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In today’s global business environment, being able to work across cultures isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s a necessity. For organisations operating in culturally diverse regions like the Middle East, navigating culture is critical to building cohesive teams, driving collaboration, and delivering results.
About a year ago, I was asked to provide executive coaching to the General Manager of a highly regarded global medical clinic in Dubai. On paper, she had it all: deep industry experience, strong interpersonal skills, and a track record of performance. So, when I received the brief, I was puzzled. Why call in an executive coach when the leader was already performing so well?
The initial request came from the European head office. The concern wasn’t about her technical competence or leadership style. It was about ongoing team issues. Miscommunication, lack of proactivity, and a sense that staff morale was deteriorating. Something wasn’t clicking.
Curious, I agreed to take on the assignment and began my work by observing team dynamics and holding individual conversations. It became clear that I wasn’t just coaching an individual, I was stepping into a complex team environment filled with undercurrents no one had named yet. This wasn’t a leadership skills problem. It wasn’t about productivity or process. What I uncovered was a cultural collision. Half of the team were Nordic, primarily from Sweden and Denmark, and they valued structure, equality, and direct feedback. The other half were from Asia and the Middle East, where hierarchy is respected, communication is more implicit, and feedback tends to be absorbed emotionally. Both sides were doing what felt natural to them, but their cultural instincts were clashing.
Tensions simmered below the surface. Asian and Middle Eastern team members formed tight subgroups and used a spokesperson to raise collective concerns, often catching the GM off guard. Meanwhile, staff from the Nordic countries were likely to deliver direct negative feedback when they were unhappy about something and then found it frustrating when their colleagues shut down around them. Meetings were avoided. Accountability slipped. Trust eroded. The GM was left in the middle, overcompensating with hands-on management, growing frustrated, and beginning to lose confidence in her team and herself.
I realised that no amount of generic leadership coaching would solve this. What was needed was cultural decoding. We began working with a framework that breaks workplace behaviour into specific dimensions: how we communicate, lead, deliver feedback, build trust, and even manage time. By mapping out where each team member sat across these behavioural spectrums, we could finally put words to what had been unspoken.
We ran team sessions to surface hidden cultural norms and assumptions. We unpacked why direct feedback felt rude to some and refreshing to others. We practiced bridging conversations learning how to shift language, tone, and style depending on who was in the room. Slowly, people stopped taking offence and started getting curious. Misunderstandings turned into learning moments.
Over time, the team began to stabilise. Communication improved. Accountability was shared more evenly. And most importantly, the GM moved from reactive firefighting to proactive leadership, supported by a team that finally understood itself.
This experience confirmed what I’ve seen time and again in global workplaces: cultural friction isn’t a “soft” problem, it’s a strategic one. When organisations invest in decoding culture, they unlock trust, collaboration, and performance. In a multicultural region like the Middle East, this isn’t just valuable, it’s essential.
Culture intelligence isn’t just about national customs or visible differences, it’s about how people think, communicate, and collaborate based on their cultural upbringing. A “culture map” is a framework for understanding these differences and then using those insights to decode behaviours and anticipate areas where cultural misalignment might cause confusion or conflict.
The Middle East is one of the most multicultural work environments in the world. Whether in Dubai, Riyadh, or Doha, it’s common to find teams representing 20+ nationalities. Yet, diversity alone is not enough. Without a sense of cultural belonging, employees may hold back, misunderstand each other, or disengage.
Why does this matter?
In Middle Eastern workplaces, leaders are increasingly expected to not only manage diversity but create an environment where everyone feels they belong without asking them to shed their cultural identity.
Understanding the types of cultural differences that show up at work can help leaders avoid the common traps of misunderstanding. Here are a few examples:
Cultural competency is not just about avoiding mistakes; it’s a competitive advantage.
Here’s how developing it can elevate your organisation:
In short, investing in cultural competency is investing in the bottom line.
Building a culture-smart organisation doesn’t happen by accident. It takes awareness, intentionality, and skill development at every level of leadership.
Here are five practical steps to start:
Help teams understand where they sit across the 8 dimensions of culture and where the differences lie.
Create safe spaces to discuss how different preferences show up in day-to-day work and what adjustments can be made.
Equip managers to flex their leadership and communication style based on who they’re working with.
Clarify shared ways of working from feedback loops to meeting protocols so teams aren’t guessing what’s acceptable.
Use real examples and narratives that highlight the impact of cultural intelligence on success.
If your organisation operates across borders or is made up of a multicultural mix, it’s time to embed cultural intelligence into your leadership DNA. We offer interactive keynote sessions and extended learning experiences designed to build awareness, shift behaviour, and drive results in culturally diverse environments. Reach out to us to learn more!
Written by Cynthia Vincent, Senior Leadership Consultant and Keynote Speaker with Biz Group.
