In this webinar, hosted by Scrum Alliance and presented by Certified Scrum Trainer Wolfgang Richard, focused on enhancing cross-cultural collaboration within Scrum and Agile methodologies. Richter shared his extensive experience with international projects, emphasizing the importance of understanding and managing cultural differences within teams. He introduced five key goals for successful cross-cultural collaboration, including accepting diverse behaviors, establishing common principles, and raising tolerance for differences. He also discussed Geert Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory and demonstrated a tool for comparing cultural dimensions across countries.

Speaker

• Dr. Wolfgang Richter, Certified Scrum Trainer; CEO, JIPP.IT

Key Takeaways

1. Managing Cultural Differences: The webinar emphasizes the importance of understanding and managing cultural differences within teams to enhance cross-cultural collaboration in Scrum and Agile environments.

2. Goals for Collaboration: Wolfgang Richard introduces five goals for successful cross-cultural collaboration, including accepting different behaviors, establishing common rules, understanding cultural backgrounds, raising tolerance for differences, and addressing management challenges.

3. Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions: Geert Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory is highlighted as a key framework for understanding how societal culture impacts team dynamics and collaboration.

4. Comparing Cultural Dimensions: The webinar demonstrates a tool for comparing cultural dimensions across countries, illustrating how cultural differences can affect team behavior and communication.

5. Navigating Cultural Diversity: Attendees are equipped with strategies to navigate cultural diversity, ultimately improving their ability to collaborate and succeed in global teams.

6. Cultural Adjustment Agile: The text discusses the impact of societal and organizational culture on the adoption of agile practices, emphasizing the need for cultural adjustment to make agile methodologies compatible.

7. Cross-Cultural Team Management: Practical advice for managing cross-cultural teams includes setting shared goals, understanding different behaviors, and maintaining an open-minded approach to foster a harmonious and effective working environment.

Key Quote

To accept that everybody behaves equally and shares the same values is nearly impossible to achieve. Do not try to change them.