to:
- harness the unique perspectives of multicultural individuals
- ensure the right conditions for high performance, by reducing the impacts of cultural faultlines and fostering positive diversity mindsets
- understand differences in leadership styles and practices across cultures, so that you can better lead an inclusive team.
Your task
Reflect on your learning from Week 4 and share in the comments.
This article is from the online course:
Leading Culturally Diverse Teams in the Workplace
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This article is from the free online
Leading Culturally Diverse Teams in the Workplace
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