Software Engineering Teams tend to have workers from around the globe. Dealing with culturally diverse teams is an important skill in TPM toolbox. Cultural diversity brings its own set of advantages and challenges. Below are some of the best practices in dealing with them.

  • Accept and Acknowledge Diversity

  • Communication Styles

  • Work Hours

  • Food Preferences

  • Immigration and Visa Issues

  • Political Discussions

  • Popular Culture References

  • Cultural Events/Festivals

  • Vacations and Time-off

  • Inclusion

Accept and Acknowledge Diversity: This is the first step in successful engagement with culturally diverse teams. Mentioning in team meetings that you recognize and appreciate cultural diversity is a great place to start with. It makes everyone feels recognized and acknowledged of their uniqueness/background.

Communication Styles: People tend to have different communication styles depending on where they come from e.g. people from Asian cultures generally do not ask questions immediately when exposed to new information and focus on absorption while people from European/Nordic countries etc. may have lot of questions right at the onset. Provide opportunity for all people to ask questions and gain clarity after they have digested the material.

Work Hours: Workers from some cultural backgrounds would like to start the day early and finish early e.g. 8am to 4 pm workday whereas others may prefer slightly later workday window of 10am to 6pm. Any important meetings should not be set up either very early or very late in the day.

Food Preferences: These can vary significantly e.g. vegans, vegetarians, Halal, Kosher etc. As a TPM, you are responsible that whenever food is ordered/arranged for the team, these food preferences are considered. Occasionally, I have seen vegetarian Pizza finishing first and not everyone getting it whereas pepperoni pizza left behind and being put in the kitchen to avoid being trashed.

Immigration and Visa Issues: Team members may be on a variety of Visas and immigration statuses. It is perfectly OK to have different opinions on immigration policy etc. but being sensitive about it goes a long way in establishing a cohesive and productive team.

Political Discussions: Most companies have guidelines around political discussions etc. At best, they are avoided at work place even if they look benign! This can be a divisive force within the team and as a TPM you need to bring the focus of your team back to making the company successful at the marketplace.

Popular Culture References: While popular cultural references can make the communication fun it may also make things difficult to understand for people who do not know about them. Mark will be our quarterback for this event is OK to use but do not assume that everyone will know what a quarterback is. Explain that cultural references before using them, other team members will appreciate learning something new!

Cultural Events/Festivals: Knowing about important events and festivals that may require time off by team members will let you prepare/ anticipate any time off, backups etc. Some basic cross-cultural events awareness may include Chinese New Year, Ramadan, Diwali, Yom Kippur etc.

Vacations and Time-off: This can differ significantly across team members. While local or in country folks may take multiple short vacations, team members with international family connections may take one or two long vacations within the year. This impacts how backup is planned for these resources, so project impact is minimized.

Inclusion: All team members from diverse backgrounds should feel included in the decisions that impacts the team e.g. if a TPM is planning a morale boost activity then everyone’s input and interest should be considered. You may be surprised to know how much the definition of ‘fun’ varies across diverse cultures!

 Cultural diversity of a team is it’s strength and not a weakness. People from different backgrounds bring in different perspectives and ideas. As a TPM you should tap into these ideas for business enhancement and success.