Erin Meyer is an American professor at the international business school Insead and programme director for its managing global virtual teams programme. She also is the author of the book The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business, which was published last year. And she recently visited Insead's Abu Dhabi campus on International Women's Day to host a women's leadership seminar. Here Ms Meyer, a mother of two sons, who has lived in Paris with her French husband for the past 15 years, reveals how a diverse workforce can be managed more effectively.
How is the UAE different from other countries?
The UAE is one of the most multicultural countries in the world. Here the normal workday involves working with individuals from dozens of countries. You don't have to leave home to see how differently various societies around the world think, lead and get things done.
What are the biggest challenges a leader faces when managing a team comprising several cultures?
There are remarkably different ways of communicating, building trust and even running meetings in different world cultures - and each culture feels they've got it right. In today's globalised economy, we have to learn how to adapt our style - when to speak or stay quiet and when negative feedback is constructive. Such misunderstandings can lead to ineffective teams and demotivated, frustrated employees.
Why is it important to a manager to learn this?
Most managers working across borders have little understanding of how culture impacts their work. In the US, we have this tendency to recap what has been decided in a meeting and then recap it again in a memo - the thinking being that the more you clarify, the more professional it appears. But that's not true in many countries; a client from Indonesia told me: "When we make decisions verbally, that's enough for me. If you put it in writing, you don't trust me".
What are some tips for getting global teams to disagree agreeably?
With multicultural teams, getting all groups members to express their ideas openly and comfortably can be a challenge. In many cultures - Japan, Thailand, China - publicly disagreeing with a boss or elder is considered disrespectful. One tip is to depersonalise disagreement - instead of asking team members to challenge ideas in a meeting, ask them to send their opinions to a third party beforehand and have that person create a list of anonymous ideas. Another tip is to adjust your language, avoiding "upgraders" like "absolutely", instead using "maybe" or "perhaps", followed by "What do you think?"
Do women tend to fare better or worse in cross-cultural teams?
Women have a particular knack for it. We are used to putting ourselves in others' shoes, which is the first step to multicultural effectiveness.
How can businesses ensure women reach the highest ranks?
As a young woman I didn't think much about how my gender impacted my work. But as I get older I can't ignore that the women executives coming through my classes are a significant minority. I had difficult pregnancies and, as a mother, felt I needed to be home a lot while my children were babies. I believe it is critical for systems to allow women to be active mothers and still have high-level careers (if that's what they want), so we create a world where we can benefit from diversity instead of accidentally stamping it out.
What have you learnt about culture as an American in Paris?
Stereotypes are deceiving. For example, the French are perceived as arrogant by most other cultures. People don't smile much at others on the street, which foreigners might interpret as haughty. In reality, once you've developed a relationship, they are very warm and emotionally open. In addition, they love to debate and critique. If you are not used to it, it can be very destabilising.
What have you learnt from a cross-cultural marriage?
My husband was raised in France but lived in the US for 16 years; I was raised in the US, but have lived in France 15 years. So we are two peas in a pod.
What language do you use to communicate within your family?
We speak English at home unless we are with Eric's family, in which case we speak French. The kids go to a regular French school, so they speak only French during the day. It is very exciting to watch your children grow up "in" two languages. Sometimes I watch my children talking to a friend and I think: "My child knows how to speak like that."
business@thenational.ae
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
New process leads to panic among jobseekers
As a UAE-based travel agent who processes tourist visas from the Philippines, Jennifer Pacia Gado is fielding a lot of calls from concerned travellers just now. And they are all asking the same question.
“My clients are mostly Filipinos, and they [all want to know] about good conduct certificates,” says the 34-year-old Filipina, who has lived in the UAE for five years.
Ms Gado contacted the Philippines Embassy to get more information on the certificate so she can share it with her clients. She says many are worried about the process and associated costs – which could be as high as Dh500 to obtain and attest a good conduct certificate from the Philippines for jobseekers already living in the UAE.
“They are worried about this because when they arrive here without the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] clearance, it is a hassle because it takes time,” she says.
“They need to go first to the embassy to apply for the application of the NBI clearance. After that they have go to the police station [in the UAE] for the fingerprints. And then they will apply for the special power of attorney so that someone can finish the process in the Philippines. So it is a long process and more expensive if you are doing it from here.”
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Who are the Soroptimists?
The first Soroptimists club was founded in Oakland, California in 1921. The name comes from the Latin word soror which means sister, combined with optima, meaning the best.
The organisation said its name is best interpreted as ‘the best for women’.
Since then the group has grown exponentially around the world and is officially affiliated with the United Nations. The organisation also counts Queen Mathilde of Belgium among its ranks.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Brief scores:
Manchester United 4
Young 13', Mata 28', Lukaku 42', Rashford 82'
Fulham 1
Kamara 67' (pen),
Red card: Anguissa (68')
Man of the match: Juan Mata (Man Utd)
U19 World Cup in South Africa
Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE
UAE fixtures
Saturday, January 18, v Canada
Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan
Saturday, January 25, v South Africa
UAE squad
Aryan Lakra (captain), Vriitya Aravind, Deshan Chethyia, Mohammed Farazuddin, Jonathan Figy, Osama Hassan, Karthik Meiyappan, Rishabh Mukherjee, Ali Naseer, Wasi Shah, Alishan Sharafu, Sanchit Sharma, Kai Smith, Akasha Tahir, Ansh Tandon
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.6-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 285bhp
Torque: 353Nm
Price: TBA
On sale: Q2, 2020
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Pad Man
Dir: R Balki
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte
Three-and-a-half stars
Women & Power: A Manifesto
Mary Beard
Profile Books and London Review of Books
