The Importance of Understanding & Embracing Cross-Cultural Differences

From a young age, SMU Master of Science in Communication Management (MCM) alum Matthias De Saedeleer has always had an appreciation for the wider world, in part thanks to his father who held an international commercial role. The global world views adopted by the family even extended to its culinary preferences: their household fridge was always stocked with both Tabasco sauce as well as Sambal, both of which Matthias likes to combine into his delicious pasta dishes.

“In addition to work, I have also lived and travelled across the region which has provided me with a profound exposure and appreciation of Singaporean and Southeast Asian culture,” says Matthias, who is a Senior Manager, Group Corporate Affairs, at PSA International — an international logistics player with a global footprint and roots in Singapore.

“Combined with my European upbringing, it has enriched and widened my perspectives both personally and professionally.”

In fact, an impromptu holiday to Singapore in 2009 made him fall head-over-heels with the smells, colours and diversity of our little red dot, which sparked in him the goal of living and working in Singapore. Just three years later, Matthias packed his bags to relocate here.

When West Meets East

Born in Bruges, Belgium and having studied Economics at the university of Antwerp, Matthias attributes his understanding of cultural nuances and different points of reference to a lifelong penchant for different cultures, people and diversity.

“The biggest wealth we can accumulate in life, is to amass as many meaningful memories as possible along the way,” says Matthias, whose current role includes leading teams comprising local, regional, and international team members at PSA.

“To that end, I theme every year with a specific personal challenge, be it travel, sports, learning a new skill, enrolling in a program or other milestones.”

Matthias is not one to rest on his laurels. He felt he could expand the depth of knowledge related to his professional path, which led to his search for a part-time master’s programme as a personal self-development challenge in 2017.

“As a strategic communications manager and leader, it’s important to keep a close finger on the pulse of the industry, business and the economy so that our efforts and campaigns remain relevant” he says.

“Effective communication strategies can help organisations improve the overall productivity of the workforce, create a positive presence for the organisation in the market and instil a sense of trust among employees. These factors play a major role in the success of a business.”

In line with his job scope at PSA, he had originally set his sights on an MBA programme. However, a meeting with an SMU postgraduate programme manager convinced him to reconsider programmes. “I’m more of a generalist, so I felt that an MBA would give me broad skillsets to enhance my knowledge and abilities in my job. I was also a little wary about the communications specialisation of the MCM programme as I believed it would be something I could gain organically through work.”

As Matthias reveals: “Comparing my options, I realised that the MCM programme in fact offered a business degree covering broad disciplines from a strategic communications perspective, which perfectly aligned with my profile and professional focus.”

Therefore, Matthias strongly encourages those looking to pursue graduate degrees to take an in-depth look at the curriculum and look beyond the title of the programme.

Strength in Diversity

With large organisations of today often being global entities — as demonstrated by the fact that most US companies expect an increase in global expansion in 2021, according to the Standard Chartered Borderless Business Study, the ability to engage with, understand and manage stakeholders of other cultures is imperative. While the MCM programme covers a spectrum of strategic communications and public relations modules, Matthias found the Cross-Cultural Communication module to be particularly relevant to his professional scope.

“I’ve been very fortunate to spend the past decade working in an international role for PSA, and in my corporate role I work with teams comprising local, regional and international team members from Singapore, Belgium, China, Italy, Thailand, Portugal, Indonesia, Poland and Korea,” explains Matthias.

“Being able to appreciate cultural nuances and different points of reference helps to build meaningful relationships and bring diverse stakeholders together to rally behind common goals.”

Challenges in cross-cultural management can be hard to define or measure, but the module was able to provide a comprehensive overview, while creating neutral discussion springboards that were both eye-opening and engaging. According to him, it provided insights on navigating various scenarios to achieve specific goals and is a testament to the importance of understanding cross-cultural management.

“My classmates comprised professionals from different industries, from multinationals to start-ups, all with different years of experience,” he shares.

“As a result, I was able to learn from the different perspectives in the classroom.” He adds that everyone brings different things to the table, be it from their culture, upbringing, or personal experience, which can be leveraged upon to enhance the results you’re looking for.

“Leading diverse teams requires patience and sensitivity to bridge cultural gaps. But once team members align and identify a common language, it can be incredibly powerful.”