In today’s globalized business environment, cultural awareness is essential for fostering collaboration, especially in remote, hybrid, or outsourced dedicated teams.
Described as a country of “rich cultural diversity and a strong sense of community”, companies are increasingly tapping into Colombia’s skilled workforce. As a result, it’s crucial to understand the country’s cultural context to facilitate smooth communication and effective collaboration.
To help your team work seamlessly with Colombian colleagues, implementing a culture of collaboration through training that promotes understanding, respect, well-being and adaptability is key. Here are some initiatives and important tips to help foster better collaboration with Colombian workers.
Tips for Better Collaboration
1. Understanding Hierarchical Dynamics
Colombian business culture tends to follow a hierarchical structure where respect for authority and seniority is important. Managers are often expected to take the lead in decision-making, and deference to senior staff is common.
Tip: Train your team to be aware of and respect these hierarchical dynamics. Encourage open communication but ensure team members are mindful of leadership roles when collaborating on tasks or making decisions.
2. Building Personal Relationships
Colombians, like most people, see the value in developing personal relationships and trust in the workplace. Before diving straight into business, many Colombian professionals prefer to establish a rapport. Social conversations about family, hobbies, or personal interests often precede meetings or work discussions.
Tip: Encourage your team to invest time in getting to know their Colombian counterparts. Small talk and casual interactions can go a long way in building trust and strengthening professional bonds.
3. Communication Styles
Colombian workers tend to value polite and indirect communication. While English proficiency is high in many professional settings, especially in outsourced roles, non-verbal cues and tone are equally significant. So, when an issue arises, always choose diplomacy to maintain harmony.
Tip: To develop company culture, encourage your team to practice active listening and be sensitive to indirect feedback. Acknowledge that sometimes “yes” may mean “maybe,” and avoid pressuring for overly direct responses.
4. Embracing Flexibility and Adaptability
While your outsourced teams in Colombia will be highly professional, it’s important to embrace flexibility. For instance, try to see the benefit in relationship-building and problem-solving over rigid timelines.
Tip: Prepare your team to adopt a more flexible mindset when working with Colombian colleagues. Rather than focusing solely on deadlines, emphasize the importance of collaboration, problem-solving, and communication to ensure project success.
5. Recognizing Work-Life Balance Priorities
Work-life balance is important in Colombia. Many employees cherish family time and personal activities outside of work. A strong social network is central to Colombian culture, and after-hours work might not be as common as in some other countries.
Tip: Promote respect for time zones and working hours. Encourage your team to avoid scheduling business meetings outside of Colombian business hours unless necessary, and be aware of local holidays.
6. Celebrating Diversity and Inclusivity
Colombia’s workforce is diverse, and Colombians take pride in their cultural heritage. Diversity and inclusion are essential, and recognizing national holidays such as Independence Day (July 20th) and their cultural customs can help build camaraderie and mutual respect, even in an outsourced work environment.
Tip: Incorporate Colombian cultural elements into team-building activities or virtual celebrations. Acknowledging Colombian holidays and traditions can make your colleagues feel valued and appreciated. Furthermore, check-in with them to ensure they know their voice is heard.
7. Providing Cross-cultural Training and Learning Opportunities
Cross-culture training goes beyond one-off brainstorming workshops. Continuous education helps teams stay adaptable and empathetic to diverse working styles and cultural expectations.
Tip: Offer regular cultural sensitivity training that focuses on Colombian traditions, business etiquette, and communication norms. Encourage your team to approach cross-cultural interactions with an open mind and a willingness to learn.
Opportunity Awaits
At the end of the day, working with dedicated teams in Colombia presents an opportunity to embrace a unique and rich cultural perspective.
By fostering a workplace culture that prioritizes teamwork, understanding, respect, and effective communication, your in-house team will be better equipped to collaborate successfully with their outsourced counterparts. Implementing culture training will not only improve productivity but also deepen relationships across borders, driving long-term business success.
Outsource Your Roles with Emapta
When you partner with a leading outsourced service provider like Emapta, you gain access to the top 5% of global talent. That’s right, global – not just Colombia. What’s more, we’ll ensure your top talent receives a thorough onboarding to settle into your work culture as well as all the training they need going forward. After all, continuous support is essential to an outsourcing partnership.
Emapta sources talent in territories beyond Colombia, too. For instance, we also operate talent hubs in the Philippines, Macedonia, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. So, when you need to hire outsourced staff, you have a broad choice of offshore locations.
To find out more about Emapta’s outsourcing solutions, book a consultation with us today.
