Any cross-border project collaboration will sooner or later bump into problems and intercultural competency is needed to solve them. International Managers must be aware about the pitfalls of asking “Why” questions in those very moments:
Problem Focus: “Why” questions lead the energy and attention to flow towards the problem and ignores solutions.
Police Interrogation: "Why" questions sometimes appear like a police interrogation. People being asked feel they need to explain themself, are pushed into defense mode and they try to justify their actions as if they conducted a criminal act. This might cause a reduction in taking risks and willingness to contribute from that point onwards.
Emotional Trigger: “Why” questions can be perceived as non-appreciative, causing bad feelings and long-lasting damages to the relationship.
Source: Created with Copilot
While methods like the “5 Why” technique in quality control can be useful in identifying the root cause for product- and process issues, asking “Why” questions in cross-border problems should be applied with caution only as they might impact interpersonal relationships. Asking “What” questions can help in formulating a question in a much more constructive way.
For example, instead of asking “Why did you decide to do …?”, asking “What is the reason for deciding to do …?” is just a little different but sounds already less interrogative.
Another way in addressing a potential solution instead of focussing on the problem itself could be asked like "What do you need in order to solve ...?".
There are plenty of ways in asking questions that are less interrogative, trigger less emotions and focus on the solution in cross-border collaboration. The easiest way is just to use "What" questions instead of using "Why" questions.
What is your experience with "Why" questions in intercultural cross-border settings? Please feel free to leave your comment under the Blog or LinkedIn.
#interculturalcompetency #interculturalmanagement #projectmanagement #internationalprojectmanagement #crossbordercollaboration #interculture #internationalmanagement #expat #expatcoaching
Comments