Can a strong organisational culture mitigate cultural differences?

Insight Connect is an initiative where we invite a range of international and local experts to share their experience, view and insights on cultural intelligence and why it matters.

This week, I’ve had the pleasure to connect with Luciana Ionescu, a Consultant and Facilitator specialised in Intercultural Management and Organisational Culture. She sheds a light on cultural diversity in international teams and how organisational culture can act as a mediator and become the common ground for all.

INT! As means of background, please can you tell us how, when and why you landed in the cultural intelligence space?

LI Until I was 20, I lived in Romania, which at the time was a very monocultural place. My first real experience with a truly multicultural environment was when I moved to Paris for my studies, and later on while working for multinational companies. After that, I also lived and worked in Asia, and now I’m based in Lisbon, Portugal. In a way, I’ve actually spent more time outside my own culture, dealing with cultural differences every day as an emigrant. But that wasn’t really what led me to pursue a career in the intercultural field.

INT! Your view on cultural intelligence is particularly interesting because you developed this interest working in international roles and locations, notably in APAC. Can you tell us more about that?

LI Indeed, while I managed to develop successful adaptation strategies and really integrate into the places where I was living, my interest in this discipline actually came from the work environment—especially in collaborative settings. And just as a quick parenthesis before directly answering your question, I want to make something clear. This is not only my experience, it’s also proven by research (and I’m sure you know this too): we don’t develop intercultural competence just by living in foreign countries or regularly interacting with different cultures. Of course, you learn things along the way, but that alone doesn’t guarantee effective and appropriate intercultural encounters in the future. Parenthesis closed.

So, yes, while I was managing innovation projects in APAC, it became very clear to me that launching the same project in Thailand, Japan, India, or Australia was never actually the same. Explaining those differences only in terms of each country’s regulations wasn’t enough. No matter how robust and standardized our innovation process was, the discussions weren’t the same, the tone wasn’t the same, the communication channels weren’t the same, and the people involved weren’t the same. In short, every time I switched countries, it felt like a completely different project.

The first reaction is often to blame the people when you struggle more with one team than another. And if that lasts long enough, you start leaning on stereotypes—which, of course, doesn’t make the work easier. On the contrary. It wasn’t until I realized that these challenges were consequences of culture that I started making real progress.

Two countries, in particular, gave me that “aha” moment: Japan and India. With the Japanese team, I had effective collaboration right from the beginning, despite the language barrier—which can really be a limitation when working across affiliates. But with India, where everyone spoke perfect English, I seriously struggled. The big difference was that for Japan, knowing how unique their working culture was, I did my homework, asked for best practices, and managed to avoid cultural shock and major misunderstandings. With India, I just applied my usual toolbox, and no matter how hard I tried, it didn’t work.

What finally helped was applying the same strategy I use when I move to a new country and need to adapt: finding a “cultural translator.” In this case, it was someone from my direct team who was Indian and based in the India office. With his help, I was able to crack the code: when they said “sure,” it didn’t necessarily mean “yes”; when they copied their boss on an email, it didn’t necessarily mean they didn’t trust me, and so on. And it worked! It really did. That’s when I started to understand that there was much more to cultural differences than I had thought—deeper than just a list of dos and don’ts, and with very tangible impact on the work.

This is how (and here I’m finally answering your first question) I decided to do what I do now. I had been recognized for successfully leading multicultural and cross-functional teams, but it was all case-by-case work, based mainly on empathy and curiosity. Later, when I was transitioning professionally, I discovered some powerful models that help analyse, understand, and even predict behaviour. Had I known about them at the beginning of my career, they would have saved me so much time and frustration.

Now, I bring together my 20 years of experience with these theoretical frameworks to support other people and organizations—because the consequences of culture are real, measurable, and  really impactful.

INT! What’s your experience with cultural diversity in international teams and its impact on collaboration, performance and effectiveness?

LI If I had to pick just two aspects where culture most strongly impacts the workplace, based on my experience as both a people manager and a project manager, I would say: feedback and understanding what “yes” really means. Of course, there are many others—especially around the meaning of hierarchy or how we approach planning—but those are more often discussed. So let me go back to my top two.

As a people manager, I realized that, despite the models we are trained on in school or in (mostly American) multinationals, you simply cannot apply the same approach to all employees. I’ve come to see feedback as one of the most culturally dependent aspects of managerial behaviour if you want to be effective. The spectrum is wide: from very blunt feedback (as you might get in the Netherlands), to the “sandwich” style in the US (positive, negative, positive), to the very high-context English approach (where “interesting” or “I thought perhaps you might consider…” do not mean you hear). A good global manager has to do their cultural homework if they want to build effective relationships with their teams.

The second key aspect is the meaning of “yes” in different cultures. At first, it may sound surprising, but “yes” doesn’t always mean “yes, I will do it.” When an American or Western European manager gives a task and hears “yes,” they usually assume the person has understood, accepted, and will deliver on time. They move on, thinking the matter is settled. But in many cases, “yes” simply means “I heard you,” not necessarily a commitment. In collectivistic cultures, saying “no” directly is considered harsh and disruptive—it can damage group harmony, which is something people go to great lengths to preserve. So “no” often has to be read between the lines. And as I’ve learned over time, you don’t need to go very far east or south to run into this challenge. To some extent, I’ve encountered it here in Portugal as well.

INT! What role does corporate culture play in bridging the cross-cultural gap?

LI Great question, because I’ve spent a lot of time talking about differences, and it can sometimes seem overwhelming to constantly adapt and adjust your strategies depending on the culture of your colleagues or partners. But there’s something that can make this much simpler: an organizational culture that acts as a common language for all employees. Its purpose isn’t to replace or change people’s fundamental values, but rather to clearly define the work practices, behaviours, and guiding principles that help teams solve dilemmas together. While national culture deals with deep-rooted values, organizational culture operates on a more visible level—through behaviours, rituals, and symbols.

INT! What has been your favourite success story in unpacking cultural intelligence for clients? What were measurable results?

LI I wouldn’t call it just a success story, but also a corroboration of the two areas we’ve been discussing—national culture and organizational culture—and how closely they are connected in today’s work environment.

Typically, clients reach out when they realize that one of the reasons behind dysfunctions is cultural. In this particular case, the staff was made up of more than 10 nationalities working together on the same site. The leadership team’s obvious conclusion was that the dysfunctions came from the high level of national cultural diversity. So, the initial request was to train staff on intercultural competencies. But after our initial analysis, it became clear that the real issue wasn’t multiculturalism—which they were aware of from the very beginning and actually valued—but rather the inconsistency in the work culture. What made it difficult for people to thrive (and even to stay with the organization) was the lack of a shared, consistent organizational culture. So, the work we did was to define an organizational culture aligned both with the company’s strategy and with employees’ aspirations. Interestingly, in most areas, these two perspectives overlapped. And this had an immediate impact on the retention rate. 

I’m sure you’ll agree, some very valuable insights here. Thanks for reading and engaging with our content. This is Insight Connect, the place where cultural intelligence lands.