One of the great privileges of working in an international organisation like TLScontact is the access that it gives you to a multitude of different cultures and perspectives. Our colleagues around the world can give us a better understanding of local cultural nuances, as well as a ground-level view of events, before they even appear in the media. Each local culture brings a new way of seeing the world. Put together, these different perspectives make us more responsive and more effective as an organisation.
Diversity is one of TLScontact’s core strengths and something that our employees regularly highlight in our annual Great Place To Work survey. Once again this year, among all the topics tracked in the survey, we registered some of our highest scores when it came to diversity, with 90% or more of respondents agreeing with the statements that employees are treated fairly regardless of their race, gender or sexual orientation.
While we are headquartered in Paris, France, and have a strong European heritage, we also benefit from a very wide geographic footprint and employees from 80 different nationalities. The diversity within our organisation gives us access to a wealth of different perspectives. This broad range of viewpoints gives us a more complete understanding of issues that we or our government clients might face, and guides us in our daily interactions with visa applicants, and with the government organisations that we serve.
Cultural nuances: why one size doesn’t fit all in a globalised world
One might imagine that, in the face of increased globalisation, cultural differences are gradually disappearing. From our experience, that is absolutely not the case, and cultural nuances are important to guide our actions and approach in the many different countries where we operate. For example, in some countries, there is a genuine culture of risk-taking, while in others, people are more risk averse. There are cultures where meaning is stated directly and explicitly, whereas in others, it is inferred from what is said – or not. There are also cultures in which clear rules are required to govern day-to-day interactions, compared to others where personal relationships and trust are far more important.
As an organisation representing governments around the world, we are also very aware of the cultural specificities of the different government organisations that we work with. These can be linked to local cultures, but are also influenced by the very particular role of government visa and consular departments, constantly balancing national security imperatives with increasing international mobility.
Balancing local cultural norms with global company values
While taking into consideration the very real cultural differences within our own company and within the government organisations that we serve, running a genuinely international business also requires us to adopt a globalised approach. At TLScontact, we aim to achieve the right balance both by celebrating the many different cultures within our organisation, and also developing a strong company culture. This allows us to provide a common frame of reference for all our employees worldwide, and a core set of values to guide our actions.
Whatever the cultural differences, it is also essential to consider each colleague, applicant or government representative as an individual, with their cultural background, but also their own personality and approach. Culture is a prism that can help us to understand others better, but it must not be a “box” that we try to fit people into, with no regard for the other factors that might influence their behaviour or point of view.
Working in a multicultural environment constantly reminds us that we must remain humble in the way we interact with our colleagues and government clients. Others don’t see the world the same way as us, don’t think the same way, and communicate differently. By embracing these differences, we can unlock value, foster innovation, and build stronger relationships, for the benefit of all.
Artice written by
Antoine Rault, Sales Director