Building a Global Workplace Community

Many multinational firms are struggling with a kind of identity crisis: How do we create one global workplace community out of all of these various and culturally distinct workplaces? Moreover, what do we expect of the members of that global community in terms of how they treat one another and conduct their business? When an employee in one region can send an inappropriate or culturally offensive e-mail to people around the world with one click, finding an answer to these questions is becoming more and more of a business necessity. Corporate culture and “people” issues take on new complexities when the workplace spans multiple countries and regions.

Regardless of their backgrounds or nationalities, employees must be able to work together productively to achieve business goals. Most organizations recognize that in order to be successful, they need to fully leverage the talents of all their employees and position themselves to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse customer base. Employment laws in the U.S. and around the world have been enacted specifically to help in these areas. Additionally, language and “cultural competency” training can help transnational employees and those who interact with colleagues and customers in other countries communicate more effectively and be aware of cultural nuances and customs. But as many multinational companies are beginning to realize, legal and language standards aren’t enough to build and maintain a global culture and community.

To build a global workplace culture, companies need to focus on the behaviors and values that will sustain productive interactions and ethical business practices across country lines. Relying on legal standards to define the global workplace culture is rarely effective. Legal standards vary from country to country – sometimes even conflicting with one another – and for U.S.-based companies, focusing on U.S. regulations as a basis for behavioral standards can send a message of American cultural imperialism that will nearly always provoke backlash. Like language instruction, legal training must be tailored to the location and is only one element of a larger strategic approach that must originate with the company’s values. This is not to say that compliance and cultural sensitivity issues aren’t important. On the contrary, these issues must be addressed, but they can only be successfully handled in the context of a broader values-based initiative.

Setting a Global Values-Based Standard

If values are the basis, then proper business conduct must integrated into the corporate values. Behavioral standards should be developed and then communicated with the same rigor and process used to develop and communicate other corporate initiatives, such as those dealing with quality, service, and productivity. Therefore, the initiative must be driven by top executives and presented as a matter of corporate citizenship.

First, if the initiative is seen solely as a project of the Legal or HR department, it’s destined to fail. Leaders at all levels throughout the company must make it clear they are demanding the business be run a certain way in order to achieve the organization’s mission. Second, standards must be tied to corporate citizenship – common expectations of all employees, irrespective of where they live, work, or travel. Certainly, cultural mores and experiences shape the attitudes of individuals in different regions in the world. However, employees must realize they are citizens of the organization, with all the benefits and responsibilities citizenship entails. Standards of ethical conduct need to be viewed as corporate rules rather than the requirements of a particular country, and leadership must communicate that the rules are being adopted as business standards for the entire organization.

Just as they should with a similar initiative confined to one country or even one location, companies need to develop a set of behavioral guidelines that help employees understand how the values apply to their day-to-day conduct, treatment of one another, and business practices. Even those who speak the same language may have different perceptions of what it means to treat people with respect. So, in a global workplace, it’s even more important to communicate simply and specifically, and provide examples that make sense in the individual’s own environment.

Recognizing that it will likely be an ongoing and evolving process, organizations should start small with a few clear behavioral standards that link to the values. I suggest that the standards address foundational issues such as daily behavior and actions, the importance of reporting violations or potential problems, and for managers, the importance of welcoming concerns so problems can be handled in a timely and appropriate manner. All of these behaviors impact the organization’s ability to conduct business successfully, protect its reputation and brand, and minimize risk. While the dynamics of a global environment necessitate continual evaluation and adjusting, there should be a few non-negotiable traits that are required of everyone regardless of where they are located.

Involving Key Stakeholders

In the context of a broadening global employee and customer base, one organization I work with has shifted its view, now deliberately considering itself a “global” rather than “U.S.-based” company. This mind shift has changed the way divisions are structured and who is involved in key initiatives and decisions. Global and local teams are being put in place to ensure the right stakeholders are on board at every step. This new approach builds cohesion, improves synergies, and reflects the truly global operation of the business.

Involving key individuals from different regions early in the process is crucial. As another client once told me, a “throw it over the wall” approach doesn’t work. Regional input helps overcome barriers, identify region-specific issues, and uncover potential concerns about receptiveness to the standards and messages. Regional representatives can also be valuable partners in working through some of the complex logistical issues that may arise.

This involvement upfront is vital, because when it comes discussing the standards, subtle issues – a cultural aversion to raising complaints, for example, or attitudes towards “Western” concepts like retaliation – can be the most problematic. Because these cultural nuances may not be readily apparent to outsiders, the best way to find out about them is to talk to employees who actually live and work in the country and clarify what you’re trying to accomplish. Visit them where they are to get a better understanding of the culture and realities they are facing. Ask for and listen to their critical feedback. Many involved in developing these initiatives are surprised that seemingly innocuous standards meet with such powerful resistance or offend certain cultures. Better to find out from local representatives involved in shaping the standards rather than when it’s rolled out to the entire workforce.

Legal representatives from the regions should also be involved early in the process. However, lawyers must understand that the goal is to set up simple behavioral standards tied to the values, not a system that requires employees to learn intricate legal information that may or may not even apply in their regions. Everyone needs to understand that while compliance issues may be part of the driver for change, you are working together to create a values-based culture that will fuel global business success.

This question of what you are trying to accomplish is significant, because many tend to view these initiatives as strictly compliance based. If compliance is the underlying anchor, however, employees and even leaders may decide “this doesn’t apply to me because that law doesn’t apply here.” Leaders have to be convinced this is a business priority that has broad impact on the company’s finances, reputation, talent retention, and ability to compete globally. Show them examples that relate to the company’s business, brand, and circumstances, because all may be at stake if behavioral standards aren’t consistently followed. Leaders respond to a business message, and when they believe the initiative is important to the bottom line, they’ll be its best advocates.

The Challenge of Changing Behavior Globally

Getting the right stakeholders on board is essential, because once the behavioral standards are developed, even bigger hurdles await. To get the messages out, organizations will face cultural, language, logistical, and conceptual barriers. The conceptual barriers are often most troubling. I advise companies to go into the process expecting resistance because it will happen and quite possibly in regions where you least expect it. A global initiative requires new and creative thinking because the response to tried-and-true messages may be entirely different than what you’ve seen before. That doesn’t necessarily mean the messages are wrong, but it does mean you’ll have to find new arguments to address employees’ resistance and build a rationale for following the standards.

One organization I work with reminds employees that the company has its own manufacturing and quality standards that often supersede local laws and requirements. They analogize behavioral standards to these quality standards, emphasizing that both have an impact on their business and customers. By building an argument that employees can relate to, they are able to begin breaking down conceptual resistance.

Training, which is a vital component of such an initiative, must be delivered by credible individuals who believe it’s important to follow the behavioral standards, can articulate the importance in a personal way, and are prepared to respond to conceptual challenges. The training itself must be tailored – once again, with the involvement of local stakeholders – not only with language and cultural translation but also to anticipate and counter conceptual resistance.

As a general rule, training should not be based on legal regulations. Instead it should be skills-based and grounded in company values and standards about behavior and business practices. For compliance purposes, managers will need some information about specific laws that apply in the country in which they operate, but values and standards should anchor the course. Managers and employees should also learn how their conduct impacts the business as a global entity, and be given skills and tools to help them fulfill their responsibilities as citizens of a global organization. Just as the company as a whole is looking at its global culture and structure in new ways, employees should be looking at their behavior – and the business impact of their behavior – in new ways, too. They need to understand how behavioral standards will ultimately improve teamwork, productivity, and business results.

Ongoing Process, Ongoing Learning

Many organizations become overwhelmed by the process or discouraged by the pace of regional acceptance. There are no quick fixes in transforming a global workplace community. It’s a time-consuming process that requires careful analysis and research in advance and ongoing refinement as it evolves. While challenges seem to loom at every corner, organizations can proactively address and plan for problems by taking a step-by-step approach and involving key stakeholders early and often.

Leaders who regularly communicate the standards to employees and motivate them to align their behavior with the company’s values are key. In partnership with the marketing department, they must “brand” the initiative as a critical corporate strategy and communicate it in ways that have meaning to individuals across the organization. To have impact, messages must be clear, consistent, and regularly repeated in the context of everyday business and performance. Other reinforcement, through training and additional communication vehicles, will be necessary to sustain the momentum.

Measurement should also be built into the process. Tracking progress along the way will help guide future adjustments and priorities, and data pointing to positive results can help build support in the more challenging regions. Prepare leaders to understand that this will be a gradual, step-by-step process, and set realistic goals that take into consideration the various tactical implementation barriers likely to be faced.

Ultimately, though, regardless of the differences employees of a global company may have – language, location, ethnicity, experiences – they do have at least one thing in common: they’re all citizens of the organization, working to achieve the business mission. By building upon the common responsibilities of those citizens, and taking a values-driven approach, organizations can move towards creating a productive, professional, and respectful global workplace.