Leadership development

Global mobility is the rule in multinational organisations and managers are increasingly compelled to achieve their goals in conditions far more complex and demanding than some years ago.

Our training approach for global leaders increases their capability to function effectively in business contexts where cultural diversity plays a role. With the help of case studies and role plays, we encourage them to actively reflect upon their personal values and leadership practices. As a result, they increase their managerial competence in cross-border interactions, including those particularly challenging from an intercultural perspective, such as dealing with conflict or solving ethical dilemmas.

Team effectiveness

Multicultural teams have a big potential and can be more creative than purely domestic teams, but very often they lack commitment to a shared goal and encounter difficulties in performing at the expected level.

 

In our training interventions we facilitate processes to help teams analyse and solve problems to achieve their objectives. We provide specific techniques for dealing with the additional challenge of geographical dispersion, offering a framework to overcome trust issues and communication barriers when working with colleagues that can rarely meet face to face.

Intercultural communication

Culture determines how individuals encode and interpret messages and what mediums they choose for transmitting them. In our workshops participants can experience first-hand the impact of cultural values in interpersonal communication. Through selected activities they improve their communicative skills in specific international business situations (presentations, e-mailing and conference calls, performance reviews, conflict management, etc), and learn how to better use verbal and nonverbal signals for delivering a message effectively and with the appropriate cultural respect.

Corporate Culture Due Diligence

Mergers and acquisitions are one of the fastest strategic options that companies choose to face the global market. However, research shows that there is a high rate of failure in those transactions and that people issues are often in the root of them. Dealmakers pay great attention to the financial and operational data, but they tend to underestimate the importance of the human factor.

A Cultural Due Diligence is a useful tool to test the suitability of a planned international transaction. It provides a better understanding of the own organizational culture and evaluates possible divergences in management style with the potential partner.

Post M&A Integration

Sustainable value creation is not achieved by closing the transaction, but by conducting successful business afterwards. In practice, despite initial good intentions, deals often fall short when the time comes to translate a carefully developed strategy into the right mix of people, processes and technology.

After a cross-border merger or acquisition is closed, we help our clients to achieve the expected synergies by focusing on the human integration elements that are cultural sensitive. And we facilitate the development of a Third Culture that can be understood and accepted by employees of the two companies, combining the best elements of both.

Assessments

We can complement our training work with the benefits of assessment instruments that can be used individually or at a group level:

The International Profiler® is a questionnaire and feedback tool created to help managers reflect on their style when working in cross-cultural settings. It explores potential areas in which they may require future development, and suggests actions to fill the gaps.

The Diversity Icebreaker® is a very effective instrument in identifying preferences for communication, interaction and problem-solving styles. Participants fill in the questionnaire and take part in a group process facilitation to develop a shared understanding of how to deal with diversity issues in their team.

Negotiation across borders

Negotiation is a process that is most effective when is grounded in principles and not just on maintaining a position. Understanding the real interests of the other side and our own cultural filters in the way we communicate our demands, will allow us to interpret correctly what is happening in a negotiation process. Influence and decision strategies vary significantly across cultures and, accordingly, different negotiation skills are required.

Our Negotiation Programme can be designed to meet your specific needs in terms of target culture or existing organizational requirements. We collaborate with a network of consultants worldwide that supply local knowledge and expertise when needed.

Intercultural skills for lawyers

Today´s legal business is increasingly global. Cultural differences affect every aspect of commercial activities, not merely the process of negotiating a deal. Behaviours, communication patterns, decision-making processes, personal expectations … all have cultural significance. In order to effectively advice and support their international clients, legal counsels need to understand the cultural background where a transaction takes place.

We offer a training programme specially designed for lawyers working internationally. It helps to develop awareness of the legal implications of cultural diversity and, most importantly, to improve lawyer-client relationships.

Expatriation support

In a world of intensifying competition for human capital, a strong global talent pool has become a strategic asset and a source of sustainable competitive advantage. In this context, many multinationals understand what moving abroad represents in terms of cultural adaptation and recognize the importance of investing in cross-cultural training to prepare their expatriates for an international assignment.

At Glocal Talent we give pre-departure and post-arrival coaching and training support to relocating managers and their families, introducing them to their new culture and providing information and advice to cope with the challenges of a new environment, such a culture shock, stress and isolation.