Building Stronger Teams Through Cultural Understanding
“I don’t like him. He’s rude.” This was the candid feedback about our newest hire, an IT specialist from Ankara, Turkey. As someone who shares the same cultural roots, I wasn’t entirely surprised but was nevertheless disheartened to hear this perception from an American colleague. The contrast in their views highlighted a deeper issue than mere personality differences — it was a cultural disconnect.
Having moved from Turkey to the United States myself, I’ve experienced similar cultural nuances firsthand. Americans are often described as open, friendly, and outgoing, but this friendliness can sometimes feel superficial to someone from a culture where social interactions carry more depth and time. In Turkey, asking “How are you?” implies a genuine interest and willingness to listen, while in the U.S., it’s often a courteous formality, answered briefly before moving on. Understanding this distinction took time and patience, underscoring the importance of cultural awareness in diverse workplaces.
Hire Open-Minded People
In a globally dispersed company like Jotform, which operates across five countries and employs a culturally diverse workforce, leveraging the strengths that such diversity brings is crucial. However, it also requires thoughtful leadership. One key strategy I rely on is hiring open-minded candidates. While qualifications are important, the ability to embrace different perspectives and demonstrate intellectual flexibility is indispensable.
Research supports this approach. According to a Harvard Business Review study, teams with diverse perspectives that foster open communication outperform homogeneous teams on problem-solving and innovation (Harvard Business Review, 2016). To identify open-mindedness, I ask candidates to share moments when they were proven wrong — their responses reveal whether they defensively shift blame or embrace learning. This insight predicts their capacity to collaborate effectively with teammates who may approach tasks differently.
Get Your Teams Together
Remote work has its advantages, but it often comes with challenges like isolation and reduced well-being. Gallup’s 2023 report highlights that remote employees report higher levels of stress and loneliness compared to their onsite counterparts, impacting engagement and productivity. At Jotform, we prioritize in-person interactions to bridge these gaps.
Our annual “Jotformers Week” brings together employees from nearly two dozen countries to build genuine connections. We avoid forced activities by soliciting input on what participants find meaningful, ensuring engagement and authenticity. These gatherings help clarify misinterpretations that arise from digital communication, where nonverbal cues such as tone and body language are often lost. For example, the American team quickly discovered that our Turkish IT expert’s quiet demeanor masked a sharp, playful humor — a nuance that wouldn’t have been apparent over Slack.
While organizing such events requires investment, the payoff in team cohesion and morale is invaluable. According to a study published in the Journal of Managerial Psychology (2021), team-building events significantly improve trust and cooperation, especially in multicultural teams.
Leave Less Room for Interpretation
Ambiguity in communication can breed misunderstandings and erode culture. Clear documentation of company values and expectations is essential to create a shared understanding. At Jotform, we articulate our principles clearly and reinforce them through newsletters and all-hands meetings.
Moreover, setting explicit boundaries around work-life balance helps prevent miscommunication. For instance, encouraging employees to disconnect from work during nights, weekends, and PTO fosters psychological safety — a critical factor for innovation and employee well-being (Google’s Project Aristotle, 2017). Employees know exactly what is expected, reducing the cognitive load of guessing unwritten rules. This clarity diminishes cultural friction by applying the same standards consistently across diverse teams.
In conclusion, cultural misunderstandings are inevitable in diverse workplaces, but they need not be detrimental. Leaders who foster curiosity, invest in meaningful team interactions, and communicate with clarity can transform potential conflicts into opportunities for growth and stronger collaboration.
