Executive Coaching for Leading a Multicultural Local Subsidiary in the Mining Industry

(2015 – ongoing)

Challenge

A local subsidiary of an International Corporation is managed by an Overseas Executive in Australia. The executive is strongly challenged by managers and professionals in his team who are from both Anglo-Australian and culturally diverse backgrounds: there is daily conflict and tension about incompatible management styles, expectations around decision making and team work, work and communication styles. This results in professionals leaving the team, and complaints to local HR team and the International HQ. Human Resources contracts us for an extensive intercultural coaching program for the Executive to enhance his cultural competence and to be able to review and adjust his leadership style and management practices to better understand and deal with the frustration, miscommunication and conflict in his team.

Interventions:

1. The executive is being assessed for his motivation and willingness to participate in intercultural coaching program
2. The executive completes a self-assessment to measure his Intercultural Competence level to deal with the culturally diverse situation: the strength and potential pitfalls. The executive receives  a confidential personal feedback report with recommendations for improvement.
3. A 360 review of executive’s Intercultural Competence (phone interview and on-line questionnaire)
4. Face-to-Face coaching sessions: the intense, interactive  program aims to create cultural awareness, build on cultural know how and develop intercultural competence.
   – increase cultural know-how, cultural behaviour and styles
   – explore challenges and experiences
   – develop multiple perspective taking and apply critical thinking skills
   –  review and adjust management style and practices
   – action planning (recommendations, actions, development steps) to close the gaps around the individual cultural competence
5. One-day Team session with the Executive, Managers and Professionals:
   – team training about increasing cultural know-how, cultural behaviour and styles and explore challenges and experiences
   – team exercise: cultural mapping assessment – benchmark personal, team and national cultural influences
   – team workshop: reconciliation process defining dilemmas and integrating cultural gaps by exploring behavioural strategies and developing work & communication practices
   – team complete Training Feedback Analysis and reports are shared with organisation and contact persons for monitoring the effectivity of the team.

Results:
Due to better understanding of cultural and personality differences within the team, the relationship between team members, managers and the executive have improved. The team has designed a set of synergistic work and communication practices to realign team, corporate and national cultures within the team. The Executive holds regular one-on-one meetings with team members to monitor relationships and communication  – this is also the platform to solve any tension and conflict between team member and executive before it turns to conflict and complaints. The complaints from team members to HR and HQ have dramatically decreased.