Managing a multi-cultural remote software team

Remote work is the new normal, and managers need to be prepared to lead their teams in this new environment. And in today's globalized world, multicultural teams are the common remote teams. Cultural diversity is common in onsite teams too but the issues of miscommunications because of cultural issues are much more complex in remote teams. With the rise of remote work and the desire for flexibility among younger generations, managing a team from different cultural backgrounds has become one of the biggest challenge for managers. And this is an essential skill that all managers are picking up.

Since Kaz is a software development agency based out of Bangladesh and we work mostly with software companies based in the US or Europe. So the very nature of our work leads us to the remote cross cultural issues. And this not a new thing for us because of the recent rise of remote work. We’ve been participating in remote software teams for the past 18 years, and over that long time we’ve probably seen all the things that can go wrong in such cross culture, cross language teams and have devised strategies that solve those issue (or at least reduces to chances of them arising). We’ve also come up with a little poster for expressions in English that doesn’t translate well, that we sometimes give to our customers’ project managers as a cheat-sheet! So, today’s post is a summary of some of our best tips around this and that useful “cross culture expressions to avoid cheat-sheet”.

Understand that there is problem

This is important. Specially in the software world. We sometimes hear things like: “At the end it’s all code, and the language of code is the same so there will be no problem”. Although at the fundamental level that is very true, but to get to that stage of work and collaboration the remote teams still have go through layers of communications. That communications is typically in a language that isn’t a first language for at least one side and sometimes for both sides. And that’s where the start of the problem happens, and layer on top of that the cultural difference and the fact that cultural context changes the meaning of many expressions and mannerisms - you have a problem. So it’s vital for software managers to understand that there is a problem and it will need active strategies and process to solve that problem.

In this context, it is essential to recognize that cultural differences can lead to misunderstandings and conflicts. As the speaker in the video explains, even seemingly simple things like expressions about time can have very different meanings in different cultures. For example, in some cultures, "just now" might mean "in a few minutes," while in others, it might mean "sometime in the future." Without understanding these differences, miscommunications can easily arise, leading to frustration and conflict.

Create culture awareness in the team

To address this challenge of cultural difference and the need to work around such difference, it is important to invest in cultural awareness and sensitivity training for managers and employees. This might involve providing resources such as books or online courses on cross-cultural communication, as the speaker in the video did. It might also involve hosting workshops or training sessions led by experts in intercultural communication.

One key aspect of this training should be the importance of context in communication. As the speaker explains, even when two teams are using the same language, differences in context can lead to misunderstandings. For example, a phrase that might be intended as a compliment in one culture might be interpreted as criticism in another culture. Understanding these differences requires a deep appreciation for the cultural norms and values that shape communication styles in different parts of the world.

Create an environment of trust

Another important aspect of managing a multicultural team is building trust and rapport among team members. When people come from different cultures, they may have different expectations about how to build relationships and establish trust. For example, in some cultures, it may be important to spend time getting to know someone on a personal level before discussing business matters, while in others, business may be the focus from the outset. Understanding these differences can help managers to build stronger relationships with team members and foster a sense of camaraderie and trust.

We’ve written extensively about this in the past, as we feel that this is one that that makes thing much simpler to solve cross cultural issues. Some of our tips can be found in this article about how to build trust in your remote team by team gelling or this one about creating the right team culture for companies with remote teams.

Find what works the best for you

It is important to recognize that managing a multicultural team is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. Different cultures have different expectations around communication, hierarchy, and decision-making, among other things. Effective managers must be able to adapt to these differences and find ways to accommodate the needs and preferences of each team member. This might involve using different communication tools for different team members, or adjusting work schedules to accommodate different time zones.

Careful about what expressions you use

It's important to be aware that expressions that you might use in your language or cultural context might not be understood at all or even worse understood with the opposite meaning by your remote team. It is vital for team managers (and team members) to consider cultural differences when communicating with people from other backgrounds. It's also a good idea to clarify the meaning of an expression if you think it may be misunderstood. Here’s our list of common English expressions that just doesn’t cross the language and culture basriers well. We call it the expressions to avoid cheat-sheet!

"Break a leg" - This one never works. In most non-English cultures, wishing someone luck by saying "break a leg" is considered bad luck or even offensive. Actually if you think about it really weird that this expression has the meaning it has, here’s the Wikipedia post giving it’s history.

"Bite the bullet" - This expression means to endure a painful or difficult situation, but in some cultures, the literal meaning of biting a bullet can be confusing or offensive.

"Spill the beans" - This expression means to reveal a secret, but in some cultures, the idea of spilling beans may not make sense or may be seen as wasteful. I remember once one of our customers used this expression in the context of asking his team not to reveal software features anyone and the look of confusion in the team was very interesting!

"Piece of cake" - This expression means that something is easy, but it almost always fails to translate well.

"Going Dutch" - This expression means to split the bill, but in some cultures, the idea of going Dutch may be unfamiliar or seen as impolite.

"Skeletons in the closet" - This expression means to have secrets or embarrassing information, but to someone not used to the expression the idea of keeping skeletons in a closet would not make sense at all!

"Costs an arm and a leg" - This expression means that something is very expensive, but in some cultures, the idea of comparing something to body parts may be seen as distasteful.

"Cat got your tongue?" - This expression means to ask someone why they are not speaking or responding, but this one never works either for obvious reasons.

"Let the cat out of the bag" - This expression means to reveal a secret, but the idea of a cat being in a bag may not make sense or may be seen as cruel for non English speakers.