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To thrive in a global market, companies must focus on creating strong engagement with diverse groups of employees and consumers. Embracing inclusivity, transparency and respect for local cultures can help businesses appeal to a broader audience.
To that end, Forbes Human Resources Council members share some effective approaches for building a cohesive, globally appealing brand culture that resonates across borders. Follow their recommended strategies to drive engagement and expand your market reach.
1. Be Intentional
Organizations must be intentional about building and cultivating their culture. To drive and transform culture, the C-suite staff must be very clear on the culture they are driving towards, and they must model it in their interactions with their people and customers. Also, it’s key that the leaders are aligned with these behaviors and “why” this culture is important to organizational success. - Fran Maxwell, Protiviti
2. Leverage Technology
Companies can foster transparent communication, set clear goals, recognize the achievements of individuals and embrace diverse perspectives to innovate and understand global markets. Leveraging technology that enables every employee, from wherever they work, is another way to connect and engage them across geographies. This ensures alignment with business objectives and organizational values. - Jamie Aitken, Betterworks
3. Focus On Human Connection
Focus on the human connection. Humans across any industry or geographic location—all, at their core, want the same thing. That same thing is a company with a great culture, and a leader in engagement that would make them feel comfortable, support their families and contribute to the greater world. - Omar Alhadi, Adobe Population Health
4. Live The Vision, Mission And Values
Company vision, mission and values must be a living creed by the leaders, focusing on the employee value proposition that drives the Employee Net Promoter Score. Organization is key. The employees become the brand ambassadors enabling the value proposition to the customers through service delivery and innovative products. Once the chain is unbroken, the probability of attraction and global footprint is not in doubt. - Kunbi Adeoti, Leadway Group
5. Create A Global Footprint
Future-focused companies know that a global footprint offers access to new markets and opportunities for innovation, and drives revenue. Today, access to a global talent pool is more accessible through platforms like Upwork. Further, companies can cultivate globally-minded local talent through cross-sector partnerships, a learning strategy rooted in upskilling and business resource groups. - Chelsea C. Williams, Reimagine Talent Co.
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6. Build Transparency And Share Purpose With Employees
This depends firstly on where the company is on its journey and where they are going. From there, building culture is something that everyone in a company needs to be doing. Have you built out the transparency and knowledge of the actual business? Do you share the purpose with employees? Do they have a sense of ownership? Create the opportunity and culture will have a chance to build. - Julie Hankins, Epista
7. Use A Human Lens
People want to engage with things that are relevant to them, in and outside the workplace. If you want to build an internal culture or external engagement, stop trying to view every decision through the lens of the brand and look at it through your own lens as a person. Too often, we forget the simple reality that every company is run by people, and people generally want happiness and success. - Nicky Hancock, AMS
8. Foster A Global Mindset
Fostering a global mindset will help to cultivate the right culture to generate broader global appeal. True globalization is about gaining a deep understanding of cultural market nuisances, rather than simply translating or regionalizing your product or service. This type of organizational change will take time but is a worthwhile endeavor for any business with global aspirations. - Alex Gillespie, Gillespie Manners
9. Focus On Your HR Brand
Focus on your HR brand. HR brand is about internal reputation and perception among the existing workforce and potential employees. HR leaders start by developing and promoting an employee value proposition and inclusive culture. HR brand enhances the overall company brand image, affects a company's market position and reinforces trust and confidence among customers, investors, suppliers and partners across the globe. - Laci Loew
10. Provide Psychological Safety
Leaders providing psychological safety in the organization is the key to building a culture of open communication that would help them feel heard. This leads to more collaboration and innovative solutions. This also directly impacts and promotes a positive workplace culture, which in turn leads to an increase in engagement. All of this would automatically appeal to the broader consumer market. - Divya Divakaran, EVS, Inc.
11. Keep Employees Informed
Hold regular town hall meetings and Q&A sessions with leadership to maintain transparency and keep employees informed about company goals and performance. - Britton Bloch, Navy Federal
12. Encourage Neurodiverse Employees
Encourage neurodiverse employees to speak openly with their managers about what they need for success. For example, flexible work arrangements such as hybrid and remote work can support neurodiverse employees in creating an optimal, distraction-free work environment at home. Open communication is crucial for employees of all kinds to feel at home in your organization. - Niki Jorgensen, Insperity
13. Lead With Your Values
Companies should lead with their values to build culture, engagement and appeal to a broader global consumer market within their industry. Developing strong, globally relevant values that can be adapted locally while maintaining their essence is vital for success. Do this through consistent messaging and workforce testimonials across all markets while allowing for appropriate local customization. - Dr. Timothy J. Giardino
14. Assess Your Reputation And Make Changes
Companies should assess what their reputation is internally and externally and put together a project plan to make changes. They can do stay interviews, anonymous surveys, read online review sites and encourage open communication between managers or HR and employees to gain valuable insight. From there, the HR team should analyze the data and make recommendations to the leadership team. - Erin ImHof, CertiK
15. Promote Diversity
To build culture and appeal to a broader, global consumer market, organizations should do several things. They should embrace and promote diversity and inclusion, localize content and marketing strategies and foster two-way communication with global audiences. They should also showcase corporate social responsibility and sustainability and encourage innovation through diverse teams and perspectives. These steps create a cohesive culture and broaden their market. - Vinamre Gupta, Moody's Corporation
