#366 Why Cultural Intelligence Is the Hidden Advantage in Global Business and AI

Summary

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Embracing Digital Transformation

Episode #366: Why Cultural Intelligence Is the Hidden Advantage in Global Business and AI
Host: Dr. Darren Pulsipher
Guest: Laura Kriska (Cross-cultural relations expert & Creator of the We Building Framework)
Date: July 8, 2026

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Overview

This episode dives deep into the pivotal role of cultural intelligence in today’s globally connected and increasingly AI-augmented business landscape. Dr. Darren Pulsipher welcomes Laura Kriska to discuss how understanding and leveraging cultural differences—across countries, generations, and departments—has evolved from a “nice-to-have” to an essential leadership capability in the digital age. Together, they reflect on personal stories, business experiences, and actionable strategies to thrive across cultures—locally and globally—especially with artificial intelligence amplifying our biases and collaboration challenges.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Laura Kriska’s Origin Story and Early Cultural Experiences

• Laura shares her unique cross-cultural background, having been born in Japan to American missionaries, and then growing up in Columbus, Ohio ([02:57]).
  • Quote:

    “My superhero origin story starts with nihon ni umarimashita … I was born in Japan. My mom and dad were missionaries. So that really does feel to me like a superpower, because it has informed my entire life.”
    – Laura Kriska ([02:57])

• She describes the cultural gap moving from Japan to Ohio, pre-Honda investment, and her immersion back into Japanese culture during college ([04:00]).
• Laura became the first American woman to work in the Tokyo HQ of Honda Motor Company, experiencing a sharp disconnect between high ambitions and culturally assigned workplace roles ([08:25], [11:41]).

2. Predictable and Inevitable Nature of Cultural Differences

• Both Dr. Pulsipher and Laura emphasize that encountering cultural differences isn't reserved for international travel; it happens within U.S. communities, industries, and even departments ([00:30], [13:16]).
  • Quote:

    "Cultural differences are inevitable and predictable.“
    – Laura Kriska ([00:30], [13:16])

• They underline the shifting demographics of U.S. cities driven by immigration, with local business and social cultures shaped by incoming communities ([05:46]).

3. Humility and Preparation: Keys to Cultural Intelligence

• Laura and Darren both admit early career mistakes due to lack of cultural preparation, sharing anecdotes from Japan ([15:07], [16:44]).
• Humility and willingness to learn are cited as critical first steps ([18:45], [19:13]):
  • Quote:

    "The most important thing is to have a little bit of humility... There’s no possible way we can know this information starting out."
    – Laura Kriska ([18:45])

4. Practical Approaches to Understanding Culture

• Simple research, listening skills, and real curiosity about others are more valuable than background knowledge alone ([18:44], [19:35]).

  • Quote:

    “If you go into it with a little bit of humility and are willing to do the tiniest bit of research… and then just listen, be a listener ... we can enjoy the richness and enrich our own lives by engaging in these cross-cultural encounters.”
    – Laura Kriska ([19:35])

• Dr. Pulsipher’s practical tip: visit local history museums to understand how people see themselves, not just how outsiders or Wikipedia frames them ([22:31]).

5. The Importance of Understanding Without Necessarily Agreeing

• Laura distinguishes learning about another group or culture from needing to agree or endorse their beliefs ([23:14]).
  • Quote:

    "It is critical to learn and understand. It is not necessary to like and agree."
    – Laura Kriska ([23:21])

6. Real-world Examples: Religion and Workplace Inclusion

• Laura recounts a story about how a Muslim colleague was unintentionally excluded from a lunch during Ramadan, highlighting the impact of cultural awareness on daily business decisions ([24:33]).
  • Quote:

    “…if you know information, understand different cultural values and patterns and norms of behavior, you can often avoid leaving someone out or conflict or anything unintentional by considering that information…”
    – Laura Kriska ([26:15])

7. Cultural Differences Across U.S. Business Contexts

• Both share how business cultures vary not just by industry but by region: legal firms vs. entertainment, Silicon Valley vs. the Deep South, Boston directness vs. Southern indirectness ([27:29], [28:36]).
  • Quote:

    “There are differences in industries. I've also seen differences geographically… I learned my management style in Silicon Valley… I went from that to managing an organization in the Deep South...”
    – Dr. Pulsipher ([28:36])

8. AI as a Magnifier of Bias and Cultural Dynamics

• Dr. Pulsipher notes generative AI “magnifies everything”—especially user biases and normative assumptions ([30:32]).

  • Quote:

    “Artificial intelligence is going to be a magnifier more than anything else… People don’t realize how much bias they really have until you start working with something that echoes your bias... That’s exactly what generative AI does.”
    – Dr. Pulsipher ([30:34])

• Laura adds that hybrid and AI-driven workplaces are eroding face-to-face interpersonal skills, increasing the need for deliberate cultural intelligence ([31:50]).

9. The Two Free Tools for Navigating Cultural Difference

Laura’s simple, actionable formula ([33:11]):

1. Genuine wish to understand the other (“not just a superficial or ‘I’ve got to figure this out so I can make a deal’”)
2. Self-reflection and willingness to adapt—to learn from feedback, mentors, and mistakes and adjust behavior accordingly
   - Quote:

   “…looking at any us vs. them gap and trying to close that gap by listening, reflecting on yourself and then taking informed action…”
   – Laura Kriska ([33:31], [34:45])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Power of Face-to-face Cross-cultural Experience:
  “Anyone who's done this kind of exchange knows that these face to face interactions of increasing depth are what create trust. It changes your mindset.”
  – Laura Kriska ([08:25])

• On Predicting Culture:
  “If it comes across at you as unpredictable, you didn’t prepare yourself.”
  – Dr. Pulsipher ([13:20])

• On Planning with Awareness:
  “If you know information, understand different cultural values… you can often avoid leaving someone out or conflict or anything unintentional…”
  – Laura Kriska ([26:15])

• AI and Magnification:
  “Generative AI is a prediction machine…It predicts what you’re going to say next… If you have certain biases… that bias is going to be magnified by a generative AI.”
  – Dr. Pulsipher ([31:05])

• On Building "We":
  “That’s what I call being a we builder… by listening, reflecting on yourself and then taking informed action…”
  – Laura Kriska ([34:45])

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Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment & Key Topics | |------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:30–02:15| Introduction; Why cultural intelligence matters in the era of AI and global collaboration| | 02:57 | Laura’s cross-cultural origin story | | 11:41 | First job at Honda’s Tokyo HQ and confronting workplace culture shock | | 13:16–13:31| The predictability and inevitability of cultural differences | | 18:45–19:35| Humility and researching other cultures | | 22:31 | Visiting local museums to understand cultural self-perception | | 24:33 | Ramadan lunch story—practical impacts of cultural awareness in the workplace | | 27:29–28:36| Business culture diversity within the U.S. | | 30:32–31:05| AI as a magnifier of culture and bias | | 33:11–34:45| Laura’s two-part framework: Genuine understanding & self-reflection | | 35:07 | Laura’s latest article and strategies for in-person human connection |

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Further Resources & How to Connect

• Laura’s new collaboration article (Harvard Business Review Special Issue on Collaboration) ([35:05])
• Connect with Laura Kriska on [LinkedIn] ([35:58])
• Dr. Pulsipher’s new book: AI Augmented Teams
• Podcast community and bonus content: patreon.com/embracingdigital, embracingdigital.org

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Conclusion

This episode highlights that, in an interconnected—and AI-accelerated—world, cultural intelligence is a competitive differentiator for organizations and leaders. Cultural differences exist in every workplace, and the skills to understand and bridge those gaps are learnable, accessible, and more vital than ever. Approaching each encounter with humility, curiosity, and self-reflection allows individuals and teams to innovate, collaborate, and thrive.

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Transcript

[A]

Welcome to Embracing Digital Transformation. Before we dive in, I wanted to personally thank you for listening. Many of the ideas we discuss on this show inspired my new book, AI Augmented Teams. If you're looking for practical ways to combine human expertise and AI to achieve better outcomes, I think you'll find it valuable. Learn more at Paydar AI Books. That is P A I D A R AI Books. Now let's get started with the show.

[B]

And what I know now that I didn't know then and what I think listeners, it can help them to understand this, is that cultural differences, whether they are found when you go on a plane and travel thousands of miles or even within your own business, where the different departments are different generations, cultural differences are inevitable and predictable.

[A]

Here's why this matters. Today's organizations are more connected than ever, but it doesn't automatically mean that they're effective at working together. If you're collaborating across departments, countries, continents, whatever the case may be, culture has a big play in how things are done effectively and you throw artificial intelligence in the mix and it just magnifies those cultural differences. So on today's episode, we get to talk to Laura who brings her experience of dealing with cultures over the last 30 or 40 years. And cultural intelligence is no longer a nice to have. It's becoming a defining leadership capability in this AI augmented era. Welcome to Embracing Digital Transformation, where we explore how people process policy and technology drive effective change. This is Dr. Darren, Chief Enterprise architect, educator, author, and most importantly, your host on this episode, why Cultural Intelligence is the Hidden Advantage in Global Business and AI with Laura Kriska Cross cultural relations expert and creator of the We Building Framework. Laura, welcome to the show.

[B]

Thanks for inviting me, Darren.

[A]

Hey, I was really intrigued by your background and what we're going to talk about today around cultural differences both. And I think we even talked there's cultural differences in business here in the United States and then you can add that to their countries and all that. There's a lot to talk about today. But before we do, everyone that listens to my show knows that I only have superheroes on the show. And every superhero has a background story. Every superhero has their origin story, and you've got a fascinating one. So, Laura, tell my audience your fascinating origin story.

[B]

I love the way you positioned that question. The superhero origin story. My superhero origin story starts with nihon ni umarimashita oyawa senkyoshi deshitakara desu, which is to say I was born in Japan. My mom and dad were missionaries. So that really does feel to me. Like a superpower, because it has informed my entire life. So for anyone looking at me right now, to hear me speak in Japanese and see my face, it might be like, wait, what? Because I don't look Japanese. I am not Japanese by ancestry, but I have spent a lot of my life in Japan, and Japan is a country and culture that's very important to me and my family. But that's where it all started out. I was 2 years old when my parents returned to the United States, and I grew up in Columbus, Ohio.

[A]

Big difference between Japan and Columbus, Ohio.

[B]

At the time, there was very little Japanese influence in Columbus. In fact, my parents loved Japanese food. They still love Japanese food. And my mom wanted to buy Japanese food, and she ended up going to a market that wasn't really Japanese food. I still remember it was called Crestview Market, and it had a very specific smell of Asian foods. And we would go there. And this was before Honda and other Japanese manufacturers started locating in Ohio. So this was in. In the late 70s, a lot of Japanese industries, specifically Honda, came into Ohio, but this is before that. And so there was. There were very few, if any, Japanese restaurants. And so it was. It was a very big culture gap for my parents to return to Columbus, where there was, you know, no influence of Japan. And that has completely changed compared to now.

[A]

Oh, yeah, yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. I live in Folsom, California, and I can swing a bat and hit a grocery store from anywhere in the world because I. It's just the supply chains are so much easier, and there's more movement of people across. Across country boundaries today than there was.

[B]

Would you mind if I ask you a question?

[A]

Yeah, go for it.

[B]

You're asking the questions. But I'm so curious when you say Folsom, California, so how long have you lived there? And has it always been that way, or have you seen a change over the past decades?

[A]

You know, I've been here about 15 years, and it has changed a little bit, but not that much. I mean, the only thing I say when it changes is when we get new batches of immigrants that come to Sacramento. Like after the Afghan war, we had a large Afghani influx of immigrants, and the supermarkets and the grocery stores started blossoming up. Right. And some great Afghani restaurants. Right. And same thing with Ukraine. Yeah, I know, I know. We're very lucky. Same with Ukraine. Same sort of thing with the Ukrainian war and all that. So. Yeah. But no, I haven't seen a huge change. Just adding right here in Sacramento. And I think it's because California is kind of the place where immigrants come in in massive droves.

[B]

So yes. And I think that's how. A little bit different than Ohio. Ohio is not a coastal, you know, state and didn't traditionally have that direct immigrant experience. And that's why the difference between Ohio today versus 30, 40 years ago is huge. My lifetime is huge. And to me it's an enriched vibrancy that is in this, in this whole state, in that. And also economically there's been such vitality added to many parts of the state due to immigrants. Not just Japanese business, but just people who come there to work.

[A]

Yeah, no, and well, and we are, we are a country that has flourished with, with immigrants over the years, over the decades. I should say I'm thinking of the Irish immigrants in the 1880s and then the Italians and a lot of Germans and Jews during World War II and 1. It's, it's always been something unique, but also it's always been difficult for that first generation because the American culture is very unique in the world, is what I found with my world travels. But let's talk about your, your background because it doesn't stop that you were just born in Japan and you learned Japanese, you actually went back.

[B]

So I grew up in Columbus. I went to college at Denison University just outside Columbus. And I selected Denison because they had an exchange program with Japan, very specific exchange program for one year. So I spent a year in college in Japan, which just transformed my outlook on the world. And it was such a great experience. You know, I studied Japanese, I lived with a lovely Japanese host family. And anyone who's done this kind of exchange knows that these face to face interactions of increasing depth are what create trust. It changes your mindset. It's, it's, you know, when you're living with someone, if it's a dormitory or a host family situation or any kind of residential situation, these are the most intense, intense experiences. And like many others, it really changed my direction so that I wanted to return to Japan after I graduated from college. So then we get back to Columbus, Ohio, where Honda had been, had set up a factory, I think 1978 auto motorcycle factory. They were the first big Japanese automobile company to manufacture outside Japan. And So by the 80s when I was going out into the world, they had, you know, thousands and thousands of employees. I got an internship there. And then I basically said I'd like to work in Japan. And because of the kind of the relationships that I had built and also the attitude that they had, which was very broad and Wide. They said, great, let's send you to Japan. A lot of Japanese businesses bring their professionals to the United States or to Europe or to South America. It's a very common pattern. And. And those are a lot of the people I work with today. But they rarely at the time sent non Japanese people to Japan. And so it was a really kind of very highly unusual. I was the first American woman to work in the Tokyo headquarters of Honda Motor Company. And so that experience, I was 22. 22, clueless, you know, full of myself and clueless at the same time. It's a kind of rare combination of a characteristic for that age group. At least for me, it was. And then I got to the Tokyo headquarters thinking, I'm going to be, you know, a global businesswoman. And on the very first day, they gave me a women's only blue polyester vest and skirt uniform, women only. And my job was serving tea, cleaning ashtrays, like, I'm not exaggerating at all. Serving astrays and sharpening pencils. And I was just like, what now? What. What's happening?

[A]

Okay, so how did you overcome that? I mean, because you had all this. You had all this gusto. I'm going to be the international businesswoman of the world right now. I can see that power in you. Right? How did you. How did you overcome that? Or did you overcome it?

[B]

I did. I think it's fair to say that I did overcome it. And I overcame it because while on the surface, you know, a uniform serving tea, like what? That was kind of how I initially reacted. It was 100% in Japanese. Check. I worked with 10 Japanese office ladies, and we supported the 40 managing directors of Honda Motor Company. You know, 98% of my day was in Japanese. 100% of my day was taking place in an environment that I didn't know at all. So while it seemed superficial, while it seemed kind of a little distasteful to me, it was hard. It was hard. And I had to work really hard, intently just to get through a day. And that was, you know, actually intellectually invigorating. And it was a challenge that I. I didn't expect. I expected to have challenges around business tasks, but my challenges were much more about how to navigate cultural differences. And what I know now that I didn't know then and what I think listeners, it can help them to understand this, is that cultural differences, whether they are found when you go on a plane and travel thousands of miles, or even within your own business, where the different departments are different generations, Cultural differences are inevitable and predictable.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

One of my golden points. Go ahead.

[A]

I love how you said predictable, because what it means is if. If it. If it comes across at you as unpredictable, you didn't prepare yourself.

[B]

Yes. And so I gotcha. Was the one who didn't do her homework. I thought I had done my homework by living in Japan for a year. And to an extent, you know, I think it's fair to say that I had done some work. I had learned, you know, my Japanese was pretty good and. But what I knew was what it's like to live as a college student. And for many people, it doesn't matter where you are. If you go out into the world after having had the life of a college student, there is a culture shock. You know, paying bills, having to be places on time, being accountable if things aren't done when you said they were going to be done. These are things that every young person eventually has to go out in the world and face. These are predictable, inevitable differences than being a student or someone who is taken care of and be, you know, become. When you become an adult and start taking care of these things for yourself and then ultimately, hopefully for others.

[A]

I. I love how you said that because it brought to mind my first business trip to Japan. I was an executive. I was a cio, and all I was supposed to do was open up a business and get a location. I was there for two or three weeks. I thought, not a problem. I had five. I had $5 million to open up a bank account.

[B]

Two or three weeks. That is not nearly enough off top.

[A]

Oh, yeah. That's what I learned. I was like, oh, my goodness, what have I gotten myself into? And I still remember just opening up a bank account. Took me two weeks, and I was sitting across. And this was my naivete. So I can. I can relate. I'm sitting across a coffee table. Not even a boardroom table, a coffee table at Sumitomo Bank. And it's me and my translator and a guy I had just hired a week before, right, as my director of I T. And we're sitting there across from three executives at Sumitomo. And. And there were. The silence just was deafening for me because I didn't know what to do. And. And I'm sitting there like, I want to open up a bank account. And they're like, well, this is a partnership. So the culture was completely, completely foreign to me. I was not prepared. I ended up having to go back two more times over the next six months. But I learned through that experience Silence. I learned how to greet people appropriately, and I also learned the person. The person pouring the tea was the most important person in the room, which shocked me. The person that was pouring our tea was a former CEO of Sumitomo Bank.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Yeah. That was his retirement. His retirement was interesting. And I had no idea how important he was because he was in there reading the room, kind of as an observer. So the whole culture thing has a huge play in. In business, and I've been blindsided by it more than once. So I.

[B]

And I think the kind of things that you experienced, Darren, when you went to Japan. That I experienced when I went to Japan.

[A]

It.

[B]

In. It used to be that you had to get on a plane to encounter these differences, but to reflect back on what we spoke about earlier. Cultural differences, diversity of people in our communities, whether that's Fulton. Right. Fullerton.

[A]

Folsom. Folsom.

[B]

I'm sorry, Folsom. Or where I live in Brooklyn or Columbus, Ohio, these communities have grown more and more diverse, and that's the trend. It's continuing this way. So you don't have to be a business person. You don't have to be a diplomat. You will encounter cultural differences as a dentist, as an accountant, as a teacher. And when I'm talking to people about how to be successful in the 21st century, I consider this being one of many skill sets that we need to consider. You know, in terms of your communication skills, you have your knowledge base, if it. Whatever that happens to be. But understanding that cultural differences are everywhere all the time and that they're inevitable and predictable will help any person be successful with the population they happen to be working with.

[A]

So what. That. What. What I'm hearing from you means that I'm going to have to do more homework.

[B]

I think. I think a little bit. The good news is it. It doesn't have to be that much homework.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

The most important thing is to have a little bit of humility. Like when you went, Darren, to Tokyo, do you think it's very.

[A]

Oh, there was no humility at all.

[B]

Yeah. You went over there. I got $5 million. Who. You know, like, I'm gonna take care of this quickly. Look at me. And I. That's how I showed up in Tokyo. Like, oh, what? You know, look at me. I'm the first American woman, you know? And the. Having some humility will serve us well because there's no possible way we can know this information. Starting out. The great news is that if you go into it with a little bit of humility and are willing to do the tiniest bit of research. I mean like a few minutes on Google, for example, and then just listen, be a listener. Rather than just taking over. Not only can we avoid the kind of unhappy cross cultural outcomes that can occur, we can enjoy the richness and enrich our own lives by engaging in these cross cultural encounters that make it better for everyone.

[A]

You know, I, I love the direction this is headed, especially with the world becoming so small. Just like last. Last week I spent three weeks in the Nordic countries, hopping from Sweden to Finland, Denmark, Norway. Great trip. I noticed small cultural differences in each of those countries. Even though I would say, hey, they're all the same. Right before I went, they're all cold and everyone is tall and blonde hair and blue eyes. So, you know, I, I felt like I fit in. Yeah. But there were cultural differences there and I think the world is.

[B]

Tell me I need to have an example because I, I've not been to these places.

[A]

Well, it's, it's interesting. Some people were warmer and kinder, some people were more kind of standoffish. But so, and I don't want to call it the individual countries, but it was very distinct when, when we landed in the big cities because we stayed in the big cities primarily. So when we get to the big city we can, we noticed a profound difference. Until you got like in Finland, you got in a sauna. And saunas in Finland are a public thing. They're not a private thing. They are a public thing. And when you're in the sauna, it's like all the guardrails are gone. Well, because you're sitting there half naked and all of a sudden there's no more barriers to communication. That's very fascinating. Very uncomfortable as an American. So. But embracing those, those small cultural differences have always played well for me. But understanding them, like you said, nowadays is so much easier than it used to be.

[B]

Oh my gosh. In a few moments you can Google what's sauna culture in Finland.

[A]

Yeah, exactly. Where before you're like, I have no idea. I remember after that first trip I took to Japan, I went out and bought a book. Doing business in Japan after.

[B]

That's. That's so telling.

[A]

Right? I know I, I should have, you know, and. But now when I do business, although. And I do business all over the world, I. One trick that my wife and I, because my wife likes to travel with me, we go to their local history museums, their perspective on their own history instead of just reading on Wikipedia. Yeah, it's a me, it's amazing. When you go into someone else's country and you see their perspective on themselves, then you get a really good idea on, on why they do the things that they do. And.

[B]

Yes, and the great thing is it's not necessary to like or agree.

[A]

Correct.

[B]

But understanding not only helps you not have kind of biased, negative, you know, thoughts about the way people do things, but it actually can open up possibilities for yourself when you have that understanding. So I think sometimes people equate learning about another group or another culture with liking and agreeing, but I fundamentally disagree with that notion. It is critical to learn and understand. It is not necessary to like and agree.

[A]

Laura, I am so glad you brought that out because I think there's a, especially in the younger generations, if I learn about something, then I have to, you know, embrace it. I think I love how you spelled that out because it's not true. And, and therefore people are afraid to learn about something because. Which, which makes him ignorant. I. Is that the right word? Yeah, it is.

[B]

I'd love, I'd love to give you a real business example, if you don't mind.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

You know, I think, you know, one of the most, the kind of no touch topics is religion. And I think it's great to learn about other religions. And again, you don't have to prescribe or subscribe to somebody else's religion if you just learn what the, the values are, etc. So this is a story from someone who worked in a bank. And the bank had these budgets for the departments to go out to lunch, right? You had to use it or you'd lose it. And so this particular department was running out of time and they hastily put together a meal for the department to go out. And the person telling me the story noticed that the most senior person did not join. And so after they all got back, this person went over and said, oh, hey, I noticed you didn't come with us. Is everything okay? And, and the person who didn't go again, who was the, the, the highest ranking person in the department, had not gone because it was Ramadan. Ramadan, you know, the. He's Muslim. And it, you know, I, when I was growing up in Columbus, Ohio, never heard of it. I'd never met any Muslim people, didn't know what that was. Now, in my much more diverse experience life, I know Muslim people. I know what that is. I know that people who follow the rules don't eat from sun up to sundown. Do I? I don't follow that. Do you know? I don't need to follow that. But the person telling me the story said, oh, I, I just didn't know, I didn't ask. And we didn't plan properly. And they felt terrible that they had inadvertently left this highest ranking person out. It wasn't a big deal. But it's just a small example of how if you know information, understand different cultural values and patterns and norms of behavior, you can often avoid leaving someone out or conflict or anything unintentional by considering that information. You know, maybe they could have planned a different time or said, you know, this time we have a short time frame so we're going to plan the lunch, but next month we're definitely going to plan so that we prioritize your schedule or whatever. But it gives you data and when you make decisions with data, your outcomes are almost always better.

[A]

No, I love that. Let's shift a little bit away from multinational culturalism to just here in the United States. Have you seen or can you describe the differences in business culture in the United States or do you see it as one unique or one business culture itself? Have you had any experience in that?

[B]

Oh, I think it's very diverse. I mean, I think I work with, for example, manufacturers have a certain culture, banks, financial institutions have a certain culture, educational organization. I mean I 100% think that there are these cultural tendencies that are aligned with certain professions, entertainment. I have a lot of people in my family who are in the entertainment world and that is a very different culture. And these aren't necessarily right and wrong or better or worse. People who have changed, for example, from the like if you're in the legal firm, a lawyer, you know, things have to be done just so there's a lot of calculating your hours and time and being very precise where if you're again in like entertainment, the, there's a lot more flexibility involved in doing your work and you know, deadlines and things like that. What, what do you think about that?

[A]

Well, no, no, I, I like to, I like how you played that because they are, there are differences in, in industries. I've also seen differences geographically. I had a unique experience where I, I learned my management style in Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley culture is very much attack a problem and as a group, throw the problem on the board, attack it, right? Everyone get up there and, and battle out different sides attacking the problem. I went from that to managing a, an organization in the Deep south where I tried that technique and oh my goodness, I had a great mentor there. He pulled me aside and said, you cannot do that here. You are attacking people. And I'm like, I didn't attack anybody. We were, we were going after a problem. Yeah. And so I had to learn that even here in the United States, geographically there are major differences. And at the same time, my boss at that time was in Boston, where in Boston they attack people directly and say, you'll figure it out. If I curse at you long enough, you'll figure out how to solve the problem. Right?

[B]

Yeah. And this is more evidence of culture differences are everywhere. They are inevitable and predictable.

[A]

And that's the thing that I guess we have to figure out and why I think these sorts of skills are going to become even more important as AI starts infiltrating our businesses and starts magnifying these differences. Because I think artificial intelligence is going to be a magnifier more than anything else. Not just an accelerator, but a magnifier.

[B]

Magnifier of what?

[A]

Of everything. Our differences, the decisions that we make. Because it, it will, it will magnify your position that you have. Because people don't, people don't realize how much bias they really have until you start working with something that echoes your bias. And that's exactly what generative AI does. Generative AI is a prediction machine.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It predicts what you're going to say next or what you might say next. So it's an echo machine. So if you have certain biases, right. Like, hey, my, my bias is to drive Kia cars. We have a bunch of Kia cars here. So my bias is that when I talk about cars in my head I'm thinking little boxy Kia souls that I've bought my, you know, teenagers to drive around in. So when I describe things out like that, that bias is going to be magnified by a generative AI And I, People, I don't think recognize that, but they will. You'll start seeing more and more of it.

[B]

Yeah. I'm thinking about how human interaction, which was already compromised by hybrid work and distributed teams. Right. People are not working 9 to 5 in an office the way we used to. So those face to face interactions were already waning. And now with AI driven workplaces, I believe that is going to accelerate this lack of interpersonal encounters.

[A]

I, I totally agree with you. And I think it's going to fail. And so that, that's why I think it's so important as, and I, I try and teach this to my kids. And also I teach at Vanderbilt University. I'm trying to teach my students. Your inner personal communication skills are what is going to make you invaluable in the future, Much more so than it ever has been in the past. Because it's, it's, it's going to just, it's going to be magnified that. We need that. How building those networks, understanding people, where they come from and their, and their cultural differences is going to be extremely important moving forward.

[B]

I would say that there are really two things anybody needs to be able to successfully navigate a cultural difference, and the two things are free and available to everyone. You want to hear them?

[A]

Yep, I do, absolutely.

[B]

The first one is a genuine wish to understand. The other, not just a superficial or I've got to figure this out so I can make a deal, but a genuine wish to understand, you know, how do people in the south solve problems, how do manufacturing companies treat deadlines, you know, whatever that. So you have to really genuinely want to understand. And the second point is you have to be able to reflect on yourself and acknowledge, you know, oh, wow, I went to Japan and I, I did no research or I've been coached by this mentor and I'm gonna take that in. I'm gonna appreciate that. I might not take 100% of what the mentor said, but I'll take, you know, 90% of it and adjust my way of doing things because it's going to help me not only avoid conflict, but it's going to help me get the results I want. That's what I call being a we builder. It's looking at any us vs them gap and trying to close that gap by listening, reflecting on yourself and then taking informed action that is informed by the data that we've collected through face to face interactions.

[A]

I love it. I love it. Laura, this has been wonderful and it reiterates a lot of the things that I'd done in my research and in my new book that I just released this week. So this has been awesome. Thank you, Laura, for coming on the show today. Great.

[B]

Can I make one pitch for my.

[A]

Absolutely, yeah. Where do people.

[B]

Harvard Business Review.

[A]

Hey. All right.

[B]

Can you see this? Oh, it's a little hard to see, but this is the new special issue on collaboration and there's an article that I co wrote with a professor at nyu, Jay Van Bavel, and it talks about some specific strategies that we learned of what helps people in person connect. And we think this is like. We agree with you, Darren, that with the drive, the AI driven workplace that's changing things so rapidly that, you know, figuring out effective ways to accelerate human connection is going to be a competitive advantage.

[A]

Absolutely. I totally, totally agree. 100%. So, Laura, thank you so much for coming on the show. If people want to reach out to you, how can they do that?

[B]

LinkedIn is where I'm most active, and I'd be happy to connect with your listeners.

[A]

All right. Hey, thank you again, Laura, for coming on the show.

[B]

Thanks, Darren.

[A]

Hey. One of my biggest insights from talking with Laura was that culture is not something that you just encounter once when you travel overseas. Culture is inevitable. And she mentioned that every organization has cultures. Every department has their culture. Every team develops their own norms and assumptions and ways of communicating. As leaders, we often assume people see problems the same way that we do. They don't. And that's not a weakness. That's an opportunity. The best leaders don't eliminate differences. They learn to recognize them, understand them, and use them to build stronger teams. As I mentioned, I have seen this in my own career, and I've failed at this miserably sometimes. Other times, I've been successful. Laura said something I think that every executive should remember. Cultural differences are inevitable and predictable. If they're predictable, then we can prepare for them. And leaders should prepare by first listening, learning continuously, and reflecting on their own assumptions and build organizations that collaborate better, innovate faster, and lead more effectively in this AI augmented world. Thanks for listening to Embracing Digital Transformation. If you enjoyed today's conversation, give us five stars on your favorite podcasting app or on YouTube. It really helps others discover the show. If you want to go deeper, join our exclusive [e-mail] embracingdigital where we share bonus content. And you can always connect with other change makers like yourself. You can always find more [e-mail] until next time, keep embracing the digital Transformation.