10 Things You as a manager can start doing tomorrow to improve Intercultural Collaboration

In today’s global work environment, culture isn’t just a background factor, it actively shapes how people communicate, make decisions, and collaborate. As a manager, you’re in a unique position to influence how well your team navigates cultures.

Improving intercultural collaboration doesn’t require a full-scale transformation from day one, but it does require intentionality. How you run your meetings, how you give feedback, and how you include, or exclude, different communication styles all send signals that shape the team culture around you.

The good news is: you don’t need to wait for a big programme or a new policy to get started. The ten ideas below are practical steps you can begin implementing tomorrow. They’re not a replacement for deeper work, but they can start to build awareness, shift habits, and open up conversations that matter.

Each tip is grounded in patterns we see across global teams, but, as always, context matters. If something doesn’t fit your organisation’s strategy, regulatory environment, or ways of working, adjust. The goal isn’t to tick boxes, it’s to start making culture part of how you manage.

1. Prep Your Meetings with Culture in Mind

Before your next meeting, consider the cultural background and communication norms of your participants. Will they expect a direct question, or is that considered confrontational? Should you build consensus informally ahead of time? Even your opening line matters. A small cultural shift in tone can make a big difference in engagement.

Use tools like the Country Comparison Tool or Culture Compass to get cultural insight in advance. 

2. Ask “What Does Good Collaboration Look Like to You?”

Use one-on-ones or retrospectives to ask this simple but revealing question. You may be surprised by the range of expectations, some rooted in national values, others in personal work styles. For some, good collaboration means consensus and harmony; for others, it’s clarity and speed. Start the conversation, and listen closely to the answers.

3. Reframe Silence

Silence doesn’t always mean agreement, or disagreement. In some cultures, silence signals respect or the need to reflect. In others, it may indicate confusion or disengagement.

Instead of rushing to fill the silence, pause and ask: “Would you like a moment to think it over?” Or invite written feedback after the meeting.

4. Use Shared Documents to Surface Quiet Voices

Not everyone feels comfortable speaking up in meetings. But many are more than happy to contribute in writing. Use shared documents to gather agenda points, reflections, or feedback before the meeting. This gives all team members, including those that value silence, as discussed in the previous point, to shape the conversation.

5. Talk About Communication Preferences

Take a moment to discuss how your team prefers to communicate. Face-to-face or written? Casual or formal? Consensus-driven or decision-maker led?

These preferences often sit below the surface and go unquestioned. Simply creating space to discuss them can reduce misunderstandings and help your team work together more smoothly. It will also give you a better idea of how to best communicate with your team.

6. Review How Decisions Are Made, and Who Makes Them

Some cultures expect decisions to come from the top. Others value group consensus. If you want to be more inclusive in your decision-making, you can bring this up with one-on-one discussions, and ask if they think the decision-making process makes sense for them. Explore minor adjustments that might help everyone feel more included in the process.

According to our 2024 Global Report decision-making is one of the areas where expectations can be very different depending on the culture. A small shift here can yield major improvements. 

7. Share the “Why,” Not Just the “What”

In some cultures, explaining why something needs to be done creates buy-in. In others, it may be seen as unnecessary. But in global teams, defaulting to just tasking without context can backfire.

Next time you roll out a new process, take a minute or two to share the rationale. It’s a small step that builds trust and understanding.

8. Make Feedback Culturally Safe

Feedback is one of the easiest areas for intercultural communication to go wrong. What’s “honest” in one culture can feel like a personal attack in another.

Before your next performance review or feedback session, ask yourself: How does this person prefer to give and receive feedback? Then adjust accordingly.

9. Review Your Team’s Unwritten Rules

How are meetings opened? Who speaks first? How is success recognised?
Every team has cultural “norms,” but they’re not always visible. Ask your team what feels “normal” to them and see where norms clash or exclude.

The Team Culture Scan is a great tool for surfacing hidden assumptions that affect collaboration. 

10. Build Cultural awareness into Your Onboarding

New hires learn how your team works by watching others. If intercultural collaboration isn’t part of onboarding, it won’t be part of your culture.

Add a simple module to your onboarding that explains your expectations around cross-cultural teamwork. Use tools like the Culture Compass or share your team’s preferred collaboration practices.

This is exactly how Mars created lasting change across a global team.

Some of these tips may be easier to apply than others, and that’s entirely expected. Every team operates within its own context. What works well in one setting might not fit in another. Use what makes sense for your organisation right now.

If you're ready to take the next step in building a team that thrives across cultures, we're here to support you. Whether you're exploring small changes or looking for long-term transformation, our tools and programmes can help you turn good intentions into meaningful impact.

Let’s make culture part of how you lead.