Whereas in Germany open communication and expressing one's own point of view is a matter of course, in many other cultures open and clear communication is rather unusual. It is largely indirectly communicated indirectly. For example, people in Japan avoid open communication at work, especially with superiors, in order to maintain harmony and remain polite. It is even assumed that colleagues can "read the air", i.e. implicitly communicate discomfort or a dissenting opinion of a colleague.r colleague is recognized. (Cf. on this Meyer, Erin: The Cutlure Map. Understanding how people from different cultures think, lead and achieveWeinheim: Viley-VCH 2024, p. 43.) Similarly, in Arab countries, respect and politeness are expressed in business contexts through indirect communication, while too open an exchange can be perceived as disrespectful.

MeasureTrain your international team regularly in all areas of intercultural communication and create an intercultural sensitivity in the team that enables them to act openly with each other in a reflective and considerate manner. This is the only way to create an atmosphere of trust in which the efficiency and problem-solving ability of intercultural teams can reach their full potential!

Support the integration and inclusion of your international talent

If new international specialists enrich your team, it is important that they are well received in your company, your corporate culture and in Germany in general. Only if the external environment is perceived as safe, social structures are in place and the specialist feels comfortable can their professional potential fully develop.
Humans are biological beings and, first and foremost, the basic needs for security, belonging and esteem must be met before energy can be used for self-actualization, in our case professional competence (cf. Maslow, Abraham: "A Theory of Human Motivation", published in: Psychological ReviewVol. 50, No. 4, 1943, pp. 370-396).

MeasureDevelop a well thought-out onboarding strategy for international IT specialists to facilitate cultural adaptation. Keep an eye on the personal aspects of your specialist's arrival and offer them help with finding accommodation or establishing social networks.
You are welcome to take a look here our Work and Culture Support Services, which offer your international IT specialists support in precisely this area.

Promote the language development of your international team members

The Expat City Ranking 2023 study conducted by InterNations shows that language barriers are one of the biggest challenges for expats in Germany. In cities such as Berlin in particular, 43% of expats stated that they find it difficult to cope with everyday life due to a lack of German language skills (cf: https://www.expat-news.com/, 14.10.24). This integration hurdle for international IT experts in everyday life can be transferred to the professional environment: as we experience every day in our operational business as IT recruiters, tech start-ups and international corporations in particular are open to English-speaking employees or use English as the main language in their company. In established and traditional German companies, however, German is usually used as the primary working language and a German language level of at least B2 is an exclusion criterion in the application or recruitment process. From this, it can be concluded that without or with little knowledge of German, one cannot successfully participate in working life in many German companies and, conversely, that German companies cannot benefit from the expertise of international IT professionals if the language barrier is not removed.
However, if we have a German company in which English and German are used intuitively or alternately in defined contexts, the whole team benefits: national colleagues improve their English skills, international colleagues improve their German skills and both sides can fall back on their preferred language for in-depth topics and thus communicate in the best possible way. This avoids misunderstandings and promotes the success of your team's projects.

MeasureOffer your international IT experts internal or external language courses (you can also find language courses from our cooperation partners via Baloo, see here), support the private and professional success of your international colleagues in Germany and thus also promote the success of your company.

Think about using English more as a working language in certain contexts, departments or your entire company. A mixture of English and German as working languages and a flexible use of languages has proven to be very profitable, as the results of a study in 2011 show (cf: Hauschildt, Jürgen; Vollstedt, Marina (2001): "Unternehmenssprachen oder Company Language? On the introduction of a standardized language in globally active companies", Manuscripts from the Institutes of Business Administration at Kiel UniversityNo. 540, Kiel University, Institute of Business Administration, Kiel: 2011).

Consideration of cultural differences in hierarchical structures

Cultural differences in the hierarchical understanding of team members in an international team can greatly complicate processes within the company and lead to misunderstandings and a "lack of fit" among employees.
Let's imagine a situation in which Indian and German IT specialists are working on a project. In a meeting, the manager announces a change in strategy for the project. The change in strategy is not very efficient and a German IT specialist critically expresses hisher opinion and makes her own suggestions. What the German specialist sees as natural and constructive makes the Indian specialist uncomfortable. She perceives the behavior of ther colleague's behavior as disrespectful and inappropriate, as shehe, would only make such suggestions after being explicitly asked to do so. India is still a collectivist society in which there is a great power distance and hierarchical structures are recognized and even expected (Kreuser, Gabriele: The key to the Indian market. Understanding mentality and culture, negotiating successfullyWiesbaden: Gabler 2002, p. 151f.).
So what effects can a lack of knowledge about cultural differences in the understanding of hierarchy have in the case imagined here?
The relationship of the Indian team member to ther German colleague can change negatively in the long term. The Indian specialist could feel uncomfortable in the team and a "lack of fit" could himarise for them. A weakened relationship of trust means that important decisions can no longer be made professionally. The success of the entire project is called into question.
The line manager could also prevent an open discussion and statements from the team members and misjudge the silence of the Indian specialist. He couldhim as less competent, solution-oriented and less imaginative. Here too, the relationship between the line manager and his Indian team member would deteriorate. The Indian specialist could in turn accuse your manager of lacking authority and assertiveness. This can undermine trust in leadership and lead to inefficient working practices. In India, a lack of authority is equated with a lack of care, which can reduce the motivation of the professional.

measure:
Raise awareness among managers and national and international team members about the different understandings of hierarchy. Training enables all team members to understand and categorize the expectations and perceptions of others and thus avoid misunderstandings and discomfort. (Take a look here our intercultural consulting service)
Encourage supervisors to adopt hybrid leadership that takes into account both the expectations of flat hierarchies (e.g. in Western cultures) and those of authoritarian leadership (e.g. in Asian cultures). Managers should be able to act flexibly and adapt their leadership approaches to the respective cultural composition of the team.
Communicate clear expectations of your team from the outset and explain your leadership style to avoid misunderstandings. Think about a mentoring program in which experienced international specialists support colleagues who are still finding their way in German working life.
Last but not least, establish a culture of openness and flexibility in your team, from which everyone can learn and improve their intercultural skills. That is a real competitive advantage!

Support from specialized service providers

When companies try to overcome cultural barriers in their international teams, they have already taken two important steps: raising awareness and initiating the search for solutions. Unfortunately, there are still considerable challenges in the implementation process:
The necessary expertise and objective perspective to effectively recognize and manage cultural differences are often lacking. In addition, time and resources must be found to independently acquire knowledge and develop sustainable intercultural competence programs. Managers who focus on their daily tasks often overlook the depth and complexity of cultural challenges and implement short-term, non-holistic solutions. This exacerbates problems and leads to increased team conflict and misunderstandings in decision making. Internal efforts to solve cultural challenges can be distorted by internal company dynamics and biases.
An external service provider brings an objective and neutral perspective that helps to analyze problems impartially and develop constructive solutions. Itthey has extensive specialist knowledge of different cultures and knows the methods required to overcome cultural divergences. In this way, awareness and training programs can be implemented and maintained efficiently without affecting day-to-day business. In addition, external service providers often offer long-term consulting services following training and conflict resolution programs to ensure that measures have a lasting effect.

measure:
Look for good service providers in the field of Intercultural Management, Intercultural Consulting and Intercultural Training / Coaching. Make sure that the provider can offer tailor-made solutions, carry out an analysis of your team/company and develop programs specifically tailored to your requirements and team composition. These programs should include practical methods and tools such as workshops, simulations and group or individual coaching that can be easily integrated into your team's daily work routine. The intercultural consultant of your choice should also have a high level of intercultural sensitivity and be sensitive to the cultural characteristics of your company and your employees. A deep understanding of different cultures and communication styles is essential. Last but not least, the service should not only offer short-term training, but also long-term advice and support to ensure that intercultural skills are continuously developed and applied.

Overcoming cultural barriers in IT recruiting opens up a wide range of opportunities for success, as it facilitates access to a larger talent pool worldwide and enables productive collaboration in multicultural teams. Once all potential obstacles and misunderstandings have been removed, the international team can develop its full potential: the most innovative and creative approaches and solutions emerge from the different cultural perspectives!
If you need support in overcoming cultural hurdles in your international team or would like to integrate international specialists into your team, contact us or take a look here our Work and Culture Support Services.

Written by: Julia Anand, Head of Recruiting & Intercultural Consulting, Baloo - Getting IT-Experts across

Image material from: Aranju