Adapt and survive

Senior managers are increasingly being asked to work across cultures on a global scale. To do so they need to let go of their ingrained beliefs and become cultural chameleons. Jenny Plaister-Ten explains why this ‘unlearning’ is the jewel in the crown of global coaching

In today’s global economy, executives are increasingly required to be culturally agile. They must interact in multi-cultural and remote teams, introduce products and services to an international market, source talent across the globe and compete on a world stage. Yet they are often hampered by the effects of deeply ingrained cultural influences. Unlearning the cultural responses that no longer work for the client is the jewel in the crown of global coaching.

As a concept, unlearning seems to be gathering momentum in business and academia. Bill Lucas, speaking at the European Mentoring and Coaching Council UK’s annual conference in May suggested that ‘adaptive intelligence’ is a fundamental

21st century requirement for leaders, with unlearning being step one in his eight-step framework for change.

Yet, as Hofstede¹ notes, “unlearning cultural patterns is not easy”. Bringing them to awareness must surely be the first step in coaching.

Internal influences

All too often cultural imperatives determine that something should be carried out in a particular manner. Consider the need for socialising before, during and after a meeting with someone from Italy, the drive to demonstrate personal contribution to a team by colleagues from the US or the attempt to secure consensus in Scandinavian countries.

Things get particularly complicated for ‘global nomads’. These leaders of the future are quite likely to have been born in one country, socialised in another, educated in another and transferred from one country to another with one or more corporations. A global nomad may consequently marry a person from a different culture, raise multi-cultural children and at the same time be required to adapt to the prevailing culture of the organisation he or she works in.

For example, one respondent to my study² was a Canadian coach practising in Hong Kong, coaching a Taiwanese client under pressure to enter the family business. Here the coach acted as a counterpoint for the client.

“He had an internal struggle about whether or not it was what he really wanted. He was educated in the US and valued Western thinking about independence. He knew there was a difference in his culture and the way he was educated. There were conflicting values for him, but he said it was useful to talk to me because I would easily understand them.”

The global economy may be attributed to the emergence of the ‘cultural chameleon’ – someone who has learned the skill of ‘unlearning’ in the context of the organisation. However, a person who visibly changes behaviour according to context may be seen by co-workers as untrustworthy. It is also highly likely that once out of the workplace cultural traditions will prevail, particularly in the family context.

Coaches with little knowledge of the cultural dynamics at play can use their lack of understanding as a tool. “Can you explain the importance of your cultural beliefs about this situation as I may not have that understanding?”, they might ask, thus illuminating the cultural mandates that are driving action. Subsequent questions such as: “How appropriate do you consider x to be in y context” will help the client assume responsibility according to the prevailing culture of the organisation or the host country.

Where there are conflicting beliefs, examining the coaches’ multiple internal perspectives can assist with balancing the energy and the emotions that may be attached.

External influences

Looking at factors outside the coaching relationship can help the coach understand a client’s disposition to change and the levels of self-determinism or fatalism they are likely to display. Some cultures tend to be more accepting of the situation ‘as is’ than others. There are many external influences that have an impact on the psyche of global leaders, including socio-economic, political and economic factors.

Examining education systems can give clues to the degree of flexibility of thought an individual may exhibit. One participant said: “In mainland China people seem to be at a different stage of learning so coaching can actually teach people how to think about things.”

Examining history brings with it multiple opportunities to understand the fabric of society the person comes from. “In Brazil there is a history of slavery; if you’re a slave would you want to work hard for your master?”, said another participant.

External considerations, along with knowledge of cultural theory^3,4,5, can serve to formulate a hypothesis about which cultures have which values in common.

This is very useful, for example, in observing the differences in collective societies such as Asia, where allegiance to the relationship and to the group takes priority over the needs and concerns of the individual – responsibility in the West is likely to be to the self whereas, in the East it is likely to be to the team, family or community.

The cross-cultural kaleidoscope may be used as an ‘antenna’ to alert the coach to possible cultural issues that may be couched in the presenting issue.

Start by bringing the cultural self into awareness. Then ask questions such as:

• Given your cultural beliefs, what does that mean to you?
• What impact does your cultural background have on that thinking?
• What would someone else from/not from your culture do in the same circumstances?

Consider the impact of the multi-faceted external world on the client’s psyche. Examine these many influences with the client for their impact on leadership style – for example, a history of slavery may mean the client still works exceptionally hard to prove himself or doesn’t work hard for another ‘master’.

An economy that is uncertain, or where currency being devalued, may present in coaching as an unplanned strategy and future growth path.

Even climate can have a bearing on a leadership style. People in cold countries tend to hurry and people in extreme heat do not; this heritage brings behavioural habits, which may be inappropriate or at least ‘judged’ to be so by a line manager. Another example is a lack of assertiveness, which is sometimes manifested by people from Asia; perhaps more so by women. Couple a lack of assertiveness with slow movements and there may be a perception of laziness or demotivation. Use coaching to bring these to awareness. In this way the client can choose whether to attempt to unlearn some of these habits in order to become more accepted by the host country and in a workplace context, thus overcoming barriers to high performance.

Pulling it all together

A systems approach, as advocated by Cavanagh⁶, can help draw together the internal and external worlds of the client. The cross-cultutral kaleidoscope facilitates this. Hall⁷ suggests that values are the brokerage unit between the inner and outer worlds, re-inforcing the importance of working with values in the coaching relationship.

Jenny Plaister-Ten is director of 10 Consulting Ltd, a consulting and coaching practice www.10consulting.co.uk

Learning points

• Bracket any stereotypical beliefs in cultural dimensions, orientations or other classifications, including your own cultural bearings.
• Where you have little knowledge of the cultural dynamics at play, use this lack of understanding as a tool. Help the client assume responsibility in its context.
• Where there are conflicting beliefs, examine the client’s multiple internal perspectives to help them balance the energy and emotions that may be attached. Drawing may help here.
• Examine external influences to establish the client’s disposition to change and their level of self-determinism or fatalism.
• Examine education systems to find clues as to the degree of flexibility of thought an individual may exhibit.
• Learn about cultural theory to explore commonality of values across cultures.
• Use the Gestalt technique of putting the client in the ‘shoes’ of both or all parties.
• Use the cross-cultural kaleidoscope (Plaister-Ten, 2008; see Figure 1) to direct you to possible cultural issues.
• Ask questions such as:
• Given your cultural beliefs, what does that mean to you?
• What impact does your cultural background have on that thinking?
• What would someone else from/not from your culture do in the same circumstances?
• Consider external factors such as history, the economy, the climate.

References and further information

1. G Hofstede, Culture’s Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions, and Organizations across Nations, California: Sage Publications, 2001.
2. J Plaister-Ten, Research study conducted as part of an MA in Coaching and Mentoring Practice, with Oxford Brookes University, 2008.
3. G Hofstede, Cultures and Organizations: Intercultural Cooperation and its Importance for Survival, London: Profile Books, 2003.
4. F Trompenaars and C Hampden-Turner, Riding The Waves of Culture: Understanding Cultural Diversity in Business, London: Nicholas Brealey, 1997.
5. T E Hall, Beyond Culture, New York: Anchor Books, 1976; The Dance of Life, New York: Anchor Books, 1983.
6. M Cavanagh, “Coaching from a systemic perspective: a complex adaptive conversation”, in D R Stober and A M Grant (eds), Evidence Based Coaching Handbook, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2006.
7. B P Hall, Values Shift: A Guide to Personal and Organizational Transformation, Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 1994.
8. B Lucas, rEvolution: How to Thrive in Crazy Times, Carmarthen: Crown House Publishing, 2009.
9. H R Markus and S Kitayama, “Culture and the self: implications for cognition, emotion and motivation”, in R F Baumeister (ed), The Self in Social Psychology, Philadelphia: Taylor & Francis, 1999.

Coaching at Work, Volume 5, Issue 5