Tag: corporate culture
Advantage #5: More fun at work; more learning for everyone.
I believe that when bilingual people from different countries work together, they might connect more to each other than the average company personnel. They could have many things in common, like knowledge of more cultures, different values, music, beliefs, foods, dance, and other diverse cultural identities.
When I lived and worked in New York City, I recall being in the subway and hearing two people speaking, and asking myself “what language is that?” After living there for a while, I would challenge myself, and was able to tell when people were speaking Greek, Japanese, German, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, French, Hindi, Korean, Russian, and so on. It all fascinated me.
At the advertising agency I worked for, there were people from Venezuela, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, and many other Latin American countries. I loved to learn more about their respective dishes, native cultures, dances, music, about their families, and to hear about their individual American dream stories. All of the employees were bilingual, and it appeared that we had an International day each day at work.
When a company has bilingual employees in the US, those employees have usually moved here from other countries. Consequently, they have their own ‘American dream story’ and have worked hard to ‘make it’ in America. A company can have an International Day, and can have employees bring homemade dishes from their respective countries. Companies can have more fun events at work and enjoy the teamwork that builds and develops from having a pleasant work environment for everyone. To learn more about having a diverse work environment, click here.
In summary, globalization is changing the world – and we all need to get a better worldwide picture in our respective companies. Globalization not only goes for the economics, but it also goes for our communication with each other. Bilingual employees will become essential to get a better worldwide picture.
April 21, 2010
Advantage #4: Traveling overseas can be easier because the company has their own ‘tour guides’ who speak the native language and can communicate with local residents.
Picture this. Your company is expanding into Brazil and you have to hire a General Manager, who will be in charge of your expansion…but you do not speak Portuguese. You have to conduct focus groups as well, to see about the feasibility of bringing various products into Brazil but you are concerned about communicating with the local residents, and describing your products well enough to the target market. Can you imagine the position you will be in?
When a company has bilingual personnel, the bilingual employees can travel with management, and the company’s representatives can have their own local connection to the market.
As I indicated in ‘Advantage #3’, the bilingual employee can understand the market better and can provide a better cultural identity with the local residents. Picture the Brazil example I provided above, but now add a couple of dynamic sales people to the trip with you and a product engineer who speaks Portuguese. The trip would be easier because there will be true contact, accurate positioning of the products, and communication of the bilingual employees with the Brazilian market and with the future customers.
Language is a critical aspect of connecting with a culture. Bilingual employees provide that connection.
April 14, 2010
Advantage #3: Companies can successfully expand into other countries with established and proven bilingual personnel.
If the company has an experienced bilingual staff, who is familiar with the products and services, and who have proven themselves in their field; the company has a bigger winning potential and can better penetrate and reach new markets.
Bilingual employees can assist the company with the knowledge of the new location, what the culture likes, dislikes, and with the knowledge of their purchasing habits. For instance, if I was advising a client and they were reaching the Hispanic market, I could tell them that the Latino population is brand oriented and loyal to the products and services they like. If the particular company wanted to translate their company material into Spanish, I would tell them to use ‘neutral’ Spanish, which can be understood in the various Latin American markets. I know the Hispanic market well, and can illustrate the Hispanic culture to a company.
Each language is inter-related to a specific culture, and the bilingual employee can help the company understand the specific market. Consequently, the company can get a better cultural identity and a better connection to the market, through their bilingual employees.
April 7, 2010
We all know that employers and employees need to work together in order to understand each other. Management needs to try to understand the employees better and the employees need to comprehend management to a greater degree. Plus, the diversification of America’s workforce over the years requires the workplace to reflect the backgrounds of all who work there.
Forward thinking employers see diversity as an opportunity to embrace a variety of opinions and cultures, and they do it because they believe in it, rather than just to fulfill their equal opportunity requirements and their quotas.
People who have known me for years can attest to the fact that although I’m a minority, I would not like to be considered for a position because I am Hispanic or because I am a woman. I want to be considered for a position because I have the right experience, the education, the appropriate knowledge, and the skills to get that position. Having said that, I like companies that are visionaries; companies that like to involve people of all ethnical backgrounds. With more diversity come more ideas, better products and greater services for the company.
When you have a multicultural atmosphere, you come up with multicultural ideas that can be embraced by the world, and consequently, the company can benefit. In my opinion, the more diversity there is in a business, the more diverse the ideas are in that business.
The leaders of multi-cultural teams need to take into consideration the many cultural facets of their employees. Here is a short list of things to consider (and there are plenty more):
- Religious Holidays and religious practices- Managers should try to understand their employees’ religious practices and embrace their respective beliefs, including special holidays.
- In some cultures, if a family member is sick – other family members must attend to their siblings’ (parents, next of kin) needs and would not have it any other way. An employee might need to fly to another country, to pay their last respects to a family member. If you assist the employees at particularly tough times, the majority of them will give you loyalty back for years to come.
- For some cultures, mourning the loss of a family member, especially close siblings, is a period of time to spend time with each other (after the family member’s passing), and grieve together.
- If two employees are from a specific country, and they speak to each other during their lunch hour or during their break, in their native tongue, don’t take it personally. No, they are probably not talking about you. But they might connect at that time with their past (with their roots). It might be that they don’t have anyone, but that co-worker, to speak in their native language.
- Take into account how long the employee has been away from their native country. If it is less than five years, they are still going through the feelings of being ‘homesick’. Be supportive and encourage them daily. With every month and every year that goes by, it gets better. The employee will get more accustomed to their new country, to the new customs, and to their new world.
- Keep in mind that if the employee came from another country, and spoke another language, that he or she has gone through a lot of adjustments and that they’re just trying to make their dreams come true.
As time passes, the multi-cultural employee will become bilingual and will feel more ‘at home’. They will never forget the leaders who helped them make it in their new country. I hope that you are one of those leaders.
Let’s learn more from each other and let’s create a more understanding world in the workplace.
August 18, 2009
