Vanessa Barros (E93): “A Good International Manager Needs to Pick up on Everyone’s Cultural Values”

Vanessa Barros (E93) has just published Don't Mess with my Professionalism!, a practical guide to managing intercultural relationships at work and beyond. Available in French and English. A great read for any manager who wants to succeed abroad.

ESSEC Alumni: Is your book based on your own experience? 

Vanessa Barros: Definitely. I have spent 20 years managing multicultural teams for clients all over the world, and I’ve lived on four continents. The book also draws on 200 interviews I carried out with senior international managers from 66 different countries, covering more than 20 business sectors.

EA: What recent changes have you noticed in intercultural management? 

V. Barros: The modern international manager is highly “globalised” and has little in common with the stereotypes of their home country. Cultural preferences remain primarily an individual choice. What is really new is the need to move beyond stereotypes and enable individuals to identify the cultural values of each member of their team as and when they appear, so that they can be managed effectively.

EA: Do approaches vary from one country or region to another on these matters?  

V. Barros: I tend to think that there is a global consensus on the value of inclusive leadership that not only welcomes diversity, but also gives it a voice.

EA: Do you have any examples of major cultural differences between the major regions of the world in relation to work? 

V. Barros: That’s a tricky question, because yet again, while complex stereotypes can be useful in understanding differences, they are often a case of reductive shorthand. How the individual is defined as an independent or interdependent entity remains one of the greatest differences between cultures, and raises a number of questions. Should I say what I think, or what the other person wants to hear? What is my relationship to management with regard to the organisation and management styles I am faced with? How should I approach time, between the linear and punctual concept of some and the more circular, relative view of others?

EA: What tools and methods do you suggest for avoiding professional misunderstandings caused by cultural differences?

V. Barros: My book is a practical guide with a simple method based on three actions. First, reduce the tensions that consume our brain capacity. Second, put conflicts into context to separate the two parties from the cultural context they are working in. Third, develop a range of relevant conflict resolution strategies to use appropriately.

Interview by Louis Armengaud Wurmser (E10), ESSEC Alumni Content Manager

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