Working in Finland – Case: Mentoring

Working in Finland – Case: Mentoring /

Töissä Suomessa - case: mentorointi23.4.2015

Riku Laanti

Managing Director

RLC International Management Oy

RLC International Management Oy• RLC International Management tarjoaa konsultointia,

koulutusta/työpajoja ja tutkimuspalveluita Cross-Cultural Management & Communications -aiheesta.

• Koulutuksissa käydään läpi johtamiseen, viestintään, neuvotteluhin ja asiakaspalveluun liittyviä tilanteita monikulttuurillisessa ympäristössä.

• Asiakkaina kansainväliset ja kansainvälistyvät yritykset ja muut organisaatiot, mutta myös kotimaassa toimivat organisaatiot joiden sidosryhmissä on ihmisiä eri kulttuureista.

• Pääkouluttajana toimii Riku Laanti, jolla on yli 15 vuoden kansainvälinen kokemus aiheesta, sekä yrityselämästä että akatemiasta

Riku Laanti / RLC International Management Oyriku.laanti@rlcim.com Mobile: +358 (0)41 544 4544www.rlcim.com

Agenda

• Why Finland needs international workforce and whyFinnish organisations need a better understanding of foreign cultures?

• Underutilized resource? - International students and graduates in Finland.

• Case: Entry Point Mentoring Programme

• Summary

Why Finland needs international workforce and why Finnish organisations need a better understanding of foreign cultures?

“If something works in one culture, there is little chance that it will work in another. Even with experienced international companies, many well intended ‘universal’ applications of management theory have turned out badly.”

Fons Trompenaars

Important Trends

• The growing economic and political importance of emerging markets– BRIC > G7 by 2027!

– N-11

• The rapid growth in internationalisation of services

• The Finnish domestic market is also internationalising rapidly

Understanding different markets and cultural differences more important than ever!

Language

"If I'm selling to you, I speak your language.

If I'm buying, dann mussen SieDeutsch sprechen"

Willy Brandt, former German Chancellor

Language

• Spoken

– Verbal cues

– Language structures perception of world

• Unspoken

– Body language

– Personal space

“Many professionals err in assuming it is enough to speak a common tongue when speaking with people from other cultures. In fact, spoken language is only 30% of communication”

Denis LeClerc, professor of cross-cultural communication at Thunderbird School of Global Management in Arizona, USA

Source: BBC: Culture shock: How to speak business anywhere, by Karina Martinez-Carter, 7 October 2014

Areas of Cross Cultural Misunderstanding

1. Values– core beliefs– national characteristics– attitudes and world view

2. Communication patterns– speech styles– listening habits

3. Concept of time4. Concept of space

Richard D. Lewis

What types of teams are more successful: homogeneous teams or diverse teams with

representatives from several cultures?

Homogeneous vs. Diverse Teams

Based on

1. Creating value with diverse teams in global management, J.J. DiStefano; M.L.Maznevski,

Organizational Dynamics, Vol. 29, No 1

2. Dr C. Kovach’s research, UCLA

”Ninety per cent of CEOs believe that if cross-border communication were to improve, profit, revenue and market share would all improve as well. Yet many are not doing enough to address the challenge”

Competing across borders, The Economist Intelligence Unit, 2013

International Students in Finland

International Students in Finland• The capital region has approximately 10 000 international

students in the universities and universities of applied sciences either to study for a degree or as exchange students.

• No accurate data on how many of them stay in Finland for work after graduation, but some research has stated that up to 79% of the students would like to stay and work in Finland.

• In total approximately 26.000 internationals between the ages of 20-29 in the capital region

• Largest groups of international university students by nationality– China, Russia, Estonia, India, Germany, Pakistan, Sweden, USA,

Poland

• Largest groups of international university of applied sciences students by nationality– China, Russia, Nigeria, Nepal, Ethiopia, Vietnam,

Estonia, Kenya, Ghana, Sweden, Bangladesh, Germany

Challenges that international students and recent graduates face

• Difficult to find a job that corresponds to their education

• The biggest challenges– The lack of adequate Finnish or Swedish language skills

– The lack of appropriate networks.

• Some employers perhaps not being fully aware of the benefits of recruiting international students or graduates

* Source: HERIEC (Helsinki Region Immigrant Employment Council)

Case: Mentoring

ENTRY POINT MENTORING PROGRAMME 2014 - 2015

Entry Point Mentoring Programme 2014 - 2015

• The regional HERIEC (Helsinki Region Immigrant Employment Council) -pilot project, co-funded by the European Social Fund

• To enhance the students’ and other international talents’ participation and positioning in the Finnish labour market

• Modelled on a similar programme developed by HERA (Helsinki Education and Research Area) which ran successfully in 2012-13.

• For international degree students in higher education institutions and recent international graduates in the Helsinki capital region.

• The Mentors were internationally orientated professionals who live in the area and are active in the Finnish working life.

• The goal of the mentoring process was to enhance the Mentees’– Job seeking skills

– Professional networks

– Knowledge of the Finnish labour market and work culture.

• The language of the programme was English.

• Based on voluntary participation, motivation important.

Entry Point Mentoring Programme 2014 – 2015 cont’d

The Mentees and the Mentors

• Approximately 100 Mentee applicants

• 23 pairs formed

• Matching based on– Mentors' and Mentee applicants' preferences (to the

extent that it is possible given the pool of applicants).

– Objective to ensure sufficient overlap in educational backgrounds and/or professional interests between the Mentor and the Mentee.

– Overall goal has been to bring together a diverse group of people with different kinds of backgrounds, interests, experiences and institutional affiliations.

The Mentors’ Countries of Origin

• China (5)

• Vietnam (2)

• India

• Bangladesh

• Nepal

• Brazil

• Mexico

• Ethiopia

• Russia (4)

• Ukraine

• Romania

• Greece

• UK

• Germany

• Estonia

The Mentees’ Countries of Origin

• Finland (19)

• UK

• Norway

• Spain

• Sri Lanka

Mentees’ and Mentors’ Expectations

• Mentees– Developing professionally

– Networking

– Sharing personal stories and experiences

– Job search

– Cultural Info

• Mentors– International experience and networking

– Having the opportunity to network (also with other mentors/mentees); possibly making new friends

– Cultural experience and learning

– Being able to speak English

– Want to help and share

– Step out of our own comfort zone and learn new things

Schedule

• Orientation for Mentees (2 h) 25 Sep 2014 • Orientation for Mentors (2 h) 2 Oct 2014• Kick-off for everyone (3 h) 8 Oct 2014• Mid-term Event for everyone (2.5 h) 21 Jan 2014• Job seeking in Finland & CV Clinic 19 Feb 2015

(Optional - hosted by Mercuri Urval)• Closing Event for everyone (2 h) 8 Apr 2015

• The mentoring pairs met at least 5 timesduring the programme

• Also a LinkedIn group was formed

Challenges faced during the process

• Job seeking / How to find a job?

• How to get back into work life?

• How circumvent the barriers to get entry to Finnish labour market?– “Job market is very challenging in Finland now due to

economic situation in companies.”

– “Labour market the root cause: 8% unemployment rate; foreigners 30%.”

– “The barriers lie strongly on the side of the employers. (Many) employers against hiring people who they perceive different.”

• Language and cultural challenges

• Time issues between mentees and mentors– Difficult to find time to meet

– Use of time – “How to optimize time when we meet with our mentors/mentees?”

– The 5 meetings are not enough?

Feedback from the Participants

This program has been very beneficial to me. And I will continue to stay in touch with my mentor. This is not a closing for us, by any means :-)

The programme was a very useful enterprise to undertake. I have fully accomplished the goals I set in front of myself, like learning about Finnish working culture and in particular job seeking etiquette, learning more about my industry sector in Finland and developing the successful job searching strategy.

Feedback from the participants

I found a new job in a Finnish multinational company.

I would like to thank you for such a wonderful opportunity as participation in EntryPoint program!

I have also received something I was not hoping for - moral support and inspiration.

During the programme I have started a career as an entrepreneur.

This mentoring process has been very useful and rewarding to me as a mentor too. Thank you very much for this opportunity to join the program and all good arrangements.

Thank You

Riku LaantiRLC International Management Oy

riku.laanti@rlcim.comMobile: +358 (0)41 544 4544

www.rlcim.com

RLC International Management

RLC International Management Oy

• Established by Riku Laanti in 2002

• Research, Learning and Consulting services on Cross-Cultural Management and Communications, International Business and International Strategy.

• RLC International Management has provided consulting and training services to governmental organisations and multinational companies in various industries, such as chemicals, education and research, energy and environment, entertainment and media, food, ICT, life sciences, machinery/manufacturing, mining, pulp and paper, retail, services and sports.

• Global partner: Richard Lewis Communications Ltd*

*See a separate PowerPoint presentation about Richard Lewis Communications as an attachment

Riku Laanti• Senior manager positions in Finland and

internationally since 1992• Lived in Australia for 10 years, managing his own

consulting company and being an official partner of Finpro in Australia and New Zealand.

• Also active in academia. Research and teaching activities focus on Cross-Cultural Management and Communications, and International Business and Strategy.

• PhD in International Business and Strategy (Adelaide), MSc in International Business (Aalto University) and MBA in Finance (Aalto University)

• Riku’s consulting and academic projects have taken him around Europe, North America, Asia and Australasia.

• He has worked with people from morethan 50 countries.

Testimonials: Riku Laanti‘Riku Laanti is an excellent cross-cultural trainer, who is able to approach the topic from a solid academic grounding, personal experience, and also relate it to business because of his background in senior corporate roles. He strikes a good balance between practice and theory and is a calm and measured facilitator who makes the participants reflect. Apart from the serious messages, he also has a good sense of humour which breaks the ice and makes the training fun…’

Michael Gates, Vice Chairman, Richard Lewis Communications

“Riku Laanti has worked as Finpro partner consultant since 2005. Riku has brought a new, very important viewpoint to the Internationalisation of the Finnish companies. Understanding cross-cultural differences is more and more relevant in succeeding in international environment.Riku has worked in Finpro´s projects as a trainer of cross-cultural management and communication. The feedback from customers and Finpro´s own personnel has been excellent. Riku is very credible in the topic, as he has lived and worked over ten years abroad. He brings in the practical business issues from multiple angles, and gets the participating companies to think of their own business. He uses very fluently Richard Lewis´s widely recognized CultureActive –model. Riku is an excellent trainer and gets the attention of the audience easily. “

Pekka Riippi, Leading Consultant & Maarit Ahola, Senior Consultant, Finpro ry.

“During three years, from 2010 to 2013, I had the great pleasure of working with Riku. Riku is an extremely competent and reliable person to collaborate with.Together we put up the Team Finland Network in Australia, recruited high-level Team Finland Ambassadors to Sydney, Melbourne and Perth and contributed to the enlarged activities of the Finland-Australia Chamber of Commerce.Riku's not just about a good promise. The phenomenal factor about him isthe excellent, almost exceptional delivery. That's a rare quality.”

Juha Parikka, Minister-Counsellor, Deputy Head of Mission Embassy of Finland to Australia and New Zealand

RLC International Management – ServicesResearch – Learning - Consulting

• Learning

– Cross-Cultural Management Workshops

• Consulting

– Cross-Cultural Management Audits

– Cross-Cultural Management Consulting

• Research

– Applied research services to organisations on Cross-Cultural Management topics

Target Customer Groups

• Multinational companies and internationalising SMEs

• Other international organisations, such as ministries and research organisations

• Companies and organisations who operate mainly in the domestic markets, but have employees, customers and/or other stakeholders from other cultures, such as retailers, health and tourism service providers, real estate and business facility companies, recruitment and staffing companies, construction companies, government and municipalities

• Multinational companies present or entering into the Finnish markets

• Sports organisations and coaches

Cross-Cultural Management and Communications Workshops

• An ‘eye-opener’ workshop addressing cross-cultural issues in management– Why these issues are relevant. Why companies win/lose

contracts and make profits/losses based on how well they are able to address cross-cultural issues

– The emphasis of the workshop is on providing background information, introducing theories and concepts, and providing business cases and examples

– Participants are invited to contribute by sharing their own cross-cultural experiences

Cross-Cultural Management and Communications Workshop (General)(0.5 – 1 day workshops)

• Course content includes:– Culture more generally

• Models about cultural classification

• Values and core beliefs – Human mental programming

• Cultural black holes

• Concept of space

• Concept of time

• Self image

• Concept of trust in different cultures

– Culture: communication• Communication patterns

• Body language and non-verbal communication

• Listening habits

• Audience expectations at presentations

– Culture: interaction• Concept of status

• Gender issues

• Leadership style

• Language of Management

• Motivation factors

• General behavior at meetings

• Negotiation characteristics

• Contracts and commitments

• Manners and taboos

• How to emphasize with different cultures

Cross-Cultural Management and Communications Workshop (General) cont’d

Cross-Cultural Management and Communications Workshop (General) cont’d

• Each participant will be asked to prepare their own cross-cultural profile (CultureActive). This can be compared with the profiles of their own culture and other cultures, and their own team members

• For whom: CEOs/Managing Directors; other top management; all managers and team members of cross-cultural teams; human resources staff; marketing, communications, sales, service and all other staff who are engaged with customers and other stakeholders from other cultures; international negotiators; product development teams; international project team members; expatriate workers.

• Training can be organised in Finnish or English (some of the material only in English)

Benefits for a Client

• Increases the awareness of potential Cross-Cultural Management and Communications issues that may have an impact on the performance of the organisation

• Introduces a framework (The Lewis Model) to better understand and respect Cross-Cultural Management and Communications issues.– How to foresee and calculate how people from other

cultures will react to our plans for them and how others will approach us?

• Provides means and tools to manage cross-cultural issues (e.g. training material and concepts; examples; action points; CultureActive)

• As a result, improves performance of the organisation

Cross-Cultural Management Workshops (Functional)(0.5 – 1 day workshops)

• Cross-Cultural Management/Leadership Workshop

• Working in a Cross-Cultural Team

• Cross-Cultural Negotiations Workshop

• Cross-Cultural Marketing/Communications Workshop

• Cross-Cultural Management in Sports

• (Cross-Cultural Project Management Workshop)

• (Cross-Cultural Sales Workshop)

• (Cross-Cultural Product Development Workshop)

Cross-Cultural ManagementWorkshops (Country specific)(0.5 – 1 day workshops)

• General or functional workshops focused on one country or a region

• For whom: Country-specific workshops are provided especially for organisations that are preparing a business trip, negotiations, project sales, and/or merger/acquisition in a particular country and/or that have operations in a country and have faced cross-cultural issues

Working with FinnsTraining / Workshop

• Provides information about the role of culture in management, communications and negotiations, focusing on specific characteristics of Finnish culture

• Provides means and tools on how to work with Finns

• For whom: overseas staff of Finnish multinational companies and organisations, international employees working in Finland

• Training will be tailored based on the home countries/cultures of the participants

• Training language: English

Cross-Cultural Management and Communications Training / Workshop Programs

Kick-off Seminar

Project lenght 3 – 6 months

Participants’ own excercises

Workshop 1: Communication

Workshop 2: Interaction

Riku Laanti:*What is culture?*The role of culture in management and communications*The Lewis Model*CultureActive*Case examples

Duration: 3 hours

Participants: All employees

Each participant*Individual objectives for the program*CultureActive profile*Readings*Assignments

Riku Laanti:*Communication patterns*Body language and non-verbal communication*Listening habits*Audience expectations at presentations*Case examples*Group work/excercisesDuration: 6 hoursParticipants: Employees per each function / department / team (optimal participant number 20 per session)

Riku Laanti:*Concept of status*Gender issues*Leadership style*Language of management*Motivation factors*Behaviour at meetings & negotiation characteristics*Contracts and commitments*Manners and taboos*How to emphasize*Case examples*Group work/excercisesDuration: 6 hoursParticipants: Employees per each function / department / team (optimal participant number 20 per session)

Each participant*Readings*Assignments*Individual action points on how to improve cross-cultural management and communications in one’s work environment

Participants’ own excercises

Workshop Trainers

Michael GatesOxford-educated, and a cross-cultural trainer and writer of 20 years’ experience.

Riku LaantiMore than 15 years of international management and academic experience on cross-cultural issues.

Option: Seminars by

Richard LewisThe creator of the Lewis Model still takes an active role as a trainer. A prolific writer, and the founder of successful businesses across the globe.

CultureActive

• Each licensee will be asked to prepare their own cross-cultural profile (CultureActive). This can be compared with the profiles of their own culture and other cultures

• Each licensee will receive a 12-month access to CultureActive online service, which includes profiles and data of more than 100 cultures.

• Practical tips/advice on how to manage cross-cultural challenges and issues

• The CA profile can also be printed as a PDF report

www.cultureactive.com

Cross-Cultural Management Audits and Consulting

Cross-Cultural Management and Communications Audit

• Evaluation of the Cross-Cultural Management and Communications status and competences of the organisation

• Identifying potential Cross-cultural Management and Communications issues/challenges facing the organisation

• Methodology includes desk study, interviews, cross-cultural profiles of key employees, analysis using tested Cross-Cultural Management theories and concepts

• Conclusions and recommendations

Cross-Cultural Management and Communications Consulting• Cross-Cultural Management and Communications Consulting

as an integrated element in projects with regard to the international activities of an organisation. These types of projects include– Developing international strategy– Planning an entry to a new market– International merger or acquisition – planning and implementation– Developing/improving international sales channels, including

partner search– Developing/improving international supply chains– Establishing an international subsidiary– International HRM/management/leadership activities– International negotiations– International marketing/communications– International product development

• RLC International Management’s consultants provide evaluation, analysis, conclusions, recommendations, and hands-on assistance in the projects/processes from Cross-Cultural Management and Communications point of view

Cross-Cultural Management Research

Research Services

• RLC International Management is involved in both academic and applied research projects on Cross-Cultural Management and Communications, Internationalisation processes, and International Strategy, in close operation with its academic and business partners.

• For companies and other organisations that operate in an international environment or wish to internationalise their operations RLC International Management provides applied research services that address current Cross-Cultural Management and Communications issues from the organisation’s point of view.

Thank you

RLC International Management OyItälahdenkatu 21 A (Saari Business House)

00210 HELSINKI, FINLAND

riku.laanti@rlcim.comMobile: +358-(0)41-544 4544

www.rlcim.comBusiness ID 1765831-9 (Y-tunnus) VAT reg. EP reg.