After the flurry of the holiday season, it’s time to reinvigorate your company’s resolutions to stay on track for the year ahead. We’ve done the research for you to identify the trends you will want to be a part of in 2018. Read on to see what these trends are and how you can position your global team to succeed!
Be Focused
If you’ve been relying on methods that aren’t effective, a new year is the ideal time to reevaluate your processes. Tools are available to connect with people in a way they understand. If you aren’t using resources like intercultural training for your diverse team yet, you’re missing out on opportunities to grow. Surge ahead of the pack with the ability to serve your clients in a personalized, focused way.
Be Inclusive
Depending on where you live in the world, you may have noticed the initiative to increase diversity. Employers are becoming more aware of employee conduct and must strive to provide a safe workplace. This means educating employees on how their actions may be interpreted by one another, which is taught in Global Workforce Development. That said, if you have a global team, celebrate them! Your team’s unique cultures and values combine to form a company that is impossible to replicate.
On the client side, user experience (UX) should be a new focus for your global company. This involves constantly changing the systems your company uses to connect with your clients in order to give them what they need.
Your task in 2018 is to inspire conversation from your clients to learn how you can better serve them. The trends indicate a continual movement towards personalization, however that may be manifested in your industry. If clients feel that you are making the effort to relate and connect personally, they will be more loyal to your business.
Be Authentic
Throughout this year, strive to build relationships with your clients where they will say, “I want to keep working with this company because they are the best at what they do.” Prove through your actions that all of the other alternatives in your industry fall short. Dedicated clients are your most valuable asset and will help you grow your business through word-of-mouth communication, which is the most powerful method of marketing.
Be Proactive
Major global news events and shifts in the economy are spurring major changes in entire industries. Vertical mergers and acquisitions are becoming more and more common; the consolidation of companies and cultures will reshape the business environment. As a result of these changes, one can anticipate the importance of cultural training in these potentially challenging situations. When company cultures clash, productivity and profit is lost, due to a preventable problem.
If you are an HR professional, it is your responsibility to ensure the wellness of your team by facilitating the necessary trainings. Investing in your employees will prove you are a best-in-class employer. Seek unique solutions (such as flexible work environments and remote collaboration tools) to accommodate your talented yet globally dispersed team. One of the most notable trends heading into 2018 is the shift from employee engagement to employee experience. This means that in order to retain top talent, your employees need to feel supported and provided with opportunities to learn.
Based on these global business trends, it is clear that the stakes have never been higher. Flawless execution is now the expectation; your company is expected to know more and do more than ever before, but you can be prepared. Make the effort to prove that your company is the subject matter expert in your industry. If you become one of the few companies to devote time to this goal, your team will accomplish more, on time and under budget, because obstacles like poor intercultural communication are eliminated. Make 2018 the year your company wins more!
Get started today by clicking below to determine how intercultural training could be the new start your team urgently needs.