The client
A leading automotive manufacturer headquartered in India, with a strong presence across passenger, commercial, and utility vehicle segments. Known for its innovation and global outlook, the company has steadily expanded its international footprint through partnerships and supplier networks across Europe and Asia. It collaborates with key suppliers in countries including the UK, Germany, Austria, Spain, China, Japan, and South Ko
The challenge
As part of its international sourcing and innovation strategy, the organisation expanded its supplier network across Europe and Asia. Senior leaders in engineering and procurement were increasingly working with partners in Germany, Japan, China, the UK, Austria, Spain, and South Korea.
While the company’s technical expertise was strong, cross-border collaboration introduced cultural challenges:
- Communication styles varied widely across regions
- Expectations around hierarchy, decision-making, and timelines often clashed
- Differing perceptions of time, risk, and feedback led to misunderstandings
- Building trust proved particularly difficult in high-context cultures such as Japan and South Korea
The leadership team recognised that technical capability alone was no longer sufficient. To strengthen supplier partnerships and ensure long-term success in global collaboration, teams needed a deeper understanding of cultural nuances and practical strategies to adapt their approach.
Why Global Business Culture?
The organisation selected Global Business Culture (GBC) because of its proven expertise in building cultural competence within global organizations. With more than 30 years of experience working across Europe and Asia, GBC has a strong track record of helping companies strengthen international partnerships by bridging cultural differences. Its consultants bring both practical business insight and cross-cultural expertise, ensuring training is directly relevant, actionable, and aligned to real-world business challenges.
What we did
GBC designed and delivered a tailored program focused on building cross-cultural competence in supplier engagement.
The solution comprised two full-day, in-person workshops in India, led by a senior UK-based intercultural consultant with extensive experience in India–Europe and India–Asia collaboration. A pre-course diagnostic survey identified specific challenges, which informed the program’s design and delivery.
Key components included:
- Cultural Awareness Simulation – immersive activities highlighting how unconscious assumptions influence behaviour
- Cultural Frameworks – comparative models such as Hofstede’s dimensions to analyse cultural tendencies
- Country Deep Dives – focused sessions on Germany, Japan, China, South Korea, the UK, Austria, and Spain exploring communication styles, hierarchy, time management, risk tolerance, and relationship-building
- Case Study Simulation – analysis of a real-world multi-country supplier scenario, with participants co-developing solutions
Action Planning – each team created practical steps to strengthen supplier collaboration
The results
The program delivered tangible outcomes across engineering and procurement teams:
- Stronger Cultural Awareness – participants developed deeper insights into the working styles and expectations of key global partners
- Improved Communication – teams became more deliberate and culturally sensitive in their supplier interactions
- Better Collaboration – friction in supplier negotiations and technical reviews decreased, particularly with Japanese, Korean, and German partners
- Actionable Strategies – concrete process improvements were implemented to foster trust and alignment with global stakeholders
Strategic Mindset Shift – leadership embraced cultural competence as a long-term enabler of successful international partnerships
