Client Use Cases

Global Mobility

An oil and energy company improved the readiness and effectiveness of their international assignees — and were able to better support families

  • The Assignees’ Diverse Needs Were Unmet: The oil and energy company struggled with identifying the unique challenges that limited the success of the international assignees. .

    Support Was Too Generic: Since specific needs were not identified, the support was costly, too generic, and ineffective — insufficient for meeting individual challenges.

    Assistance Was Needed for Decision-Making: With concerns not surfacing until it was too late, candidates were not making informed decisions about the assignment.

  • Tailored Online Tool - SAGE: myGiide introduced SAGE, a customized online option designed specifically to identify the unique needs of each international assignee.

    Customized Support Suggestions: SAGE offers tailored guidance to address potential personal and cultural challenges.

    Interactive Cultural Awareness: myGiide offers each assignee real-time online cultural awareness training on the cultural values and norms of the host country.

    Development of Critical Cultural Competencies: myGiide provides tailored advice for developing essential cultural competencies, ensuring assignees are well-prepared for their new environments.

  • Improved Assignee Satisfaction: High satisfaction levels due to thorough preparation and cost effective, support leading to smoother transitions and well-adjusted families.

    Increase in Assignees’ Readiness: Better preparedness for international assignments based on well-informed decisions.

    Efficiency in Global Mobility: Targeted support practices through automation and personalization was cost effective.

Merger & Acquisition

Two international marketing firms, each headquartered in a different country, had an effective post-merger cultural integration

  • Challenging Merger: Two international marketing agencies from different European countries faced integration issues due to miscommunication and cultural differences.

  • Cultural Assessment: Utilized myGiide to evaluate cultural values and cultural agility across employees from both agencies.

    Conducted Webinar: Conducted a structured webinar to explore the diverse range of cultural values present within the merged company.

    Practice Encouraged for Communication: Offered strategies for effective communication when presented with differing values an. norms

    Tips for Developing Cultural Competencies: Provided actionable tips for individuals to enhance their own cultural competencies.

  • Enhanced Cultural Awareness: Participants reported increased awareness of how they perceive others and are perceived in return, thanks to insights gained from myGiide and the webinar.

    Better Cultural Agility: Post-webinar assessments showed improved cultural agility scores among employees.

    Deeper Understanding of Diversity: Individuals gained valuable knowledge on how to effectively navigate and embrace cultural diversity within the organization.

Global Teams

A global consulting firm improved trust, communication, and collaboration among associates on cross-national virtual teams

  • Cross-Continental Communication Breakdown: A global consulting firm specializing in sales technology experienced significant communication barriers between its marketing and development teams, located in India, Canada, and the USA.

  • Collaborative Workshops by Skiilify: Partnering with the firm, Skiilify designed a series of targeted workshops to tackle these communication challenges.

    Cultural Assessments: Employees from both departments undertook cultural value and cultural agility assessments on myGiide, setting a foundation for understanding and improvement.

    Education on Cultural Agility: An initial workshop emphasized the importance of cultural agility, underpinned by scientific principles, to enhance team interactions.

    Follow-Up Session: A follow-up session presented a relevant firm case study, exploring cultural variances and their impact on workplace dynamics.

    Strategies for Improvement: Practical tips and strategies were provided to bridge communication gaps effectively.

  • Enhanced Cultural Understanding: Post-workshop, participants from both marketing and development reported a deeper understanding of their own and others' cultural values.

    Increased Collaboration and Openness: There was a notable increase in the willingness to collaborate across departments, coupled with a reduction in judgmental communication approaches.

Student Development

A university demonstrated that students’ improved their cross-cultural competencies from virtual international experiences

  • Demonstrating Value of Virtual Service Learning: Difficult to coordinate, the university needed to assess whether the program was worthwhile. Were the students’ developing cultural competencies through virtual projects with clients in other countries?

    Assurance of Learning: The challenge was in quantifying and demonstrating the extent to which these educational experiences enhanced cultural agility competencies.

  • Initial Assessment: At the start of the semester, students registered for myGiide and completed the initial cultural agility assessment (Time 1).

    Engagement in Service-Learning: Throughout the semester, students engaged in service-learning projects that involved active interaction and consultation with small business owners in Honduras.

    Application of Cultural Insights: Students utilized insights from myGiide to effectively navigate their cultural interactions during these projects.

    Post-Project Assessment: At the semester's end, students completed the cultural agility assessment again (Time 2) to measure changes and gains.

  • Statistical Improvement in Competencies: The comparison of myGiide assessments from Time 1 to Time 2 revealed statistically significant improvements in cultural agility, with notable enhancements in competencies such as cultural curiosity, humility, relationship building, and perspective-taking.

    Qualitative Enhancements: Students' essays highlighted an enhanced understanding of cultural differences, improved skills in building relationships, and increased resilience.

    Real-World Value: These reflections underscore the practical and real-world benefits of the competencies developed through the program. Student talked about these experiences in job interviews.

Sales Training

A US-subsidiary of a global pharmaceutical company improved sales to diverse healthcare providers

  • Sales Representatives’ Performance: Sales were hindered by miscommunication and difficulty building relationships with healthcare providers from different cultural backgrounds

  • Self-Awareness: Sales associates completed the cultural value and cultural agility assessments on myGiide

    Workshop: Skiilify offered a “Selling with Cultural Agility” workshop to increase knowledge and awareness of diverse health care providers’ cultural preferences, requirements and expectations

    Practical tips: Sales associates gained an understanding of the roles of hierarchy, status and collectivism in different cultures, as well as the importance of relationship building across-cultures

  • Improved Efficacy for Sales: Feedback from participants showed that sales associates had a better understanding of how their own cultural values were perceived by their clients

    Improved Sales: Sales representatives, trying new approaches, reported better relationships and increased sales. They were better able to build trust and rapport with diverse health care providers

Study Abroad

A university was able to improve the development of students’ cross-cultural competencies through study abroad experiences

  • Assessing Value of Short-Term Study Abroad: The question is whether short-term study abroad experiences are developing cultural competencies.

    Need for Accelerated Cultural Competency Development: Could cultural awareness training improve the development of cultural agility among university students?

  • Initial Competsncy Assessment: At the start of the 5-week study abroad experiences the students completed the initial cultural agility assessment on myGiide (Time 1).

    Post-Study Abroad Assessment: At the end of the study abroad experience, students completed the myGiide cultural agility assessment again (Time 2) to measure changes and gains.

  • Statistical Improvement in Competencies: The comparison of myGiide assessments from Time 1 to Time 2 revealed statistically significant improvements in cultural agility, demonstratilg the value of short-term study abroad experiences

Talent Development

A global pharmaceutical company developed managers’ ability to interact effectively across cultures in the EMEA region

  • Cultural Competence Needed in the HR Function: A global pharmaceutical company needed its HR managers to better understand and engage with diverse cultures across the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) region to enhance operational efficiency.

  • Skills Assessment: HR managers used myGiide to assess their cultural understanding and interaction skills.

    Benchmarking: Results were compared internally within the company to identify areas of strength and improvement.

    Strategic Development: Strategies were developed to enhance communication based on the insights gained from the assessment results.

    Cultural Agility Workshop: Managers were introduced to the science behind cultural agility in a train-the-trainer format. Methods and practices for developing cultural agility were discussed.

    Effective Interaction Strategies: Techniques for more effective interactions with people from diverse cultural backgrounds were shared.

  • Ongoing Engagement and Continuous Learning: HR managers regularly utilize myGiide to deepen their understanding of various cultural norms, communication styles, and workplace strategies.

    Enhanced Multicultural Interactions: Managers report that myGiide has significantly helped in interacting with multicultural teams.

    Improved Cross-Border Performance: Notable improvements in performance and collaboration across different regions.

    Development of Critical Skills: Managers have developed a stronger ability to embrace diverse opinions and think creatively outside conventional frameworks.