A conference on intercultural issues for a French-English team in Marrakech
A look back at a conference in Marrakech on interculturalism, cohesion, and performance within multicultural teams.
Developing intercultural skills is essential to ensuring cohesion and performance within multicultural teams, but also with the many stakeholders in companies. Hilbert Investment Solutions understands this well.
When the end-of-year seminar helps to strengthen the (multiple) culture of the company
In November, I received a message on LinkedIn...
"We are looking for a speaker on interculturalism and cohesion. Can we give you a call?"
A few days later, we had a long discussion about the company's issues, its aspirations, its culture, and why interculturalism is central to its business.
Firstly, within our teams. Hilbert Investment Solutions is a Franco-English organization, but our employees come from a wide range of cultures that are even more diverse. Interculturalism already exists, but management knows that it is absolutely crucial to pause and reflect together on who we are (with our differences and similarities) and where we want to go together. This also applies to our clients.
So here I am, invited to speak in Marrakech, in English, in front of the entire company at the end-of-year seminar.
Talking about interculturalism, even when we are multicultural
What a joy it is every time I take the stage to talk about what I consider to be key to ensuring healthy, fruitful, and enriching exchanges in multicultural contexts: vulnerability, curiosity, and decentering.
The anecdotes make people laugh, the sources —scientific research, guests on my podcast, business articles, etc.—elicit nods of approval, the tools are photographed so they won't be forgotten, and then come the Q&A and post-conference feedback. And I love that! Even professionals who have been expatriates for 10, 15, or 20 years consistently share with me the surprises and insights generated by the conference.
Victoria shares her impressions on my LinkedIn profile: "Charlotte has a brilliant way of making cultural nuances concrete and accessible, showing how differences in communication, expectations, and context influence the daily functioning of international teams. Her approach, focused on awareness and curiosity—rather than uniformity—was both refreshing and powerful."
A huge thank you to Anne-Laure, Steve, and Lucile for their trust (and to Victoria for her words!).
What a wonderful company and what a close-knit team, rich in diversity!
I can't wait for the next installment!