U is for Utilisation
Utilisation is a corporate buzzword for asking, “how hard are my employees working?” Most people around the world see their time as valuable. Therefore, taking a cross-cultural perspective, an alternative way of approaching this topic would be asking, “what is my definition of time spent well?”

In many cultures that place a high value on tasks and efficiency, time spent well is measured by how many tasks you can get done in the shortest period of time. On the other hand, in cultures where relationships are in greater focus, time spent well is ensuring you build authentic connections with your colleagues for as long as it takes to build trust, before tasks are achieved.

If you are a manager of a global and/or diverse team, it is important to understand your own definition, as well as how your employees understand this concept. Articulating explicit guidelines for your team on your expectations and how their performance will be managed can also help prevent any misunderstandings around how they best spend their time at work.

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.