Latest Thinking

Managing Vacations on a Global Team

Managing Vacations on a Global Team

It’s no longer unusual for teams within organizations to span different countries and cultures.

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When Best Practices Don’t Travel

When Best Practices Don’t Travel

This piece was co-authored with Michael Zakkour.  See below for bio.

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Learning to Lead in a New Culture

Learning to Lead in a New Culture

Becoming a manager for the first time is no easy task.

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Companies Don’t Go Global, People Do: An Interview with Andy Molinsky at Harvard Business Review

Companies Don’t Go Global, People Do: An Interview with Andy Molinsky at Harvard Business Review

Sarah Cliffe about the difficulties—and pleasures—of cross-cultural learning.  A version of this article appeared in the October 2015 issue (pp.82–85) of Harvard Business Review, and the interview also appears here online.

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A Blueprint for Cultural Fluency

A Blueprint for Cultural Fluency

Marco, the Italian COO of a technology company in Mumbai, can’t motivate his Indian employees.

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The Art of Adapting to a Foreign Culture

The Art of Adapting to a Foreign Culture

If you have ever lived or worked in a foreign culture, you have likely confronted situations in which the natural, comfortable “default” behavior from your native culture turns out to be ineffective for a situation you find yourself in within a new cultural environment.

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Learning to Speak Up When You’re from a Culture of Deference

Learning to Speak Up When You’re from a Culture of Deference

Many of us are uncomfortable speaking with people of higher status.

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Will That Cross-Cultural Coach Really Help Your Team?

Will That Cross-Cultural Coach Really Help Your Team?

It’s not uncommon for global businesses to face increasingly complex cross-cultural challenges.

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Learning the Language of Indirectness in Global Business

Learning the Language of Indirectness in Global Business

Imagine the following situation: It’s March 15th, and Mark, an American manager, is arranging a date for the installation of a powerful new computing system for a Japanese company.

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