CT-TECHNOLOGIES: Online Global Mindset Workshops Strengthen Collaboration Around the World

CT-TECHNOLOGIES has offices across the globe with employees representing a wide variety of cultures.

This diversity is a strength for the company, but it also means that they have to spend more time thinking about the best ways to communicate.

To prevent misunderstandings, they decided to support their team by scheduling a global mindset training.

The goal was to involve everybody in building a framework for effective collaboration:

"We wanted to make it clear to everyone why miscommunications were happening and what to do. For example, when do you write an email and when do you call or have a Skype session?"

The training solution

Because their employees are so widely dispersed, CT-TECHNOLOGIES decided to offer global mindset training online, which enabled everyone to participate virtually.

They identified C3 Consulting as the best fit for their team due to our understanding of the specific cultures involved and our ability to provide a seamless and interactive online experience.

The training was designed as two 1.5-hour workshops for 45 participants, facilitated by Annette Dahl, C3's CEO and Chief Trainer.

Participants filled out a pre-training survey to assess their wants and needs and were given an assignment to ensure that they stayed engaged with the material between the first and second workshops.

After the second workshop, participants received a summary of what they had learned, including the slides, sound recordings, and transcripts from the chatrooms used during the training.

From Beway's perspective, the workshops were interactive, engaging, and memorable:

"We went through the basic theories about how to avoid cultural misunderstandings, and then we were divided into groups of five so we could discuss a certain topic and come up with a solution.

The groups were in virtual rooms, and Annette came in to each room, asking questions and participating as well.

I liked that it was interactive because I think that if you have two hours where someone is just sitting and talking, some people will start to do something else on their computer. So I really think it's a good idea that the trainer made sure that you could be involved as well as be a listener."

Immediate and long-lasting results

The benefits of the training were felt immediately:

"After the training, people became aware that their way is not the only way to do things, and they gained an understanding of why other colleagues were behaving a certain way. We could actually see the difference."

This awareness led to a deeper understanding of what methods of communication were appropriate in various situations and gave employees the ability to see things from each other's point of view:

"People became more aware that there is a reason why we act how we do, so the understanding is there now, and that's quite important for us.

One thing we discussed was the concept of normal – what's normal? Because maybe in Denmark if someone is doing something, we consider that normal, whereas if we do the same thing in the Philippines they might consider it very odd.

Our global colleagues told us that they were surprised to learn that it's not only our company that has a flat hierarchy, where there's not much difference from a simple employee to the CEO.

Once they had these sessions, they understood that this is how we do business in Denmark. They really could see the link between the theory and how it's done here at CT-TECHNOLOGIES."

An added benefit of conducting the training virtually is that CT-TECHNOLOGIES can continue to use the recorded presentations and chatroom transcripts.

When a new employee joins the team, they are provided with the materials so that they can gain the same cultural understanding as the rest of their colleagues.

"It was a very helpful training we had, and the good thing is that it's recorded, so we can use it in the future as well. It's been value for money, I would say.

I think every company should do this type of training because it's a big part of how we all interact with each other. I would definitely recommend it to other multicultural, international companies like us."