International mindset, local perspective – coordinating and communicating across international borders

Managing a multinational workforce is challenging, since it involves coordinating and communicating across international borders. The obvious issues that spring to mind are differences in language, culture and time zone but there is far more to it than that.

Managing and facilitating collaboration and information exchange between different countries within a multinational organisation requires a meticulous strategy, rigorous planning and ongoing feedback. Cross-border coordination and communication involves ensuring effective communication, alignment of goals and coordination of activities across borders.

One of the classic mistakes multinational organisations make is not seeking input from international colleagues on how things should be done. It is good for everyone to have a thorough understanding of what is suitable and what is not in different environments. Cross-border teams should work to the same standards and principles across the organisation, but the execution varies from case to case.

Key challenges in cross-border coordination and communication 

Managing a workforce spread across different countries certainly requires good cross-border coordination, enhanced diplomacy and compliance assurance.  

Examples of such challenges: 

• Differences in language, culture, communication style and business practice can cause misunderstanding and sometimes even offence, whether internally among colleagues or externally when client-facing.  
• Time zone differences and geographic dispersion complicate real-time communication.  
• Differences in systems, processes and data formats impede information sharing and knowledge transfer. 
• Different legal and regulatory frameworks need to be navigated, not forgetting any tax and employment law implications. 

Overcoming cross-border obstacles 

In our remit as international advisers, we see recurring themes as we support international businesses in streamlining their cross-border communication and coordination.  

Our top tips are:  

• Adopt clear and concise communication practices. Provide guidelines for effective written and verbal communication. Find common languages, encourage language-learning and consider translation and interpreting services.  
• Leverage technology platforms and collaboration tools that facilitate virtual communication and teamwork. Explore video conferencing, project management software, shared document repositories and instant messaging tools. 
• Provide cross-cultural training to increase awareness and understanding of cultural differences. This promotes empathy, better communication and easier collaboration across borders. 
• Focus on strong leadership. This is crucial for fostering relationships, trust and a shared sense of purpose among team members. Encourage interactions, both virtual and in-person. 
• Establish standardised processes, systems and practices across locations. Centralise key decision-making processes and facilitate the flow of information through integrated databases and communication channels. 
• Allow teams a degree of autonomy and decision-making authority to adapt to local market conditions while maintaining alignment with overall organisational goals. 
• Encourage open feedback and create mechanisms for resolving issues and conflicts. 

Help from our experts 

The specific challenges and solutions vary depending on the nature of the business, the countries involved and the organisational structure. There is no off-the-peg solution.  

We can work with you to find the best approach for your organisation’s cross-border coordination and communication planning.  We help you find the right combination of cultural sensitivity, effective communication strategies, technology and organisational support. 

To find out how we can support you with your organisation’s cross-border coordination and communication people strategy, please contact Steve Asher. For more information, check out our global mobility page.