How to win over the entire team?
Integrating new employees into the team is a routine situation in personnel management. But if the new colleagues have been recruited from abroad, it is worth paying particularly close attention to the teambuilding process in order to prevent misunderstanding and team conflicts from developing at an early stage and to use the new situation for team development to increase the attractiveness of the employer.
Consider the entire team
It is in the interest of the employer that internationally recruited employees feel at home, so that they can hopefully remain in the long-term at their place of work. They often have special ideas, either before or after the arrival or during the recognition process.
At the same time, the existing team members will observe very closely whether and/or to what extent the internationally recruited nurses receive unjust unequal treatment in comparison with themselves or nurses recruited from Germany. This may not necessarily be expressed in suspicion towards the new employees, but can increase a lack of satisfaction with the employer. It is therefore a good idea to develop a strategy that involves “the entire team” and is linked to an overall personnel strategy.
Include the host team
Whether the internationally recruited nurse stays with the respective employer in the long-term depends on the acceptance and atmosphere in the host team.
It’s therefore a good idea to find a path that takes the host team into consideration in an appropriate way. You should make it clear to the employees that the international skilled workers are coming to relieve the pressure on the other team members – even if in the initial period it seems that the integration is creating more work.
Naturally the management of the company can take this decision independently – but it is worth trying out an approach involving participation in order to use ideas from within the team and increase acceptance right from the beginning.
Examples of how to include the host team:
- the fundamental decision to recruit nurses internationally – and to bear the respective consequences together
- the selection of the recruitment path and the preparations up to arrival and starting work
- support for the entire team during the first few months
Naturally the management of the company can take this decision independently – but it is worth trying out an approach involving participation in order to use ideas from within the team and increase acceptance right from the beginning.
Preparation: do it yourself or use a service provider
Many international recruitment agencies offer an all-inclusive package and a “preparation of the team” service. In this way they aim to prevent the classic onboarding problems in the nursing team and prepare the host team in advance for possible differences and conflict potential, thus promoting an atmosphere of understanding and a readiness to search for solutions.
There is basically nothing to disagree with here – but with these kinds of preparation, it depends on the content and the format.
Here is a selection of recommendations for the dos and don’ts:
Don’ts
Do’s
Declare the “differentness” of the new colleague
Give lectures in which the culture, living conditions and occupational understanding of nurses from abroad are explained in a general way and contrasted with “ours” because this leads to rigid juxtapositions and promotes culturalist pigeonhole-thinking.
Treat people on equal terms
Make agreement possible on different understandings of culture and work, and initiate a dialogue that opens up understanding for different approaches.
Speak about the other(s) without including them
For colleagues arriving from abroad, it is often extremely unpleasant when they discover that they have been “explained” to the other colleagues – and they do not know what has been said to the team.
The following applies: “Nothing about me without me!”
There are sure to be opportunities for the new colleagues themselves to talk about their origin and vocational training. The new team colleagues can address their questions on this topic directly and enter into a dialogue. It’s better to find formats that allow dialogue about different understandings of profession and work to occur.
Unclear expertise
Do not forget to check the expertise of the instructor, thereby possibly giving un-scientific personal estimates a stage.
Pay attention to quality standards
There is a recognised scientific standard for seminars and lectures about intercultural and crosscultural issues. Therefore pay attention to the training and expertise of the trainers.
Blindly follow rigid cultural stereotypes
…thereby missing and/or ignoring change dynamics.
Train techniques on self-reflection in the team
…and repeat these regularly.
Training, coaching and consultations in the intercultural sector
Not only recruitment agencies can offer support in the preparation of content in the context of the teambuilding process. You can also involve teachers in the further training and seminar industry. More and more freelance training providers are developing programmes for your needs in the intercultural training, coaching and consulting sector.
IKUD-accredited trainers are a well-known reference of intercultural competence. You can find an overview here.
You can find further information on these topics in the Welcome Culture & Integration Toolbox under
Strengthening intercultural skills in a targeted way
Recommendations of IMAP GmbH
The strengthening of the intercultural skills of employees is a central factor in achieving successful collaboration in many teams. But how do you actually recognise good quality intercultural training?
The most important things for your to-do list
Critically examine your strategy:
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- Which strategies do you follow in your company for acquiring and keeping personnel? How does the international recruitment of nurses tie into this?
- How do you incorporate the host team in the process of international recruitment and onboarding?
- How do you present the teambuilding process?
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Clarify for which nursing teams you want to recruit new employees from abroad – talk to the managers and get an idea of the feeling within the team.
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