global dexterity Archives

Japan’s cultural attributes can help address economic and social challenges

by Anna Ridgway | Jan 1, 2017 | Adapting to change, blog, Global dexterity, globalisation, international business

Despite a ‘perfect storm’ of economic, social and geopolitical challenges in a changing world order, Japan is capable of finding solutions by being culturally authentic to itself. When considering Japan’s economic, social an geopolitical challenges, two...

Valuing time across cultures

by Anna Ridgway | May 8, 2016 | Adapting to change, blog, Developing trust, Global dexterity, Managing across cultures, Social commentary

In Australia, and other industrialised countries with strong shared cultural traits, there’s a consensus that these cultures have world’s best practice on how to ‘manage’ time. So why has time anxiety increased exponentially and why is feeding the time...

Cultural Dexterity metaphors – changing people’s minds

by Anna Ridgway | Apr 11, 2016 | Adapting to change, blog, Communicating across cultures, Global dexterity, Global teams, international business, Managing across cultures

After reading Lakoff and Johnson’s classic Metaphors We Live By, which describes how we use metaphors from our everyday experience to understand existing and new ideas and help flex and shape our thinking, I’ve been thinking of metaphors to describe...

Adjusting cultural behaviours is like getting fit

by Anna Ridgway | Apr 7, 2016 | Adapting to change, blog, Developing trust, Global dexterity, Global teams, international business, Managing across cultures

Owww-w-w I’m so sore. Last night I had my first swim stroke correction classes and today I’m creaking around like a rusted-up sofa bed on legs. But only four more weeks of this mild torment and I’ll be over the magic divide. I’ll be one of...

I’ll take our business relationship with chili sauce, please

by Anna Ridgway | Jan 22, 2015 | Adapting to change, blog, Business goals, Developing trust, international business

I was sitting down for lunch at a new Melbourne café with Samuel*, a CFO acquaintance, and we were considering our menu options. Samuel was hemming and hawing while the waitress hovered. ‘Well, anything – so long as it’s not Asian,’ he finally said. After helping him...