Inclusive and respectful behaviour boosts safety at work

Western managers working in non-western environments should adapt their leadership behaviour to that preferred in the host country, according to a new report from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA). Importantly, adds the EU-OSHA, "the leadership dimensions that enhance occupational safety and health coincide with those that promote effective diversity management".

The report, which looks at existing research, was compiled by researchers from the Netherlands, Belgium and Lithuania. It notes that globalisation means cross-cultural differences are increasingly important for organisations operating in different regions. The report will also be of interest to employers operating in the UK.

Adapting the behaviour of managers, advises the report, will help "avoid misunderstandings and conflicts in the subordinate-superior relationship arising from cultural differences and, thereby, improve the effectiveness of [managers'] leadership". Much will depend on a manager's cross-cultural adaptation skills; leadership and communication courses should look at what styles would provide the best cultural fit.

Training workers in competences that increase the intercultural effectiveness of leaders and team members is also important. "The combinations of cultural differences, individual differences and differences in national regulations and education systems are endless," notes the report. Effective traits that will enhance communication - problems with which often play a role in incidents - include cultural empathy, open-mindedness, social initiative, emotional stability and flexibility. Employers, adds the EU-OSHA report, should apply leadership development "as a primary prevention strategy".

The report also makes the obvious point that employers should address language barriers, suggesting that the use of pictograms can help, though it cautions that persons with different cultural backgrounds may understand pictograms differently.

The report emphasises the importance of employers stimulating "an inclusive working environment in which people from diverse backgrounds feel respected and recognised", because identification within a culturally diverse group is often lower than in a culturally homogeneous group. An "inclusive" organisation, claims the report, "allows people with multiple backgrounds, mind-sets and ways of thinking to work together effectively and to perform to their highest potential... to achieve organisational objectives. Moreover, an inclusive working environment is supportive of the existing safety climate."