A story from The Jakarta Post (2023) shows this clearly. An Indonesian employee once came to a meeting five minutes late because she was helping a coworker finish a task. Her foreign boss was upset because he saw punctuality as a sign of discipline. But after talking, he understood her reason and realized that in her culture, teamwork and helping others are also forms of responsibility. This small story shows how communication and empathy can solve cultural misunderstandings.
Emotions are also expressed differently across cultures. In some Western societies, showing emotion is seen as being honest. People are encouraged to say what they feel because it builds trust. In contrast, in many Asian cultures, showing strong emotion at work is seen as unprofessional. People prefer to stay calm even when they feel angry or disappointed. For instance, a Western person might raise their voice to show urgency, while an Indonesian person might interpret that as anger. Both sides are simply expressing themselves based on what feels natural in their culture.
These differences are not problems, but they are part of what makes human communication interesting. But to work together successfully, people need to understand and adapt. This does not mean changing who we are. It means learning how others think and adjusting our communication so everyone feels comfortable.
The digital world also adds new layers to cross-cultural communication. Many teams now work through email, video calls, or chat apps. Here, tone and wording can be misunderstood easily. Western people often write short and direct messages, such as:
"Please send the report by tomorrow."
To them, it sounds clear and efficient. But for Asian readers, it may sound cold or unfriendly. Meanwhile, Indonesians often begin messages with greetings and polite sentences, like:
"Hello, how are you? I hope you're doing well."
For Western coworkers, this may feel too long or unnecessary. Neither is wrong, they just show different ways of being polite.
The Guardian (2023) explains that companies with international teams often face this problem. However, those that provide cultural training for employees have better teamwork and fewer conflicts. When people understand cultural differences, they can avoid judging others too quickly and find better ways to communicate.
One example comes from a company in Jakarta that had a Dutch manager and Indonesian staff. The manager liked open discussions and often asked for feedback during meetings, but no one spoke. He thought his team did not care about their work. Later, the HR department gave a workshop on cultural communication. The manager learned that in Indonesia, employees often avoid giving direct criticism to their boss because it feels disrespectful. After learning this, the manager changed his approach. Instead of saying "Tell me what's wrong," he asked, "Do you have any suggestions?" This small change made a big difference. The team started to share ideas, and their relationship improved.
From this, we can see that cultural awareness is essential. It helps prevent small misunderstandings from becoming big problems. When people take time to learn how others communicate, they can build stronger and more respectful connections.
