A Chinese proverb says...

If you are planning for a year, sow rice
If you are planning for a decade, plant trees
If you are planning for a lifetime, educate people

Why is Cross-cultural Training "MISSION CRITICAL?"

Almost everyone in business these days is working in some type of multi-cultural environment - at the office or with customers & colleagues around the world.  

The cost to a company when communications breakdown is difficult to calculate, but one thing is clear - the cost of preparative training is minor by comparison. 

Companies tell us they just can't find the time - personnel is too busy to take a day or two out for training.  Or, budgets are being cut due to the current economy., there isn't a budget, . The question you should be asking is "can we afford NOT to give employees the opportunity to develop cross-cultural skills?"  It may be the best investment you ever make.

Research indicates...

• Today's workforce is more culturally diverse and mobile in nature
• Multicultural personnel is in high demand
• 35-40% of all international assignments end pre-maturely
• More than half of all international joint ventures fail within two-three years
• The cost of sending an expatriate and family abroad is approximately three times the employee’s annual salary
• Today's workforce is more culturally diverse and mobile in nature
• Less than half of all expatriates receive formalized cross-cultural training and are unable to manage cultural differences
• Spouses and children receive even less training and assistance
• Premature return rate for expatriates drops dramatically to less than ten percent when formalized cross-cultural training is provided
• Employees suffering from culture shock negatively impact the company’s productivity, the bottom line and the reputation of the company
• 50-60% of repatriated executives do not remain with the same company after completing an overseas assignment
• Marketing collateral and websites need to be more than mirror translations of the originals - they need to be culturally adapted
• The best presentations are culturally tailored for the audience
• Many companies do not offer training in international etiquette
• Most global on-line and written communication is in English
• Native speakers often do not communicate effectively with non-native speakers

We Help Our Clients...

• Gain an understanding of cross-cultural differences

• Develop ways to Improve inter-company communications between US employees and global colleagues 

• Build effective and productive global virtual teams and in-house multicultural teams

• Gain a better understanding of how cultural differences impact communications, management and business development

• Understand global business etiquette & protocol

• Gain an understanding of how people in different cultures view each other

Contact us to learn more about how our Cross-cultural Training can benefit your company or organization.