Agoes & Agoes Management and Intercultural Consultants

Yesterday we had a successful intercultural training!

Some intercultural concerns....it takes playfulness, flexibility, and humility to adjust to new cultures.

We continually consult with national and international staff from multinational companies, state-owned enterprises, as well as donor agencies. When it comes to dealing with intercultural communication, we find that a common thread among clients is that they are being too complicated about it. This is some advice for internationals to build good intercultural relations between people of different cultures in the workplace:

1. Talk to them in the morning. Ask them where they live, how long did it take them to go to work (many internationals live in expensive apartments at the city's center, while many Indonesian staff live on the outskirts of the city requiring a 2-hour commute). When you ask them, you show you care, and that you have empathy. This builds trust and goodwill.

2. Have lunch with them at the warteg. Chill out, roll your sleeves, and sweat a bit at these traditional wartegs and warungs. You will get to cool off later. Talk and laugh. And don't always talk about work.

3. Smile more. We know you mean business, but hey, this is Indonesia. Smile and joke a bit. Don't need to overdo it, but show that you are an actual human.

4. Disclose more about yourself and your family life. Your wife's name, how many children you have, as well as your hobbies.

There you go! If you practice the above, you are on your way to becoming a more interculturally-sensitive person.

Agoes & Agoes

The most important thing in communication is presence. Is being that field of presence when you are communicating with someone. To be aware, to be mindful, to listen. That is how true kindness and true communication, occurs.

Realize that in the context of culture, we are always dealing with the cultural iceberg in mind. On top of the water represents the conscious and largely superficial concepts of culture (food, clothing, dancing, etc.), while beneath the water represents beliefs/knowledge that are subconscious and mostly taken for granted. Yet, it is what drives people's intercultural interactions everyday.

"Support for cultural leadership today is as much about providing know-how to new and emerging cultural leaders, as it is about developing the relationships leaders need to progress in their careers, via the creation of professional networks, mentoring programmes and collaborative projects." Harpreet Kaur - Cultural Consultant, Writer, and Speaker.

Have a great Monday everyone!

The most important thing is kindness. That is why at Agoes & Agoes, one of our core values is Kindness, apart from Integrity and Professionalism.

Through kind communication, you can have a sense of communion. This is true for interpersonal relations, as well as organizational communication.

Communion is a joining together of minds or spirits, while communication is the act transmitting information.

Agoes & Agoes would like to say Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it, and to everyone a Happy New Year! May the New Year be filled with happiness, success, and peace.