Wolf&Grayson EditorialWorking across different cultures sounds straightforward until you’re dealing with a team member who’s been stewing over a harsh email for 12 hours because of time zone differences. Or watching a Western executive dismiss cultural differences with “it’s my way or the highway.” Kanthi Ford, a business consultant who’s worked across all continents and in dozens of countries, has seen these scenarios play out repeatedly. Her take on cultural assimilation focuses less on theory and more on what actually works when you’re trying to get business done across borders.
Recognizing the Cost of Misunderstandings
Ford has watched multinationals stumble over cultural differences for years. “I’ve worked with lots of multinationals who consistently get it wrong because, particularly if they’re Western,. For instance, Americans tend to be far more direct than Chinese, who are right at the opposite end of the communication and interaction spectrum,” she says. The problem isn’t just awkward meetings. It’s creating what she calls “unnecessary dissonance” that makes organizations less effective. One conversation stands out. She was advising a leader whose company had operations in India and China. “I said, if you’re working in India and China, you’ve got to recognize that the other culture is very different from the way that Americans do business,” she recalls. His response? “In my world, it’s the highway. If it’s not my way.” That thinking ripples through an entire organization. Time zones make things worse. “If somebody gets a negative or challenging email first thing in the morning in their world, they’ve got to churn it over for 12 hours before they can actually speak to the person who sent it to them,” Ford explains. These problems vanish when people actually assimilate the culture they’re working with.
Building Trust Through Curiosity
The main issue isn’t that professionals don’t understand cultural differences exist. They just don’t adapt fast enough. “Somebody going into a different culture or working with a different culture needs to recognize that there’s a cultural exchange going on as well as an exchange of business or ideas,” Ford says. Most people skip this part entirely. She’s adamant about curiosity being the key. “We need to share our culture and be curious about other people’s culture because that creates relationship and trust, and it builds mutual respect.” Instead, people show up and complain. “We often just rock up and say, oh, it’s not the same here, rather than being curious as to why culturally something’s different.”
Ford’s advice is practical and based on 3 key points:
- Get Your Mindset Right – “Recognize that it’s assimilating, not changing your culture,” she says. “So looking at yourself as an assimilator. So, you are both understanding and being thoughtful about another culture, but also contributing.” You’re blending, not abandoning who you are.”
- Expect Misunderstandings – “Go in expecting misunderstanding or culture shock,” Ford suggests. “Maybe there’s going to be a difference in values, or there may be a difference in the way people relate to each other. See them as opportunities to expand your view of the world rather than barriers to progress. Study the traditions, history, language. Find out about unspoken social norms by being genuinely interested.”
- Connect With People Who’ve Done It Before – “Get to know people who do live in that culture. Connect with other expats or other people who’ve traveled there,” she advises. They can help you navigate the differences. But here’s the critical part: talk about it. “Don’t just assume and then cause upset. It’s the silences that can be most destructive.”
About AI helping with cultural assimilation, Ford is a little skeptical. “AI is still not universal. The world’s not universal. Humans aren’t universal. We’re all idiosyncratic, we’re all different,” she says. “And then you get AI and you find that AI is pretty stereotypical. And that’s the one thing humans aren’t.” She experiments with different AI tools regularly and finds they get things wrong more often than people realize. Role plays and scenarios might prepare someone for surface-level interactions, but they miss what matters. “We’re talking about sensient human beings. It’s how people sense how people respond to things, how people feel about things,” Ford explains. Reading about rituals and customs without understanding what’s behind them can actually create more misperceptions. Her recommendation? “Interact with people and then figure it out.” A good deal of intercultural work happens virtually now, so build on those virtual conversations before jumping on aircraft. The core principle stays the same. “Assimilation is really about blending. It’s not abandoning one culture for another. It’s blending cultures together. And that’s why inclusion is such a valuable tool in an organization.”
Connect with Kanthi Ford on LinkedIn or her website to explore practical strategies for thriving across cultures.
