1. Target Group
2. Success Factors
3. Approach
4. Service Provision


1. Target Group

Enterprises, organizations and teams in the international / global environment and who aim for example:

  • to achieve additional value with the help of coaching following a previous training,

  • to develop a forward-looking strategy or motivating vision,

  • to support an international manager or executive in tackling difficult situations through individual coaching support,

  • to form or restructure an international, multicultural and/or virtual team

  • to identify and raise awareness in a team, by means of supervision and coaching, in order to:

    • find synergy potentials for future interactions,
    • uncover latent/unconscious misunderstandings,
    • increase efficiency and effectiveness,
    • improve communication and cooperation and
    • optimize processes and interfaces.



2. Success Factors

For the coaching being successful and all participants adopting and implementing the measures with motivation, the following conditions must be fulfilled.

Requirements for the coachees (team members):

  • The coachees take part in the coaching voluntarily and accept the coach.
  • The team members are, in principle, qualified for their tasks (otherwise would probably a training or a transfer make more sense).
  • The expectations of the management to the team are clearly defined.


Requirements for the coach:

  • own intercultural competence
  • is accepted by the coachees
  • neutral and goal oriented working style
  • only opening but not providing solution approaches



3. Approach

When deciding on the appropriate approach for coaching a multicultural team the team composition has to be taken into account because of the different values, knowledge bases, ways of thinking, behaviours, problem-solving strategies and native languages of the various team members.

One possible approach, for example, is the intercultural coaching in five phases:

1. Analysis phase contract clarification

It is the task of the coach during this approx. two days phase to win a detailed picture of the work and task environment of the team, its relation dynamics' and the day-by-day tasks of the team members.

2. Recording phase

If the coach is accepted by the team and has gained a first impression of the team, it can be agreed on video recordings of certain team situations.

3. Pre-analysis

The coach analyses and judges the video recordings and his observations in this phase. To remain as neutral as possible, he follows a set of predefined questions.

4. Joint analysis phase

The coach takes on the role of a neutral facilitator during the joint analysis by the team members. If necessary he takes care by means of specific questions that all relevant aspects are discussed during this phase. In addition, he pays attention that single team members are not treated unfairly or a loss of face is caused during the discussion.

5. Stage of the joint agreement on objectives

The team members formulate joint agreements on objectives and inspection dates based on the results of the joint analysis. This stage is moderated by the coach.

[see: Bolten, J. (2005) 'Intercultural staff development activities: training, coaching and mediation' in steel, GK, Mayrhofer, W. and Kühlmann, TM (Ed.) International Human Resource Management: new tasks, new solutions, Rainer Hampp Verlag, Mering, p. 307-324]


4. Service Provision

  • On-site at the client company or organization
  • Particularly for virtual teams also electronically as eCoaching.