Cross-cultural communication, leadership & international business dynamics
| CESA Business School, Colombia
I was invited as a guest lecturer at CESA Business School, one of Colombia’s leading business schools, to speak with Business Administration undergraduate students about cross-cultural communication, international business dynamics, inclusive leadership, and intercultural adaptation in professional environments.
The sessions were part of the English for Business Administration program focused on cultural intelligence, global leadership, negotiation across cultures, and international workplace communication. Drawing from my experience living in five countries and working with leaders and teams across 35+ countries, I shared practical insights on how cultural differences influence communication, trust-building, leadership, feedback, hierarchy, negotiation, and relationship management in global business environments.
August 31, 2024
As a guest lecturer at CESA Business School (Colegio de Estudios Superiores de Administración), I worked with undergraduate Business Administration students on topics related to cross-cultural communication, cultural intelligence, global leadership, and intercultural business dynamics.
The sessions were integrated into CESA’s international business and intercultural communication curriculum, which explored frameworks such as Erin Meyer’s The Culture Map and Geert Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory, alongside topics related to negotiation across cultures, inclusive leadership, crisis management, and communication in multicultural workplaces.
One of the key components of the course involved preparing students to act as cultural consultants for international companies entering the Colombian market.
Using frameworks like The Culture Map and Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, students analyzed real business scenarios through the lens of cross-cultural leadership and communication, exploring how cultural expectations influence areas such as:
communication styles
hierarchy and leadership
trust-building
persuasion and negotiation
feedback and conflict management
decision-making processes
scheduling and time perception
workplace inclusion and diversity
Drawing from my own international experience living and working across Latin America, the Middle East, India, Russia, and multicultural corporate environments, I shared practical examples of how culture shapes business relationships, leadership expectations, collaboration, and organizational dynamics in real-life contexts.
A strong focus of my sessions was helping students move beyond stereotypes and surface-level cultural observations to better understand the deeper social, relational, and communication patterns that influence professional interactions across countries and industries.
We also explored the realities of working in multicultural and international environments, including:
adapting leadership and communication styles across cultures
navigating different perceptions of authority and hierarchy
relationship-based vs task-based trust
direct vs indirect communication styles
cultural approaches to disagreement and feedback
identity, belonging, and inclusion in international workplaces
The course combined academic frameworks with practical business application, encouraging students to think critically about how culture impacts leadership, negotiation, teamwork, and organizational effectiveness in global organizations.
This guest appearance aligned closely with my broader work supporting executives, international professionals, expats, and organizations navigating cross-cultural collaboration, leadership development, and global business environments.
Learn more about cross-cultural communication, building career abroad, and expat experience in my blogs:
Speaking & Events