Relating to colleagues from different cultures is more important than ever in today’s global, interconnected business environment, but are intercultural training programs worth the time and money? You might be surprised to learn that intercultural education is an investment that can pay off in the future. Here are ways intercultural training benefits your business and employees.
Better Communication
Misunderstandings can lead to hours of lost productivity. When your team learns to communicate better across cultural divides, work becomes more streamlined and efficient. Increased cultural understanding helps managers relay instructions to subordinates/employees more efficiently and reduces the amount of time spent on conflict resolution. Investing more into intercultural training may even allow you to spend less on the human resources department.
Increased Productivity
Cultural awareness facilitates productivity by bringing everyone together. On-demand intercultural training programs encourage team members from different backgrounds to interact more, which increases productivity and helps get work done faster. Your team can also have more pleasant and effective interactions with customers or clients when they have a greater understanding of other cultures.
More Opportunities
An increasingly globalized business environment means that cultural awareness and understanding is essential for the long-term success of your business. Being able to close deals and collaborate with teams from other countries and cultures gives your business a major advantage over the competition. There’s no better way to make a good impression in another country than demonstrating cultural competency and knowledge of local customs and etiquette.
For more information about our cultural training programs at YIPA, contact us today.