K is for Kairos Moment

Have you heard of the ancient Greek word “kairos”? Have you experienced a “kairos moment?”

It is a qualitative descriptor of time (compared with “chronos”, the quantitative descriptor). It refers to the opportune moment or time to act, communicate or decide something with deeper impact.

Another way you could say this is, “the right thing, at the right time, at the right place, in the right way.” In the scene from the Bluey episode “Slide” pictured below, the butterfly lands at just the right moment, in the right context, to create a *gasp*/”wow” kairos moment of impact.

Understanding other cultures helps us recognise what the right “kairos” approach is for our multicultural business situations e.g. in negotiations, project deadlines, business relationships, marketing messages, conflict resolution and in creating inclusive workplaces.

It serves as a collaborative bridge (see what I did there😉) to create a kairos moment of connection with deeper impact. In a modern global workplace, it is worth exploring strategies to ensure we are effectively using “kairos.”

For example:
– Cross-cultural training
– Communication plans based around cultural preferences
– Understanding cultural preferences for decision-making
– Researching the local context
– Creating innovation and creativity channels

(For the deep thinkers – using a Bluey reference in this post is utilising “kairos” due to my Australian context, where Bluey is a very popular TV show right now. In a culture without Bluey available, or perhaps in a few decades’ time when a different show is popular, this reference would become irrelevant and lack the same level of “kairos.”)

A-Z of Cross-Cultural Awareness
This blog post is part of a series of short posts on cross-cultural awareness. Keep an eye out for the rest of the series.