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Recent experiences of running cultural awareness sessions for a UK team dealing on a regular basis with
US proved invaluable to overcoming a number of issues which had become entrenched into operating behaviours of teams. The sessions heightened awareness within team of operating differences and helped to generate an understanding of why these differences existed within groups. It also presented teams with an opportunity to understand potential frustrations that their US colleagues may have had with their UK peers in respect to their own personal approach to managing meetings, negotiations, making decisions, resolving issues etc.
Involvement in awareness programmes across a range of diverse issues is proving invaluable in resolving numerous poor performances in international business and in enhancing day to day HR practices; for example:
•Expatriate assignments, management, training and benefits •Production of international relocation guides and related support materials •International company and office relocations •International recruitment •Corporate mergers and acquisitions •Training and development •Policy development
Clearly from an HR, and hence a business perspective, cultural awareness has been critical to success of global companies with progression of strong acceptance within businesses for need to enhance cultural awareness through diverse cultural interventions.
After many years as an HR manager for some of the world's leading internationla companies, N.A. Johnson now works as an advisor for London based firm Kwintessential as an advisor on HR & cross cultural management issues.
