What Really Translates?
It is not unusual for HR executives to find themselves managing people and processes in more than one country. Of course all written materials must be in the appropriate language, but there are other subtle cultural issues as well.
Selection tests represent a special case because the context is just as important as the words. For instance, if you are testing for customer agents, you need to ensure that any assessment the situations that you use make sense in the other country. Imagine you are taking a U.S. written simulation test and translating it into Spanish for a call center in Mexico. You can have the grammar and syntax correct, but if your scenarios include someone calling in to a health insurance company you’ll get blank stares because Mexico doesn’t have private insurance.
Also, many tests, especially personality measures, use terms that are very U.S.-centric. Be sure that your translators are familiar with the language and culture of the country where you are going to use the test.
For more information about using tests cross-culturally, please contact Warren Bobrow.
Decisions, Decisions
It’s often difficult to get employees to participate in decision making activities. They can be hesitant to offer their opinions for fear of disagreeing with the boss, contradicting peers, or being seen as a troublemaker.
However, it is widely recognized that the more your employees are involved in decisions, the more likely they are to support the effort and be committed to achieving the final result.
So, how do you encourage them to participate despite their concerns? How can you avoid groupthink (where people with concerns don’t speak up since others in the group seem so confident --the classic example is the Bay of Pigs invasion)?
Here are a few simple ideas to get the conversation started:
- What are we missing?
- What could go wrong?
- Let’s play devil’s advocate…
- What are the downsides / disadvantages?
- What are all the arguments for and against that position?
By providing permission for people to disagree in a structured way, you can improve the quality of your decisions as well as gain buy-in from your team.
If you’d like to learn more ways to increase collaboration and decision making in your organization please contact Kammy Haynes.