Get the Latest on Developing a Global HR Strategy

In order to help global assignees and their families succeed when relocating internationally, human resources departments in multinational organizations need to have state-of-the-art tools to manage employee mobility and they need to have a wellformed global HR strategy. On September 27, 2018 language services firms TransNation Translations and Fluency Corp will host a lunch and learn session for human resources professionals …

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The Secret to Managing Expat Assignments for Modern Families? Start with the Spouse

Skilled professionals are increasingly likely to have an equally skilled partner at home. This makes it harder for companies to fill overseas positions when the move affects two professional careers. Multinational corporations are starting to recognize and try to understand the complexities of managing talent globally. But we wondered whether they are considering the “right” scope of complexities. As an …

Growing up as a black TCK in Germany [The Culture Guy Podcast]

Trevor Gillies talks about his experience with racism and ethnic inequality as a U.S. third-culture kid in Deutschland Spending your childhood and adolescence abroad and being raised as a third-culture kid (TCK) is a unique experience. As the child of U.S. service members, Trevor Gillies grew up as the only black kid in a Southern Germany town in the ’80s …

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Talking to Thrive Global About the Business Benefits of Diversity and Inclusion

What is the value of a multicultural, diverse, and inclusive workforce in global business? That’s a question Thrive Global, a corporate and consumer well-­being and productivity platform founded by Arianna Huffington, asks. The editorial team of the company which advocates behavior change around workplace health reached out to Christian Höferle to talk about diversity & inclusion – how cultural differences can make the difference …

How Culture Considerably Influences Children’s Development

From educational toys to governmental guidelines and detailed nursery progress reports, there are lots of resources available to help parents track and facilitate their children’s development. But while there are tricks we can use to teach children to talk, count, draw or respect others, a surprisingly big part of how they develop is determined by the culture they grow up …

How Unmanaged Diversity Will Lead to a Mess in Global Business [The Culture Guy Podcast]

When companies fail abroad, 50% to 70% of the time this is due to cultural differences that have not been addressed, says Sophie Lechner. The CEO of Global Commerce Education and creator of The G2 Experience is dedicated to making her clients aware of the dissimilarities and contrasts between markets and countries. Sophie Lechner about how organizing diversity properly will …

Can cultural differences between France and Croatia impact the World Cup Final?

The 2018 World Cup final will be football’s clash of the year, as France plays Croatia for the ultimate title. But will a contest on the pitch also translate to a collision of cultures? Right before the start of this year’s World Cup we put together an overview of all the cultures which were represented at the tournament. Here now is a …

Bicultural Employees Can Be Your Organization’s Secret to Success

A stroll through the halls of almost any Canadian or U.S. American workplace will testify to the cultural diversity of its workforce. By 2050, around 40 per cent of the population of Canada, as well as the United States and Australia, will be immigrants or the children of immigrants. Many of these people, who make up an increasing portion of …

What You Wish You Knew About the Cultures of World Cup 2018

During the next five weeks the eyes of the world will be looking to Russia. Not for political reasons (which cannot be ruled out, though), and more so because of sports: Russia is the host of the FIFA World Cup 2018. Call it Weltmeisterschaft, mundial de fútbol, كاس العالم, 월드컵, VM, coupe du monde, svjetski kup, Ворлд Цуп, copa do mondo, ワールドカップ, puchar świata, Кубок мира, or campionato mondiale – …

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Anthony Bourdain’s death is a tragic blow for the cross-cultural world

When I heard the news of Anthony Bourdain’s death I felt sadness. I can’t say I was surprised. If you ever watched Parts Unknown, his excellent show on CNN, you’ll remember how many times Bourdain talked about his demons. His bouts with addiction, his self doubt, and his depressive tendencies. Bourdain’s tragic suicide creates a gaping hole in the souls …

Judging Emotion Across Culture Works Surprisingly Well, Research Finds

We’re better at judging the emotions of people from our own country, according to research on the vocal expressions of people in the United States, Australia, India, Kenya, and Singapore. However, in a separate study, the researchers also discovered that Australians and Indians could read each other pretty well despite cultural barriers. When one native inflected differently on phrases, a …

Why knowing Spanish isn’t good enough to be successful in Latin America [The Culture Guy Podcast]

Adjusting to cultural differences between Spain and the Spanish-speaking parts of the Americas Spanish is the world’s second most common language with more than 400 million native speakers. Comparable to English it has been a lingua franca for centuries and you’ll find people on five continents whose first language is Spanish. This linguistic commonality, however, does not translate into cultural …

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Are Mexico and the United States really two distant neighbors?

Learn how to remove US-Mexican cultural roadblocks during this webinar 🇲🇽 💥 🇺🇸 With immigration and border security issues unresolved and while NAFTA is undergoing an overhaul with unclear outcome, trade relations between Mexico and the United States remain vital to both countries’ bottom line. The legal and political frameworks of business across North America may experience a reorganization, yet the nature of …

Younger Isn’t Necessarily Better When Learning a Second Language

It is often thought that it is better to start learning a second language at a young age. But research shows that this is not necessarily true. In fact, the best age to start learning a second language can vary significantly, depending on how the language is being learned. The belief that younger children are better language learners is based …

Knowledge about Different Cultures is Shaking the Foundations of Psychology

The academic discipline of psychology was developed largely in North America and Europe. Some would argue it’s been remarkably successful in understanding what drives human behavior and mental processes, which have long been thought to be universal. But in recent decades some researchers have started questioning this approach, arguing that many psychological phenomena are shaped by the culture we live …

Are some cultures really less trusting than others?

Nobel laureate Kenneth Arrow once described trust as a “lubricant of a social system”. Economic exchange, in particular, is virtually impossible without at least some level of trust. While markets, shops and online traders attempt to reduce uncertainty through customer reviews or free returns policies, consumers have to decide for themselves whether to trust unknown trading partners calling themselves obscure …

Why the Japanese concept of Nemawashi affects leadership in a Western context [The Culture Guy Podcast]

Working with professionals from Japan, Mexico, and the USA For three decades Jack Parsons worked for a Japanese car manufacturer who is building vehicles in the United States. In fact, Honda was the first automaker from Japan which established a production subsidiary in the U.S. In his functions at Honda Jack was responsible for training and supporting his company’s network …

How Learning a New Language Builds Cultural Competence and Tolerance

Why is foreign language study important? There are many benefits to knowing more than one language. For example, it has been shown that aging adults who speak more than one language have less likelihood of developing dementia. Additionally, the bilingual brain becomes better at filtering out distractions, and learning multiple languages improves creativity. Evidence also shows that learning subsequent languages …

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Learn To Decode How People Make Decisions

Getting to “Yes” quicker and more often Success in business depends on your ability to connect with other people, earn their attention and trust, and eventually close deals with them. Doing this and deciphering how people make decisions in an international context is disproportionately more challenging than working with local customers and vendors. Are you finding that selling and marketing …

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Join us at the Global HR Business Conference

Learn, Engage, Connect, Exchange Ideas, Collaborate The Global HR Business series of conferences is coming to Atlanta, GA this April. Event organizer Edwin B. Cohen has been putting together an impressive speaker roster. This full-day event on April 11, 2018 will bring together professionals from various industries. Ed and his team have been connecting business people from across silos, from across …