Understanding the Philippines

Building a team in the Philippines might be the best decision you ever make for your business. But to make it work, it’s important not to underestimate the cultural differences that exist between your new teammates and your existing office mates.

We caught up with Mike Grogan of Kaizen Leadership Asia, a Philippines-based business coach who helps international business leaders to build teamwork and boost productivity in their Filipino teams.

Here’s Mike’s top tips on building a winning team in the Philippines.

When you are working with an offshore workforce, the difference between ‘good’ and ‘great’ often depends on how ‘onboard’ your team is. But how do you create this feeling of connection to your team, clients, and results? 

According to Mike Grogan, CEO of Kaizen Leadership Asia, our upbringing, education, and environment significantly impact our behaviours, belief systems, and attitudes. As such, you can expect that working with a team in the Philippines will bring some challenges… but nothing that a good dose of compassion and common sense cannot solve.

Here’s how it’s done.

The Western and Filipino workplaces both bring their own unique strengths to a business. In general, we see businesses struggle when they expect their Filipino teammates to be more like them. On the flipside, the businesses that thrive are the ones who harness the strengths of their team in the Philippines and combine them with what their local team are already doing well.

So what are these differences in working styles, and how can you harness them to nail it when working offshore?

In this article, you can find the best tips on avoiding common mistakes and creating better alignment between the gifts that your domestic and international teammates are both able to offer.

Ever have a work issue become a bigger deal than in needed to be? Maybe something started out as a simple misunderstanding and ended up as a major drama. The fact is, in every relationship (at work and at home), sometimes what is SAID is not always the same as what is HEARD.

When you are working with teammates in a different timezone and a different cultural frame of reference, there’s even more room for a communication misfire. Here’s how to take account of your teammates’ cultural differences to ensure that your message is heard and your collaboration stays on track.