dossier culture at work research march 2013

7/28/2019 DOSSIER Culture at Work Research March 2013

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/dossier-culture-at-work-research-march-2013 1/24

CultureAt WOrK

The value o intercultural skills in the workplace

www.britishcouncil.org



AbOut IpsOsIpsos is the third largest market research company in the world, with o ces in over85 countries and research coverage in over 140 countries. Ipsos o ers unparalleledlocal knowledge paired with a networked global approach to project managementand quality control. Ipsos o ers expertise in advertising, customer loyalty, marketing,media and public a airs research, as well as evaluation, orecasting, modelling andconsulting. Ipsos has a ull line o custom, syndicated, omnibus, panel, and onlineresearch products and services, guided by industry experts and bolstered byadvanced analytics and methodologies. The company was ounded in 1975 andhas been publicly traded since 1999. In 2011, Ipsos generated global revenues o approximately €1.4 billion.

AbOut bOOz AllenHAmIltOnBooz Allen Hamilton has been at the ore ront o strategy and technology consultingor nearly a century. Today, the rm provides services to US and internationalgovernments in the de ence, intelligence and civil sectors, and to major corporations,institutions and not- or-pro t organisations. Booz Allen Hamilton o ers clients deepunctional knowledge spanning strategy and organisation, engineering and operations,technology and analytics – which it combines with specialised expertise in clients’mission and domain areas to help solve their toughest problems. Booz Allen Hamiltonhas its headquarters in McLean, Virginia, US and employs more than 25,000 people

around the world.



AbOut tHebrItIsH COunCIlThe British Council creates international opportunities or the people o theUK and other countries and builds trust between them worldwide. We are aRoyal Charter charity, established as the UK’s international organisation oreducational opportunities and cultural relations.

We work in more than 100 countries, and our 7,000 sta – including 2,000 teachers – work with thousands o pro essionals and policy makers and millions o youngpeople every year through English, arts, education and society programmes.

We earn over 75 per cent o our annual turnover o £739 million rom serviceswhich customers pay or, education and development contracts we bid or androm partnerships. A UK Government grant provides the remaining 25 per cent.We match every £1 o core public unding with over £3 earned in pursuit o ourcharitable purpose.

For more in ormation, please visit: www.b shc c . You can also keepin touch with the British Council through h p:// w .c m/b shc c and h p://b .b shc c .

COntentsForeword 2Executive summary 3About the research 4Employers ace diverse challenges 5An increasingly globalised workplace 7De ning the right skills 9The business value o intercultural skills 12Finding employees with the right skills 14

Addressing intercultural skills needs 15Conclusion 19Appendix 20

Culture at Work 1



We are delighted to be writing the oreword or this reportwhich shares results o ascinating new research lookingat the value that employers place on intercultural skills.

The increasing competitiveness andinterdependencies in the world economy,

the pressing need to nd e ectivesolutions to global challenges andthe interconnectedness o ered by theinternet and social media pose challengesas well as opportunities to us as citizens,businesses and organisations. Our abilityto engage success ully with othercountries, organisations and people willdepend to a large extent on whetherwe possess the necessary interculturaland oreign language skills to make ruit ulconnections, whether in trade and

investment, charity/NGO programmesor as government and internationalorganisations. This is undamentallychanging the way in which employersvalue and seek to develop interculturalskills in the workplace.

More and more business leaders areidenti ying real business value inemploying sta with intercultural skills.These skills are vital, not just in smoothinginternational business transactions, butalso in developing long term relationships

with customers and suppliers. Increasinglythey also play a key role within theworkplace, enhancing team working,ostering creativity, improvingcommunication and reducing confict.All this translates into greater e ciency,stronger brand identity, enhancedreputation and ultimately impact onthe bottom line.

The challenge now or employers,governments, skills providers and

employees alike is to better recogniseand develop these vital skills – be itlearning a oreign language or beingopen to di erent outlooks and worldviews. These skills will be particularlyimportant in the UK and the US at a timewhen the economies are in need o a shotin the arm rom increased internationaltrade and investment. Indeed it isinteresting that the research highlightsthat both countries are behind many o the currently ast growing economies in

recognising the importance o developingintercultural skills.

We hope this report will act as awake-up call or greater recognitiono the importance o these skills to theeconomy and society o the uture.

FOreWOrd

D d l. P ssS V c P s dB z a H m

D J BD c ed c d S cB sh C c

2



The modern workplace is increasingly globalised and competitive.Communicating with customers, colleagues and partners acrossinternational borders is now an everyday occurrence or many workersaround the world. Consequently, employers are under strong pressureto nd employees who are not only technically pro cient, but also

culturally astute and able to thrive in a global work environment.The research shows that there is realbusiness value in employing sta whohave the ability to work e ectively withindividuals and organisations rom culturalbackgrounds di erent rom their own.In particular, employers highlight theollowing as important intercultural skills:

• the ability to understand di erentcultural contexts and viewpoints

• demonstrating respect or others• knowledge o a oreign language.

Employees with these skills are seento bene t organisations through theirability to:• bring in new clients• work within diverse teams• support a good brand and reputation

or their organisation.

Conversely, employees who lack theseskills may leave their organisations

susceptible to risks including:• loss o clients• damage to reputation• confict within teams.

While ew employers report activelyscreening or intercultural skills, they doactively observe candidate behaviourin order to identi y attributes closelyassociated with these skills. Employerslook or the ollowing in job candidates:• demonstrating strong

communication skills• speaking a oreign language• showing cultural sensitivity.

Most employers report encouraging theirsta to develop intercultural skills throughin-house training, meetings and events.However, employers also say thateducational institutions could do moreto equip students with intercultural skills.

The ndings suggest that policy makersand education providers could domore to contribute to the developmento a work orce with the necessaryintercultural skills through interventions,

such as prioritising:• teaching communication skills• o ering oreign language classes• availability o opportunities or students

to gain international experience• development o international

research partnerships.

The research implies that employerswould bene t rom ormalisingand improving the ways in which

job candidates’ intercultural skillsare assessed through therecruitment process.

For job seekers the research ndingssuggest that they must pay attentionto the intercultural skills needed byemployers. Job seekers would also

bene t rom presenting evidence o strong communication skills, oreignlanguage abilities and internationalexperiences when competing or jobs.

exeCutIve

summAry

Culture at Work 3



AbOut tHe

reseArCH

As a result o global economic realities, which are driving continuouschange in the workplace, employers’ needs and expectations areconstantly shi ting. This means that employers increasingly look or jobcandidates with skills that go beyond the traditionally de ned technicalskills and knowledge necessary or a given role.

While ormal quali cations and traditionalskills remain important, employers saythat they are looking or candidates whocan navigate a workplace that transcendsnational and cultural borders, particularlyor positions that require interactionwith individuals and organisations romnationalities and cultural backgroundsdi erent rom their own.

What is perhaps less understood – andthe impetus or this research – is thequestion o why employers value theseskills. Which speci c skills are theyseeking? What do employers de ne asintercultural skills? What is the businessbene t o having employees withintercultural skills, and what are the riskso not having them? Which skills are mostvalued? How are these skills weighedagainst the necessary technical skillsand ormal quali cations?

To answer these questions, and to betterunderstand how intercultural skills areconsidered, assessed and developed inthe modern workplace, the British Council,Booz Allen Hamilton and Ipsos PublicA airs conducted a survey o HRmanagers at 367 large employers innine countries: Brazil, China, India,Indonesia, Jordan, South A rica, theUnited Arab Emirates (UAE), the UnitedKingdom (UK), and the United States (US).

4



emplOyers FACe

dIverse CHAllenges

In addition to economic concerns, employers identi y ndingappropriately quali ed candidates as a top business challenge.

Employers today ace a wide range o business challenges. The study beganby asking employers about the major

business challenges acing theirorganisations. While economic andmarket-related challenges wererequently reported by employers,three other key issues rose to thetop o challenges reported by employers:nding appropriately quali ed candidates,government regulation and competingglobally. These ndings are displayedin Chart 1, listing the countries orwhich each challenge is a top concern.

Ch 1: M s p ss b s ss ch s(sh w b p c d p c ch s)

0

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

Competing globallyGovernmentregulation

Finding qualifiedcandidates

29%

IndonesiaChinaUSUAESouth Africa

BrazilUKJordanIndia

UKIndiaUAE

23%

20%

Source: Telephone/ ace-to- ace surveys o public sector, private sector and NGO employers responsible or employmentdecisions. Base: Brazil (n=43), China (n=40), India (n=40), Indonesia (n=40), Jordan (n=40), South A rica (n=40), UAE (n=44),UK (n=40), US (n=40)

Culture at Work 5



The research also asked employersabout the major HR challenges acingtheir organisation. These results aredisplayed in Chart 2. The mostrequently cited issues are ndingcandidates with the right ormalquali cations and retaining good

employees. Employers in India, Brazil,South A rica and the US report the

most problems nding quali edcandidates. Retaining employees is alsoa concern in India and Brazil as well asJordan, China, the UAE and the UK.

Among the top challenges, employersalso mention concerns about ndingcandidates with good communicationand oreign language skills. Nearly aquarter o employers report that nding

candidates with good communicationskills is challenging. This is particularlytrue in India, the UAE, Indonesia andJordan. Nearly one third o employersin the UAE, Jordan and India also eelthat nding candidates with adequateknowledge o oreign languages is

a challenge.

Ch 2: M s p ss h m s c ch s (sh w b p c h p Hr ch s)

0 10%10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

Finding candidates withgood foreign language skills

Finding candidates whounderstand the market

Training employeeson new processes

Finding candidates withgood communication skills

Retaining good employees

Finding candidates with theright formal qualifications

45%

31%

22%

18%

16%

14%

Source: Telephone/ ace-to- ace surveys o public sec tor, private sector and NGO employers responsible or employment decisions. Base: Global (n=367)

6



An InCreAsIngly

glObAlIsed WOrKplACe

International communication is acentral unction o today’s workplace.

The research shows that employeesin most large companies surveyedengage in extensive interaction across

international borders. More than twothirds o employers report that theiremployees engage requently withcolleagues outside o their country,and over hal say that their employeesengage requently with partners andclients outside o their country. Theprivate sector engages with partnersand clients overseas more requently

than public and not- or-pro t organisations.Chart 3 shows the requency o international communication by country.

Organisations in India, Jordan andIndonesia have the highest levels o interaction with business partners andsuppliers overseas. Other countries – with the exception o the US – also reportrequent interaction with partners andsuppliers outside o their country. Thepattern is similar or customer interactions.India and Jordan have the highest level

o overseas customer interactions, whilethe US has the lowest, with just one inve organisations reporting requent

interactions with customers overseas.Employers in most countries alsoreport a great deal o interactionwith colleagues overseas. Nearly allemployers in Indonesia and Jordanreport that their employees interactrequently with colleagues overseas.Ninety per cent o UK employers andour in ve employers in the UAE

Ch 3: F q c mp c w h c s m s d p s c s v s s(sh w p c b c p c )

0

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Colleagues

Customers or partners

USBrazilChinaSouth AfricaUAEUKIndiaJordanIndonesia

83%

100%

80%

100%

78%82%

65%

91%

61%

82%

60%

67%70%

44%

56%54%

28%26%

Source: Telephone/ ace-to- ace surveys o public s ector, private sector and NGO employers responsible or employment decisions.Base: Brazil (n=43), China (n=40), India (n=40), Indonesia (n=40), Jordan (n=40), South A rica (n=40), UAE (n=44), UK (n=40), US (n=40)

Culture at Work 7



and India also report similar levels o overseas interaction with colleagues.However, just over a quarter o US employers report that theiremployees interact requentlywith colleagues overseas.

The data suggests that English ispositioned as the day-to-day languageo business in most o the countriessurveyed. More than three quarters o the organisations surveyed report thatEnglish is in everyday use in their

organisation. This is highest in the privatesector, closely ollowed by the not- or-pro t sector and by the public sector.In addition to the countries whereEnglish is the predominant language,all o Jordan’s employers report the useo English day-to-day. Chinese employers

are the least likely to use English day-to-day, with less than a quarter reportingdoing so. Chart 4 shows the percentageso English spoken regularly in theworkplace by country.

Although English is the predominantlanguage spoken in the US, a quartero employers say that Spanish is alsocommonly spoken day-to-day. In Indiaand South A rica, where English isrecognised as a national language, locallanguages are also spoken regularly in

the workplace (93 per cent and 38 percent respectively). Local languages arealso spoken in addition to English in nearlyall organisations surveyed in Brazil,China, Indonesia, Jordan and the UAE.

Ch 4: P c s s wh e sh s sp d(sh w p c b c )

0

20%

40%

60%

80%

00%

ChinaBrazilIndonesiaUAESouth AfricaIndiaJordanUSUK

100% 100% 100%98% 98%

77%

48%

44%

23%

Source: Telephone/ ace-to- ace surveys o public sec tor, private sector and NGO employers responsible or employment decisions.Base: Brazil (n=43), China (n=40), India (n=40), Indonesia (n=40), Jordan (n=40), South A rica (n=40), UAE (n=44), UK (n=40), US (n=40)

8



Ch 6: th ms mp s s d f c s s

R E S P E C T F U L

M U L T I L I N G U A L

F L E X I B L E

B U I L D S T R U S T

ACCEPTS CULTURALDIFFERENCES

ADJUSTS COMMUNICATION

UNDERSTANDSCULTURAL DIFFERENCES

AWARE OFOWN CULTURE

T O L E R A T E S

A M B I G U I T Y

W O R K S I N D I V E R S E

T E A M S

C O N T I N U O U S L E A R N E R

O P E N T O N E W I D E A S

ADAPTS TODIFFERENT CULTURES

LISTENS AND OBSERVES

Source: Telephone/ ace-to- ace surveys o public sec tor, private sector and NGO employers responsible or employment decisions. Base: Ipsos Public A airs, 2012: Global (n=367).

Note: The term most used by employers to de ne intercultural skills appears in the largest box and the term least used in the smallest box.

10



Ch 7: H w mp s d s s ms mp c

Ranked value of technical and soft skills tested (globally)

Demonstrates respect for others

Builds trustWorks effectively in diverse teams

Open to new ideas/ways of thinking

Seeks opportunities forcontinuous learning

Listens/observes todeepen understanding

Strong leadership skills

Adapts easily to differentcultural settingsAdjust communication to suit

different cultural contextsUnderstands different culturalcontexts and viewpoints

Awareness of own cultural influence

Tolerates ambiguity

Qualifications related to job

Expertise related to field

CollaborativeSelf motivated

Time management

Analytical thinking

Comfortable with complex situations

Flexibility

Creativity

Entrepreneurship

Communicates in other languages

IT skills

Understanding the marketplace

MOSTVALUED

Note: Respondents were given multiple sets o skills and asked to indicate the most and least impor tant skills within each set.Results show the relative ranking o skills a ter each skill’s relative importance was calculated using a MaxDi analysis.

Source: Telephone/ ace-to- ace surveys o public s ector, private sector and NGO employers responsible or employment decisions. Base: Ipsos Public A airs , 2012: Global (n=367).

Culture at Work 11



tHe busIness vAlue OF

InterCulturAl sKIlls

Intercultural skills provide businessvalue and help mitigate risk.

The research shows that HR managersassociate intercultural skills withsigni cant business bene ts. Overall,

the organisations surveyed are mostinterested in intercultural skills or thebene t they bring to keeping teamsrunning e ciently. Other signi cantbene ts are seen as building trust withclients and developing relationshipswith new clients. These bene tsalso carry signi cant monetaryvalue to employers.

Private sector employers cite bringing innew clients, building trust and relationshipswith new clients and reputation-building

as the most positive business bene tso employees possessing interculturalskills. Chart 8 shows the business valueo intercultural skills by sector.

Employers in the UAE, India and Brazilare more likely than employers in othercountries to consider ability to work witha diverse set o colleagues as a bene t

o intercultural skills. Organisationsin Jordan identi y the most signi cantbene t o having employees with

intercultural skills as the positive impacton brand and reputation. Employersin the UAE see the value o these skillsin terms o e ciency and winningnew clients.

Ch 8: th b s ss b f s mp s h v c s s(sh w p b f s b s c )

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50% NGO

Public

Private

Keep teamsrunning

efficiently

Able to workwith diversecolleagues

Communicatewith overseas

partners

Build trustwith clients

Bringing innew clients

Good forreputation

Outward effects Inward effects

Source: Telephone/ ace-to- ace surveys o public sec tor, private sector and NGO employers responsible or employment decisions.Base: Private (n=198), Public (n=86), NGO (n=83)

12



The research suggests that whileorganisations in South A rica and theUS are generally less likely to identi y

signi cant business value in havingemployees with intercultural skills,one in ve employers identi es teame ciency and workplace harmony asbene ts. UK employers are also lesslikely than those in many other countriesto recognise the bene ts o interculturalskills. However, nearly hal o UK employersthink that these skills help build trust andrelationships with clients.

Employers also see signi cant risk totheir organisations when employeeslack intercultural skills. Approximately

one third o employers see organisationalrisks such as miscommunication andconfict within teams as top risks. Morethan a quarter o organisations surveyedare concerned about a loss o clientsand damage to brand and reputation.Roughly one in ve organisations isalso concerned about cultural insensitivityand project mistakes. Chart 9 showsemployers’ perceptions o the business

risks o not having intercultural skillsin the workplace.

Private sector organisations are muchmore likely than their public sectorcounterparts to cite loss o clients andsales as risks. One in our employers in thepublic sector considers themselves moresusceptible to mistakes when employeesdo not possess intercultural skills.

Ch 9: th b s ss s s ss c d w h h v mp s w h c s s

(sh w p s s b s c )

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50% NGO

Public

Private

Conflict withinteams

Cultural insensitivityto clients/

partners overseas

Loss of clientsGlobal reputationaldamage

Outward effects Inward effects

Source: Telephone/ ace-to- ace surveys o public s ector, private sector and NGO employers responsible or employment decisions.Base: Private (n=198), Public (n=86), NGO (n=83)

Culture at Work 13



While employers value intercultural skills, they do noto ten screen or them in the recruitment process.

In addition to the business bene ts o intercultural skills, the research shows thatemployers perceive sta members with

intercultural skills to be at an advantagewithin the organisation. Employees whopossess intercultural skills are at a greateradvantage than their colleagues in anumber o areas, such as increasedvisibility within their organisation. Othertop personal bene ts perceived globallyby employers include aster promotionand greater project variety.

Employer responses also indicate thatemployers perceive the individualstrengths o a sta member’s intercultural

skills di erently by type o role. Theresearch suggests a perception thatemployees in externally acing rolesdisplay intercultural skills more stronglythan those in internally acing roles. Theimportance o oreign language skills isalso greater or those with external roles(56 per cent versus 36 per cent).

While employers value intercultural skillsand can identi y both the business andpersonal bene ts o these skills in the

workplace, they do not o ten screen orthem in the recruitment process. In act,less than hal o employers surveyedglobally eel that their recruiting processsu ciently screens or these skills.There was a notable exception to thispattern in Jordan, India and the UAEwhere employers eel more con dentin their screening and recruiting orintercultural skills.

Even upon interviewing candidates, justover a third o employers report actively

screening or intercultural skills. Chart 10shows a comparison between howrequently employers screen orintercultural skills in the interviewprocess and how o ten prospectiveemployees display those skills.

Employers also nd it di cult to nd goodcommunication and oreign languageskills in their employees. Yet, less than a

quarter o employers screen or thesetwo skills in the application process.

Although many employers do not actively

screen or certain intercultural skills, theydo see international experiences – suchas study abroad, internships abroad orinternational work experience – asindicators o intercultural skills. This isespecially true in China and Indonesiawhere employers see a strong connectionbetween international study or workexperience and the intercultural skillsthey value in the workplace.

The research also suggests thatemployers observe other indicators incandidates that they associate closelywith intercultural skills. This includes theway candidates conduct themselvesduring the selection process – such asdemonstrating strong communicationskills (37 per cent), speaking in a oreignlanguage (33 per cent), or exhibitingcultural sensitivity (27 per cent).

FIndIng emplOyees

WItH tHe rIgHt sKIlls

Ch 10: P c s s mp s sc b p c s s d sp d b c d d s(sh w p s s sc d )

D o c a n

d i d a

t e s s e e

k i n g e m p

l o y m e n

t d i s p l a y

t h e

f o l l o w

i n g

i n t e r c u

l t u r a

l s k i l l s ?

Are there specific intercultural skills you screen for in an interview?

15% 16% 17% 18% 19% 20% 21% 22% 23% 24%30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Works effectivelyin diverse teams

Understands differentcultural contexts

Communicates inother languages

Open to new ideas andways of thinking

Demonstrates respect Flexibility

Source: Telephone/ ace-to- ace surveys o public sec tor, private sector and NGO employers responsible or employment decisions.Base: Global (n=333, or ‘displayed by candidates’; n=173, or ‘employers screed or’)

14



AddressIng

InterCulturAlsKIlls needs

Education has a role to play in providing studentswith opportunities to develop intercultural skills.

More than hal o employers surveyedreport that they encourage sta todevelop intercultural skills. This gure

is much lower than the number o organisations surveyed that place valueon intercultural skills in the workplace,but in line with the responses o employers that screen or interculturalskills in the recruitment process. Chart11 shows employer responses to thequestion o o ering support to developintercultural skills.

The development o intercultural skillsis most strongly supported in Jordan,India and Indonesia. In the US and

South A rica, however, a third and aquarter o organisations respectivelyreport that they do not encourageemployees to develop intercultural skills.Employers in Brazil are most neutralon this issue with nearly two thirds o employers neither encouraging nordiscouraging the development o intercultural skills in the workplace.

When asked how the educationprovision in their home countrywas supporting their organisations’

needs or intercultural skills in theworkplace, just over a third o employersreport being satis ed. More than onequarter o employers globally see theeducation provision in their countryas inadequate in producing graduatesthat meet the intercultural skills needso their organisation.

Ch 11: P c mp s h c h d v pm c s s(b c , d b ‘ d ’)

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%Great deal

Somewhat

Not at all

BrazilUSUKSouth AfricaChinaUAEIndonesiaIndiaJordan

100% 85%

8%

8%

70%

18%

13%

68%

32%

48%

43%

10%

43%

25%

33%

48%

23%

20%

38%

35%

25%

19%

65%

16%

Source: Telephone/ ace-to- ace surveys o public s ector, private sector and NGO employers responsible or employment decisions.Base: Brazil (n=43), China (n=40), India (n=40), Indonesia (n=40), Jordan (n=40), South A rica (n=40), UAE (n=44), UK (n=40), US (n=40)

Note: Because o rounding and/or exclusion o ‘don’t know’ responses, percentages may not add up to 100%.

Culture at Work 15



The perception o education variesgreatly when looking at responses bycountry. Employers in Indonesia, Jordanand the UAE report being most satis edwith their country’s education systemsin meeting the intercultural skills needso their organisations. However, nearly

hal o employers in Brazil, China andSouth A rica were not satis ed withthe ability o their education system toproduce graduates with the interculturalskills needed.

Employer responses in India and the USare almost evenly divided, with a third o employers reporting being satis ed withtheir country’s education provision, a thirdo employers reporting dissatis action andthe remaining third remaining neutral onthe issue. Nearly hal o employers

in the UK were neutral on this issue.Chart 12 shows how employers respondedwhen asked i the education provision intheir country meets the intercultural skillsneeds o their organisation.

This demonstrates that there is signi cantopportunity to strengthen the roleeducation plays in the development o intercultural skills. This is particularly thecase in high-growth economies wherethere is pressure to stay competitiveon a global scale. Chart 13 shows

the top employer recommendationsto education systems or improving thedevelopment o intercultural skills.

Ch 12: P c mp s wh b v h d c s s m m s h c s s ds(b c , d b ‘ d ’)

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%A great deal

Somewhat

Not at all

BrazilChinaUKSouth AfricaUSIndiaJordanIndonesiaUAE

70%

27%

60%

33%

8%

55%

35%

10%

38%

33%

30%

30%

40%

30%

23%

30%

48%

16%

43%

41%

13%

40%

48%

9%

44%

47%


Note: Because o rounding and/or exclusion o ‘don’t know’ responses, percentages may not add up to 100%.

16



Ch 13: C b s h d c c m mp v c s s s s b mp s( p h s s s m mp s)

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

Bring ininternational

faculty/students

Encourage/require classeson international

subjects

Teachleadership skills

Developinternational

researchpartnerships

Encourage/require studies

overseas

Encourage/require foreign

languages

Teachcommunication

skills

37%

32%

27%

24%23%

21% 21%

Source: Telephone/ ace-to- ace surveys o public s ector, private sector and NGO employers responsible or employment decisions. Base: Global (n=367)

Culture at Work 17



Ch 14: P c mp s wh b v s d b dsh d b c d mp v c s s

0

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

South AfricaUSUKIndiaJordanChinaUAEBrazilIndonesia

63%

51%

30%28%

23% 23%

15%

8%0%


On the whole, employers say thateducation institutions could do moreto provide students with opportunitiesto develop intercultural skills. Morethan one third o employers recommendstrengthening the teaching o communication skills, and a quarter o

organisations suggested encouragingmore oreign language programmes,developing international researchpartnerships and increasing opportunitiesor overseas study.

Employers in India, Jordan and the UAEbelieve that their country’s educationsystem should ocus on improvingthe teaching o communications andleadership skills. Increasing oreignlanguage education is a priority oremployers in Brazil, India, Indonesia,

Jordan and the UAE. Employers inBrazil, India, Indonesia and the UAEalso recommend developing moreinternational research partnerships.Providing greater opportunities or

study abroad is the top recommendationin Brazil and Indonesia and one o thetop our suggestions by employers inChina. Chart 14 shows the level o supportor increasing opportunities or studentsto study overseas by country.

18



COnClusIOn

eMPloyerS JoB SeekerS PoliCy MakerS/eDuCation ProViDerS

Employers understand the value o intercultural skills to their businesses.In act, they value these skills above manytechnical abilities and ormal quali cations.

The value o intercultural skills mani estsitsel in teams running e ciently, bringing innew clients, building trust and improvingbrand reputation.

Employers also see signi cant risks intheir employees lacking in interculturalskills. Without these skills, they earconfict within teams, loss o clients/sales,damage to reputation and brand, andcultural insensitivity. When employeeslack intercultural skills, employersrisk miscommunication between teamsand team confict.

To maximise business potential andminimise risk, employers would bene trom improving the ways in which they

identi y candidates with these skillsin the recruitment process.

Employers strongly value interculturalskills such as demonstrating respect,building trust and being open to newideas. In act, the research suggeststhat employers value these skills over

job-speci c quali cations and expertisein the eld. To best position themselvesor employment, job seekers should

present intercultural skills alongsidetheir ormal quali cations.

As there is o ten no ormal assessmentor intercultural skills by employers,it is up to job candidates to demonstratethese skills in the application andinterview process.

Top indicators o intercultural skillsor employers:

• international experiences (studyabroad, internships abroad orinternational work experience)

• strong communication skills• oreign language skills• cultural sensitivity.

Few employers report being satis edwith their national education system’sability to produce graduates with strongintercultural skills.

While there are variations acrosscountries, the research suggeststhat there is signi cant opportunityto strengthen the role education playsin the development o interculturalskills in the uture work orce.

Regardless o how employers eel aboutthe education system in meeting theirskills needs, employers have suggestionsor how to improve the development o intercultural skills. These include:• paying greater attention to the

teaching o communication skills• encouraging oreign

language programmes• increasing opportunities

or international study• developing international

research partnerships.

Employers around the world ace awide range o business challenges.

A common challenge shared by employersaround the world is nding employeeswith adequate intercultural skills. Given

that the operating environments o allorganisations is increasingly global, itcomes as no surprise that employersneed employees who can understandand adapt to di erent cultural contexts.

Employers place a high value onintercultural skills in the workplace andassociate having workers with strongintercultural skills with business bene ts,such as increased productivity and sales.They also associate a lack o interculturalskills with business risks, such as

miscommunication and team confict.

While employers universally valueintercultural skills, they do not o tenassess these skills in the application

or interview process. This lack o skillsassessment in the recruitment processmay indicate that HR recruitmentprocesses and sta are not alwaysaligned with the needs o the teamsthat interact internationally. This alsoimplies that employers could bene trom improving their ability to identi yand assess intercultural skills inprospective employees.

Employers also generally eel thateducation systems in their countries

could do more to provide students

with intercultural skills. To mitigatethe risk o having a work orce thatis unprepared or the global work

environment, employers o ten providetraining or their employees to developintercultural skills.

This research suggests that there issigni cant opportunity or employers,policy makers and education providersto work together to strengthen thedevelopment o intercultural skills tomeet the needs o an increasinglyglobal work orce.

Culture at Work 19



Country SaMPle (By organiSation tyPe) DeFinition oF a ‘large’ eMPloyer interVieW MetHoD

Brazil 20 private11 public12 NGO/charity

1,000 largest Brazilian companies Phone

China 20 private10 public10 NGO/charity

200+ employees Phone

India 22 private9 public9 NGO/charity

200+ employees Face-to- ace

Indonesia 20 private10 public10 NGO/charity


Jordan 31 private4 public5 NGO/charity


South A rica 20 private10 public10 NGO/charity

R25,000,000 yearly revenueor 250+ employees

Phone

UAE 25 private12 public7 NGO/charity

1,000,000AED yearly revenueor 200+ employees

Face-to- ace

UK 20 private10 public10 NGO/charity

£30 million per yearor 250+ employees

Phone

US 20 private10 public10 NGO/charity

$14 million per yearor 500+ employees

Phone

AppendIx

Research methodology

This survey was conducted with largeprivate, public and NGO/charity sectoremployers in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia,Jordan, South A rica, the UAE, the UKand the US. In total, 198 private sector,86 public sector and 83 NGO/charitysector employers took part.

Details o the research methodologyin each country can be ound in thetable below.

The individuals who participatedwere identi ed as being responsibleor strategic decision-making withregard to employment within theirorganisation. Speci cally, thismeans they:• take a lead role in developing

and executing a recruitmentand talent-management strategyor their organisation

• are heavily involved in developingand executing a recruitmentand talent-management strategyor their organisation.

The eldwork was carried out byIpsos Public A airs between Octoberand December 2012.

20



PHotograPHy CreDitSFront cover © iStockphotoPage 2 (Donald L. Pressley) © Booz Allen HamiltonPage 4 © Mat WrightPage 17 © Mat WrightInside back cover © Mat Wright

dossier culture at work research march 2013

Documents