Working across cultures — training for global teams in Korea
For Korean staff heading overseas, teams that now include international colleagues, and people who work with a global HQ or overseas partners every day. Delivered in English, Korean, or both.
What blocks these teams is rarely English. It is the structure of communication: the same sentence lands differently, silence is read differently, and “we will review it” is not always a yes. This program starts with two short self-assessments so each participant can see their own position, then practices the scenes where the gap shows — feedback, meetings, decisions, deadlines, trust — through role-play rather than country trivia.
Two free self-assessments, four minutes each
No login, no installation. Results go to the participant's own email. For a whole team we issue a session code and QR, and aggregate the results (five or more respondents, anonymised) to shape the curriculum.
Hofstede 6-D self-check
24 items. Your own tendencies on six dimensions, placed beside the Korean average and a country of your choice. Best for assignees and people working with an overseas HQ or partner. Open: nanumai.com/tools/hofstede/
Culture Map 8-scale self-check
24 items. Your position on Erin Meyer's eight scales — communicating, evaluating, persuading, leading, deciding, trusting, disagreeing, scheduling. Best for teams with international colleagues. Open: nanumai.com/tools/culturemap/
What the company sees
Individual reports go only to the respondent. The company receives an anonymised aggregate when five or more people respond. The tools are for training design, not for hiring or appraisal.
Three tracks, one curriculum
Same backbone, different role-play scenes and a different deep-dive module.
Pre-departure for expatriate assignees
Korean staff about to run a local team or office abroad. Scenes: instructions that do not land, being caught between HQ reporting and local decisions, feedback that freezes the room. One to three months before departure, individuals or small groups.
Teams with international colleagues
Teams that have hired foreign engineers, researchers, or line leaders, or that switched to English as the working language. Scenes: deciding in Korean and announcing in English, expecting people to read the room, small frictions over titles, dinners, and leave. Best run with the international colleagues in the room.
Working with a global HQ or overseas partners
Staff at Korean subsidiaries of foreign companies, and sales, procurement, and R&D people who deal with overseas buyers and suppliers. Scenes: emails that are too long and conclude too late, missing the moment to speak in video calls, misreading a soft no.
Full day (7 hours) or half day (4 hours)
Modules marked “half” make up the half-day version. Timings in minutes.
| Module | Minutes | What participants leave with |
|---|---|---|
| Opening — reading your own assessment results | 30 · half | Your cultural coordinates, one page |
| The structure of cultural difference — a shared vocabulary for misunderstandings | 60 · half | Our team's misunderstanding map |
| Communicating and giving feedback — high and low context, direct and indirect | 60 · half | Rewritten email and feedback lines |
| Meetings, decisions, and deadlines — consensus vs top-down, flexible vs linear time | 60 · half | Draft meeting rules |
| Trust and relationships — task-based and relationship-based trust | 60 | Three relationship-building actions |
| Handling disagreement — voicing and receiving dissent across power distance | 60 | A script for conflict scenes |
| Track deep-dive — first 90 days abroad / onboarding an international colleague / video calls and negotiation | 60 | Track-specific action items |
| Team collaboration rules, one page | 30 · half | Seven agreed rules |
Delivered in English, Korean, or both
Korean
For Korean-speaking teams. The trainer and participants play the counterpart roles.
English
For teams with international colleagues or for international staff. Includes a module explaining Korean business culture. Materials in English.
Bilingual
The trainer runs the session in both languages without an interpreter. Suited to mixed Korean and international teams. Materials in both languages.
From self-assessment to quote
Take the self-assessments
Each participant takes the Hofstede and Culture Map checks (about four minutes each). For a team, ask us for a session code and QR.
Tell us about the team
Track, language, participants, half or full day, timing, and whether international colleagues will join.
Proposal within 24 hours
An outline, trainer profile, and indicative quote. If the team took the assessments, the module timings reflect the aggregate.
Session and follow-up
The team leaves with one page of collaboration rules. An optional one-hour online check-in follows 90 days later.
Ask for a proposal
Tell us the track, language, team, and timing. We reply within 24 hours.
Frequently asked questions
Can the whole program run in English?
Yes. Choose English or bilingual delivery. English delivery suits teams that include international colleagues; the trainer does not use an interpreter, and materials are provided in English.
Should Korean staff and international colleagues attend together?
That is the most effective format. Both sides see their positions on the same eight scales and agree on team rules in the same room. We recommend bilingual delivery for mixed groups and can add a session on Korean business culture for international staff.
Is the self-assessment required, and does it cost anything?
It is free and optional. Taking it beforehand lets the opening module start from each person's own results, and a team-wide aggregate lets us adjust the cases and module timings. The program can also run without it.
Can you take one or two people before an overseas assignment?
Yes. Individuals and small groups run as a half-day with the deep-dive module focused on the first 90 days abroad, optionally with a conversation with a returned assignee.