Considering Culture – Coaching and Development Plans

Throughout the course of my leadership career, I’ve been a proponent of facilitative coaching in order to drive team performance. What does that mean? Well, in a nutshell, it involves collaborating with my direct reports in order to create action plans and achieve sales goals. Typically this has been done one-on-one and involved both formal and informal coaching sessions. When preparing for the formal sessions, both my team member and I would look at the previous month’s results in order to select focus areas for coaching and development. I instructed them to come prepared with their thoughts on what they would like to improve – if we aligned, then we would put together a plan to achieve it. The plan clearly defined their specific actions and my level of support. If we didn’t initially agree on a focus, my choice would carry more weight. Throughout the course of the month we would check in with one another informally to make sure that we were still on track to reach the goal. If not, mid-course corrections would occur.

Because the United States is known as a low power distance nation, this method of coaching has served my team and I well. We have worked hard to establish a culture of inclusion which provides employees at all levels some independence in thought and action. Constructive conflict is encouraged, and front-line employees are expected to speak up when they disagree or have a disparate viewpoint on events related to their individual careers. This method of coaching – empowering employees and encouraging freedom of thought – would seem an ideal way to improve performance across the organization. SPOILER ALERT: It’s not.

In global organizations, a one-size-fits-all approach is rarely the answer. Take the Middle East for example…If I were to move to Saudi Arabia to take a job as my company’s regional sales director, this coaching plan could very well have the opposite effect. Many Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt are widely considered ‘high power distance’ cultures. Employees in the region are typically more comfortable maintaining formality in the manager-employee relationship. This manifests in a tendency to resist speaking out of questioning the authority of their superiors. It also means that employees are more comfortable ‘blending in with the crowd’, rather than attempting to establish their independence. This behavior is backed up by the highly collectivist behaviors of the area.  In many cases, expressing unpopular opinions can be risky, and cause the employee to ‘lose face’ with their manager and peers.

So how can we be effective in developing our direct reports – or others – from the Middle East (or similar cultural regions)? These tips should help provide a base to build from:

Leverage Teamwork – Culturally speaking, working in teams is preferred because it reduces the risk of individual failure (and as a result, the aforementioned loss of face). In more collectivist societies, the success of the team – whether it be work, family, or other – is prized over the individual.

Give Clear Directions – As the manager of the team, you are seen as the expert. Be sure to provide clear instruction and expectations to your direct reports. Eliminate uncertainty by being as detailed as possible. Check to ensure understanding. (Do this on an individual basis – not in front of a group!)

Be Compassionate, But Expect Accountability – Middle Eastern employees are typically determined to perform well, and will compete with one another for the attention and preference of their manager. If they are of Islamic faith – as much of the region is – they will likely show an even higher level of commitment to doing well, as work is viewed as an act of worship.

As always, keep in mind that individual employee preferences vary greatly, even within a specific culture. The best approach to developing a coaching plan is to know your people, understand their motivations, and provide the support that they need.

Have more tips on creating coaching or development plans for use outside of your home country? Share them in the comments below.

References:

Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences (9th ed.). Oxford: Routledge.