News Podcast: How to Communicate Effectively in a Multicultural Workplace

Podcast: How to Communicate Effectively in a Multicultural Workplace

Diversity can be a powerful driver of innovation, but managers need to consider more than basic etiquette to communicate effectively with a team from different backgrounds.

 

In the latest Melbourne Business School podcast, Professorial Fellow Gabriele Suder says leaders should know how to communicate effectively when working within multicultural workplaces. It is more than understanding the right way to greet someone or pass on a business card when working with diverse teams.

"We know that diverse teams outperform monocultural teams in regards to problem-solving and finding solutions," says Prof Suder.

However, to unlock that potential, leaders have to gain the trust of employees from different backgrounds through clear and culturally-aware communication.

Communicate Effectively

Some of the issues to consider are whether employees feel comfortable speaking publicly or posing questions in front of others and how they have been taught to interact with managers in the past, Prof Suder says.

Prof Gabriele Suder's background is German and French. She has worked in more than 20 countries around the world, both highly-developed and emerging, in senior leadership and academic roles, including the University of Melbourne. She is consultant and expert to organisations including the UN, OECD and the European Union, and the Australian government.

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