Is cross-cultural coaching the norm? By Maggie Dobosz
What I found through desk research is that one's culture could be boiled down to the following:
Nationality, the country of origin, ethnicity and traditions that come with it.
The historical and political context of that country (e.g. peace or war? high or low income? national pride or chip on a shoulder?)
Family and social environment, social norm
Gender and sexuality
Religion and spirituality
Language and communication style
Education and work experience
All of that, without a particular order and in various proportions, adds to what the cultural background of each of us is made of... so in my view, as long as someone is not me - we can talk about cultural differences, just the extent of those will vary. If I were to arrive at my own definition of what one's culture is, it would be:
Set of unique, dynamically changing contact lenses through which each person views and interprets the world. As we go through life, the contact lenses naturally adapt but we can also replace one set for another set of lenses intentionally. Taking the contact lenses completely out could be equal to erasing someone's memory.
Since each of us has their unique lenses on, we will be offering lenses-specific coaching services to our clients. It will be cross-cultural by default, and there is a lot to be mindful about:
Language issues – for example coaching can be delivered only in the languages that both the coach and the client are fluent in.
Different levels of emotional expression - for example, in Japan, there is a strong emphasis on group harmony and avoiding conflict, which can affect how the client communicates and responds to feedback. In Brazil, there is a focus on building personal relationships and expressing emotion, which can affect how the client builds rapport with the coach. Norwegians, in general, are avoiding bragging or self-promotion and they value humility and modesty. A coach from a culture where self-promotion is valued may need to be aware of this when working with Norwegian clients, as they may be hesitant to talk about their achievements or strengths.
Different communication styles - for example, in India, indirect communication and use of metaphor are common, while in Germany, direct communication and clarity are valued. For my local example, in Norway indirect communication is generally preferred. In Norwegian culture, there is a strong emphasis on egalitarianism, which means that people are generally treated as equals and there is a preference for avoiding conflict or confrontation. As a result, Norwegians tend to use indirect language and communicate in a subtle manner. Is every Norwegian like that? No, there are exceptions, but I am keeping in mind that a more subtle and indirect communication style is a good place to start when interacting with Norwegians in the initial stages. Then I get a more calibrated feel for how the person is like.
Need for culturally sensitive mentoring or advice giving elements in coaching. For example, a coach who is used to working in a culture where direct communication is valued may advise their client to be more assertive in their communication style, but this advice could backfire if the client is from a culture where indirect communication is the norm. Another example, a coach who is used to working in a culture where traditional gender roles are the norm may inadvertently give advice that reinforces these roles, which could be inappropriate or even offensive to clients from cultures where gender roles are more fluid or non-traditional. Also, in some cultures, punctuality and strict adherence to schedules is highly valued, while in others, flexibility and adaptability are more important. A life coach who is used to working in a culture where punctuality is valued may advise their client to be stricter with their schedule, but this advice may not be appropriate for a client from a culture where flexibility is the norm.
Need for cultural awareness, so that a coach could serve, for example, a gay client from a Middle Eastern background who faces significant challenges related to their sexual identity, as homosexuality is often stigmatized and even criminalized in many Middle Eastern countries. The client may struggle with issues related to shame, guilt, and social isolation, and may find it difficult to reconcile their sexuality with their cultural background. Similarly, cultural awareness is paramount in working with, for example, a female client from a conservative Muslim background who faces challenges related to gender roles and expectations, particularly if she is seeking to pursue a career or personal goals that are not traditionally viewed as appropriate for women in her culture. She may struggle with issues related to family pressure, social expectations, and cultural norms, and may need support in developing the confidence and assertiveness to pursue her goals despite these challenges.
Higher risk of clashes between coach’s and client’s beliefs. For example, clients might have different expectations or goals that conflict with the coach's approach - in some cultures, individualism is highly valued, and personal goals and achievements are prioritized. In contrast, in other cultures, collectivism is highly valued, and group goals and achievements are prioritized. A coach from a highly individualistic culture may find it challenging to understand and support a client who prioritizes group goals and achievements.
Some of us may wonder if using a clean coaching approach would help in cross-cultural coaching.
The paradox of 'clean coaching' when it comes to cross-cultural coaching
The Clean Coaching approach aims to help the client to access their own inner wisdom, beliefs, and perspectives by using language that is free from assumptions, judgments, and interpretations. In my practice it looks like I am repeating the precise words that the client used, I ask question, or encourage the client to continue and elaborate on what they said, for example, by repeating the last word of what the client said but with an intonation in my voice that is typical to asking a question.
But is clean coaching free from cultural differences? No, because a coach is not 'clean', wears the dynamic contact lenses that dictate the way the coach interprets the client's verbal and nonverbal communication, dictate selection and order of the question asked. Even AI based coaching apps are not culturally free because someone with a certain cultural background designed the algorithms and if we are talking about machine learning then it learns the pattern of questions through interaction with many individuals from various cultures. Therefore, there is no freedom from cultural background and cross-cultural coaching for a coach or a client is given.
That is why I believe the coach's cultural sensitivity matters, that is how competent the coach is in communicating with clients in a way that is sensitive to their cultural values and beliefs, preferred communication, and coaching style etc.
So how can coaches apply cross-cultural coaching effectively? Here are some tips:
Develop cultural competence: Coaches need to be aware of their own cultural biases and assumptions, and actively seek to understand the cultural background of their clients. This requires ongoing learning and development, as well as a willingness to adapt and change.
Be flexible: Coaches need to be willing to adapt their coaching style to the cultural context of their clients. This may require using different language, communication styles, or coaching techniques.
Be patient: Coaches need to be patient and understanding when working with clients from different cultural backgrounds. This may require more time and effort to build trust and rapport with clients, as well as more time to fully understand their goals and challenges.
Be open-minded: Coaches need to be open to new ideas and perspectives, and be willing to learn from their clients. This can help build stronger relationships and facilitate more effective coaching.
What cultural sensitivity is not.
Let’s not mix cultural sensitivity with being prejudiced and ‘knowing the client’ based on the stereotypes about the whole nation of a given country. Understanding where certain tendencies come from is one thing, but assuming that Norwegian clients must prefer indirect communication over direct and straightforward one is unnecessary and can often be misleading. Cultural sensitivity should help coaches to adapt to the clients and not to discriminate against them. I believe that being a cultural mixture called once in the US a British on top of something else, only helps me to coach my international clients because I know how it is to be different, to be viewed by some as an expat, by others as an immigrant. I understand the struggles that people with diverse cultural backgrounds are going through and it does help my clients to be vulnerable and open with me because we can relate to each other. We moved countries, English is not our mother tongue, yet we are fluent in it, we had to look for accommodation, jobs, for a partner, for the place in the society in the new country. I moved to the UK from Poland at the age of 20, I lived and worked in the UK for 10 years before settling in Norway with my Norwegian partner, my ‘contact lenses’ are enriched with experience that help me to understand the international clients. At the same time, I find it easy to work with the coaching clients from LGBTQ+ community because adaptability and respect for differences is a transferable skill.
What about the coaching client’s cultural sensitivity?
Here we have very limited to no control. In my study in 2014 the readiness of British SMEs for young executive coaches was just not there. They liked the concept of being inclusive, but a great majority of leaders (who were in their 40-ties and 50-ties) would not choose to be coached by coaches under 30 years of age. This brings me to the conclusion that we will only get into cross cultural coaching as much as the client will allow themselves for. In other words, it is up to the client whether they choose to work with the coach who has a different cultural background to theirs.
Connect with Maggie Dobosz via Linkedin
Magdalena Maggie Dobosz - ILM7 certified executive coach since 2013, accredited with Association for Coaching (2015-2019). NLP Practitioner with BSc Psychology and MBA degrees from UK universities. Creates personal development content for analytical deep thinkers. Lives near Stavanger, Norway.
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