Remember the last time you returned from a trip from another country? Or even better, from a trip where you visited a few countries? What did you feel you gained during or after this trip?
When I come back even from a single trip from one country, I am positively overwhelmed with how much I have learned. Picking up words in a foreign language, getting out of my comfort zone to reproduce these words, experiencing different energy, getting to know new ways of doing things, etc. This is very enriching.
Similar emotions and impressions I experience when being a part of a multicultural environment. For me it can be compared to being in a few different countries, and at times even continents, at the same time.
Of course, multiculturalism might have some downsides for a business. However, predominantly, businesses benefit from multiculturalism. Below are eight reasons why multiculturalism might bring your business higher chances for success:
1. The cultures we are coming from impact the ways we think, act, make decisions, accept changes, approach power, etc. When applying these different approaches, ways of thinking and doing things – it might lead to creative, inspiring, innovative, and better performance and results. It allows employees to complement each other.
2. This also gives an opportunity for people to learn from each other both new things, and to master “old” things. Learning from each other comes with learning how others behave and taking out of it what feels good for you. Learning new and mastering “old” things comes from the fact that working with different cultures can also be a challenge, which might require patience, acceptance, communication, sensitivity, negotiations, convincing etc. It creates opportunities to practice and master skills and competences. It helps broaden employees’ horizons and increase awareness.
3. Multiculturalism might make your business more attractive for clients. For example, if you want to expand, having in your team a representative of a culture and a market you are thinking of exploring, can be to your advantage. Knowing how the culture influences business, this representative can advise on the best ways to approach potential clients, to negotiate and to make business. This might help better understand the client and their needs, and develop a better strategy to “massage” them and strike an excellent deal.
4. Another advantage – multiculturalism comes with more languages. When a client, who would feel more comfortable speaking in their language rather than the organisation’s language, approaches an organisation, the right team member(s) that speak that language can then step in.
5. Speaking of languages, being a part of a multicultural team means having a possibility to practice the languages you speak or to learn with native speakers. This will enhance language proficiency in the organisation.
6. Multiculturalism brings together different energies — attitudes, beliefs, perceptions etc. This might have a positive impact on the organisational culture and overall morale.
7. Quite a lot of great talents want to be part of an international environment. In my experience, almost every candidate I have a talk with emphasizes this as an important element in their decision-making on a choice of an organisation. Multiculturalism makes you more attractive as an employer for excellent talent (and you, most probably, do not want to have any other talent than excellent).
8. Some local organisations, employing local staff coming from the same culture, also work with international clients. They can also be considered multicultural since they have to interact with foreign cultures.
These examples show that multiculturalism provides opportunities and can positively influence your operations, clients and employees. International talents enrich your business internally and externally, and can bring it to a totally different level due to the advantages of different cultures “boiling in the same pot.”
By: Liubovi Bosenko