Questions

Do you think understanding national cultures or cultural backgrounds is relevant to managers? Do you think management styles, effective management practices, and/or what it means to be a good teammate at work differs across the world? If so, how/why?

What differences and what similarities do you perceive between yourself and members of other national cultural groups in your workplace, in terms of:

How you prefer to communicate? (e.g., direct communication vs. indirect/non-verbal communication)

How you handle conflict or negotiate with others?

How you behave (i.e., what to say or not say) around people with positions of authority/senior titles?

Whether/how to express emotions at work?

Whether/how you would give other people performance feedback?

How you tend to prefer to make decisions?

How you would manage other people?

How you behave in larger group settings or team meetings?

How to motivate or persuade others?

Have you found there to be any cultural differences in perceptions of the boundaries between what is considered ethical vs. non-ethical behavior in the business or work world?

What challenges have you discovered in working with people from other national cultural groups? How have you worked through these challenges?

What is the best thing about working with people from other national cultural groups? What are the opportunities and how have you made the most of those opportunities?

Are there any aspects of your culture or identity that you find yourself trying to downplay or contain at work? Why or why not?

Are there any aspects of your national cultural identity that you have found useful in your work with others? Have you noticed that your cultural upbringing has given you any advantages at work?