In preparation for a two-billion dollar project to quadruple its refinery capacity, Esso took decisive steps with us to ensure its technical team from the UK, US and Thailand would work together effectively as a multi-cultural team. Twenty workshops were held, with high levels of satisfaction.
Two companies from the Sony group learned how to improve cross-cultural communication between Japanese and Thais.
24 senior staff of the International Labor Organization (comprising a dozen different nationalities) substantially improved their communication and teamwork to a degree – as one delegate expressed it – “we’ll never forget.” Senior officers of other UN organizations ( Unicef, UNDP, the World Health Organization and others) have done the same, year after year.
An international pump manufacturer, which had been pursuing a losing approach to the Asian market, found out how to turn its sales around – mainly by adopting a new approach in communication with its sales staff. Sales leaped 30% as a direct result, and morale rose to a 3-year high.
Nestle S.A. strengthened its managers’ skills for cross-cultural management through a series of workshops for all its senior Thai and European staff.
Thai Shell Exploration & Production Company took a rigorous look at the quality of in-company teamwork and communication. Using our 10-month study as a guide, the company took bold steps to strengthen these management and teamwork skills. Major savings were reported as communication breakdowns were reduced.
Unocal Oil Company (now Chevron) in Thailand was able to improve dramatically the relationships between Thai technicians and Expatriate supervisors, who work together in offshore gas production. The pressures and risks in offshore exploration and production can be treacherous. Unocal’s training staff, working with us, was able to develop its own team-building course which is still held regularly.
In preparation for opening, two of Bangkok’s top hotels sharpened their cross-cultural effectiveness and teamwork, with special team-building workshops we provided. Subsequent turnover was reported to be far below the industry average.
By training 130 of its middle and senior executives, Thailand’s largest oil refinery was able to reduce reluctance to report problems and give feedback to management, with our special course on accountability and assertiveness. Their new willingness to provide timely feedback was believed to be a huge factor in the company’s modernization and success.
Seagate Technologies brought 15 Thai managers and ourselves to two of their American factories, which created new understandings, procedures, and friendships. The intricate but improved cooperation between Home Offices and the Thai operation saved millions, through the reduction in errors. Today, one ultra-modern facility in the Northeast is run entirely by Thais.
Over a dozen multi-national organizations improved the self-confidence of senior Thai managers, through intensive courses on “Making Effective Presentations” in English and Thai.
Johnson and Johnson was troubled by losing thousands in good ideas and feedback from rank-and-file Thai staff. Using CCM’s help, they increased people’s confidence, frankness, and idea-generation enough so that the Managing Director was delighted. “At last,” he reported, “When there is bad news, I hear about it fast. This means I can help solve the problems before they get out of control.”
For four consecutive years (2009 – 2013) Toyota Thailand trained hundreds of employees who are rotated into the operation each year, from all over the world. The focus: How to work with Thais. This has enabled Toyota Thailand to avoid the frightening and costly prospect of expats “returning home early” due to work breakdowns with local Thai colleagues.
With a Merger/Acquisition to be launched, two large senior corporate management teams from Thailand and France were able to explore both National and Organizational elements of Culture. This effort ensured their partnership would avoid costly misunderstandings.
A large pan-asia FMCG was able to address the complex overlap of National and Organizational Culture in the face of being forced to make sweeping changes to how they communicate and interact within the SE Asia region. This effort saved the partners months of potentially wasted time.
An intercultural team in 2010 was facing a newly introduced, matrix management approach that almost completely removed face-to-face communication. Their new norm: geographically dispersed communication via email, phone and teleconferencing . Our custom-designed, simulation activities for virtual teams, showed clearly the key problems, and had the team establish best practices for dealing with the transition. They avoided a dragged out, costly process, full of discontent and resistance to the changes.
And many more!
