People who work internationally usually expect that there will be cultural differences between them and their business partners — and that these differences could lead to difficulties. But it is easy to forget that different working styles and working cultures can also exist in teams or departments in a single company. Culture is not only about who you are and where you’re from, but is also influenced by group norms. It is therefore important to be able to talk about differences in working styles and cultures, and to find ways of working successfully together.
Task
As you read the email and dialogue below, list all the positive things that Susan does to help overcome the problems that result from different work cultures in the two departments. Then read our comments.
Hi Silke
It’s great that our departments are working on this project together, and it has been good to get to know you and your team better.
Since we started a couple of weeks ago, we’ve noticed some differences in working cultures and styles between our two teams. It would be good to talk about them and how we can best collaborate to make this project a success.
Are you free on Thursday morning to discuss this?
See you soon
Susan
Hi, Silke. As I said in my email, we’ve been enjoying working with you and your team these past weeks. But I think it would be good if we talked about some differences in our working cultures.
Sure, like what?
Well, for example, your team seems to be flexible about the schedule and deadlines. My team is finding it difficult to plan their own activities if they can’t be certain that your team will finish their stages beforehand and on time. How do you feel about the schedule and the stage deadlines?
Well, it’s good that we’re all moving in the same direction and are in agreement about our goals. Sometimes, things change and other work gets in the way. Or there’s a delay in starting because we’re still waiting for information ourselves.
OK, I understand. But your team is probably more focused on the goal than on the process and timing of getting to the goal, right?
Yes, you could say that.
If we know that there is going to be a delay, then we can plan around it, which we can’t do if we find out at the last minute.
OK, I understand. I’ll talk to my team.
Great. Thanks very much, Silke.
Are there other points you think we should discuss?
Yes, there is one thing. It’s about the communication channels that we use. My team is often in meetings and can’t always react immediately to calls. Your team often calls without warning instead of emailing or scheduling a call, and then it’s difficult for my team to keep track of all the voicemail messages.
I see. We prefer using the phone, as it’s more personal than email. It’s also faster. It’s part of our culture — call first!
I understand. So, that’s probably something you don’t want to change, right?
I think we’d like to continue doing it that way. What if we stop leaving voicemails if we can’t reach someone, and simply send an email? Would that make it easier for your team? And in case anyone needs to check what tasks have been completed — or which decisions have been taken — they can always look in our planning software.
Yes, that sounds great, Silke. Many thanks for your flexibility. I’m sure this will help our teams to work together successfully.
Key tips!
- Think about the working cultures in different teams and departments.
- Be proactive about discussing such differences.
- Be open and flexible in discussions and listen to the needs and preferences of other teams and departments.
- Work together to “co-create” a culture for working together successfully.
Comments
Susan does many positive things to try to overcome the differences between the two departments:
- She is proactive in asking Silke for a meeting to discuss the differences in working styles.
- She addresses the differences in working cultures in a non-judgemental way.
- She asks Silke questions so that she can understand her perspective.
- She clarifies her understanding of what Silke says and summarizes this.
- She finds out where Silke may be flexible and where not.
- She is open and flexible herself.
- She ends the discussion positively and thanks Silke for her flexibility.
Grammar
Using “if” and “in case” to discuss future situations
When speaking about ways of working, you can use if and in case to talk about possible future situations. Look at these examples from the dialogue:
- If we know that there is going to be a delay, then we can plan around it, which we can’t do if we find out at the last minute.
- And in case anyone needs to check what tasks have been completed — or which decisions have been taken — they can always look in our planning software.
Useful phrases for talking about different working styles
A. Starting the conversation
- We’ve been enjoying working with your team.
- I’ve noticed some differences in our working cultures and styles.
- I think it would be good to talk about these differences.
- I think we are making some false assumptions about each other’s team / department.
- How can we work together more effectively?
B. Being specific
- Your team often takes a long time to respond.
- We seem to have different ideas about structures / deadlines / communication channels.
- Our approach to decision-
- making seems to be different.
- We prefer to communicate by phone / email / project software.
C. Clarifying by asking questions
- What is the reason for doing things that way?
- How do you feel about the way we do things?
- How flexible can you be here?
- So, that’s probably something you don’t want to change, right?
- Are there other points you think we should discuss?
D. Co-creating a new working culture
- What if we try to do things differently?
- If you can…, then we’ll be able to…
- Would it help you if we… ?
- How does that sound to you?
E. Closing positively
- Many thanks for going through those points with me.
- Many thanks for your flexibility.
- I’ll talk to my team about this.
- I’m sure this will help our teams work together successfully.
- Let’s meet in two weeks to discuss the situation again.
Arbeiten Abteilungen unterschiedlich, kann das zu Problemen führen. Lies hier, wie du auf Englisch darüber sprichst und so zu einer besseren Zusammenarbeit findest.