EP 487 Cultural Agility Required in the 21st Century

 In the Zoom era, businesses are investing millions into global collaboration technology.  Yet the slickness of Big Tech stands to mask-and perhaps exacerbate the real issue: doing business across borders has less to do with technology and everything to do with being culturally agile.  Instinctively we sense this.  How do you react when put in a new environment where the customs and cues are not well understood?  Americans in the past often assumed the world would bend to our cultural imperatives, but things have changed and we have to embrace ambiguity and develop more humility and resilience in the face of working with people in different cultures.  This is not only a cross border phenomenon but applies in America too when dealing with regional, demographic and age differences.  Paula Caligiuri of Northeastern University is expert in this field and has written the book, ‘Build Your Cultural Agility’.  She challenges us today on the podcast to wake up our lazy brains when experiencing cultural novelty.

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