What does it mean to be internationally oriented? Are we actually always that?
Travelling around the world on business trips does not necessarily mean that we are internationally oriented. Business men / women are often staying in the same international hotels chains no matter where they go. The meetings they attend are in corporate meeting rooms, which all look the same and often all are dressed in the same black suits.
Are we becoming more and more alike? What happened to culture? What happened to diversity?

Internationality has long been one of the good words on the CV – a quality that many strive to achieve in their working and private lives.
We travel more often and further away and this makes us feel that we are truly internationally oriented. However, I often find that when we meet with colleagues from all over the world, we use more or less the same dress code. We sit in meeting rooms which are identical and with the correct corporate attitude. The meeting is only “seasoned locally” if the colleague(s) we are meeting with speaks poor English – because we of cause speak the same language and preferably to perfection. In other words, we tend to be international only when we are all the same. Are we becoming more and more alike? What happened to the culture? What happened to diversity? What happened to all the exciting things which can expand our personal horizons and insights?
Personally, I enjoy that I can feel where I am in the world. I enjoy walking into our office in Cairo and feel that I am in the Egyptian office and not in the Danish office. Ok, must admit that we have some poster of Copenhagen on some of the walls, and that we have equipment that matches European standards, but besides that, I can feel the Egyptian culture and the diversity.

During my career within IT offshore, also before CrossWorkers, I have always been curious about the culture in each of the countries I visited, and I am grateful that I got the opportunity to get to know some of them. I have been travelling to many Eastern European countries, worked closely together with colleagues from Muslim countries and Danish colleagues with dual cultural background. It is a pleasure to be able to enrich one’s working life with inspiration from other cultures and thereby expand one’s own cultural understanding, insight and not least respect for others.

Respect and understanding are also the main component of one of the most important prerequisites for success with IT offshore, namely the cultural understanding and thus the ability to bridge between two cultures. An understanding that is only ensured through full local anchorage Offshore as well as Onshore. I can only call for the leap when one can now be culturally enriched while gaining a business value.

In 2019 the Danish Cross-Cultural student Amalie Rasmussen worked as an intern at CrossWorkers. Read her story about how we Bridge The Cultures at CrossWorkers.

Bridging Cultures
Cairo – Great outstaffing distination and a “must see” city
Is it safe to travel to Cairo