A hot topic of the second part of the 7th HR Conference, organized by Lider, held at the Zonar hotel in Zagreb, was about leading multinational teams, which, as the panelists agreed, requires special skills and understanding because the teams include people from different cultures, languages, and backgrounds.
Antonia Filipović, Head of Employee Benefits at Marsh McLennan, a company specializing in insurance brokerage and risk assessment, spoke about how the company she represents is primarily American but operates in over 180 countries worldwide and adapts to local standards, including the workforce from different cultures. As Marsh is a data-driven company, she talked about the experience with Indians who summarize data for them, and she added that they often send about 300 emails a day.
– One often needs to adapt to such communication and understand why they do it and with what motivation – she explained.
Filipović also mentioned that Marsh frequently sends employees to work in other environments to connect, which consequently affects productivity and team spirit.
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Nataša Trslić Štambak, Regional Director for the CEE region at Grayling, spoke about the similarities of teams from the CEE subregion that understand each other quite well.
– We are a communication company, most employees are highly educated, we follow market trends, and it is easier to collaborate at a multinational level and share knowledge about markets in such circumstances – emphasized Trslić Štambak, but there are challenges considering that they are a multinational company and one must know how to adapt to different cultures and national specifics.
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Marija Felkel, Adriatic Cluster HR Director at Nomad Foods, shared that she has had vivid experiences with various teams.
– It is not the same to lead a team from Slovenia and, for example, Kosovo; team leaders need to be taught and culturally prepared to lead such multinational teams – emphasized Felkel.
Nomad Foods also employs foreign labor from third markets like Nepal, and Felkel had one concrete piece of advice for the attendees: you cannot prepare only for those workers coming from foreign markets; you must not neglect those employees who are already here. However, it is culturally necessary to do good homework.
– Nepalese will not eat in front of others; we had to teach them what gablec is; otherwise, they would not eat anything at work – Felkel cited an example, emphasizing how important it is to be well-informed and conduct cultural integration before the arrival of foreign workers.
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Diana Kobas Dešković, CEO of Spona Code, delivered a presentation on inclusive leadership in the new era. Inclusion, as Kobas Dešković noted, is usually associated with special groups, but that is not the most accurate translation because such leadership represents diversity and applies to everyone.
– For our organizations to grow, we need diversity, people with different experiences and needs, because that is also the market, and it is easier to adapt to it, but in this way, we also create better innovative solutions, and only inclusive leaders know how to create such conditions – emphasized Kobas Dešković.
– A true inclusive leader does not leave anyone, absolutely no one, excluded; they raise awareness of the importance of bias, are dedicated, curious, develop cultural intelligence, empower collaboration, and finally do not hide vulnerability – concluded Kobas Dešković.
