Business coaching amidst cultural diversity: Insights from Nigeria

Communication experts would usually assert that man cannot not communicate. This loosely translates to the importance of understanding messages and meanings from both the communication’s cycle sender and receiver to achieve effective meaning and interpretation. In the business of “business coaching,” one of the most fundamental functions for business coaches to imbibe is the art of understanding a variety of people drawn from diverse backgrounds with differing beliefs, norms and values. It’s essential to fully integrate oneself into the standard communication cycle to prevent cultural crisis and disorientation. This article is therefore dedicated to dissecting how business coaches can successfully navigate the business industry in the face of cultural diversity, multiethnicity and multilingualism  

 Nigeria’s Cultural Mosaic 

With over 238 million citizens (Worldometer), Nigeria, the world’s most populated black nation, beams brightly as the home for over 250 ethnic groups, each boasting of their individual unique traditions, language, customs and values reflecting the true core of the Nigerian spirit. 

Cross-cultural psychologist, Geert Hofstede defines culture as “the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from others.” This isn’t far from the cultural realities of most entities, that a given culture, regardless of where it’s practiced, is seen as a bundle of activities and beliefs that are shared and valued amongst a group of people that could easily distinct themselves from others. 

Nigeria’s cultural space operates on a multicultural level where multiple cultures exist within a defined state, influencing and interacting with one another. There’s over 500 languages spoken by these cultures that submit scenarios where a single culture might speak two or even more languages as their communication pattern. 

The cultures in Nigeria are bounded by some most evident African attributes: conservation, decency and communalism, hence shapes most of the behavioural outcomes of her citizens. Worthy to also add, cultures in Nigeria are compounded by several religious standings. These religions are Islam, Christianity, and Traditional worship. It’s important for business coaches to identify and understand the cultural and religious framework of the people in Nigeria for smooth navigation in its market space without engaging in some of their anti-practices. 

Given the backdrop of Nigeria’s multicultural and multiethnic scope, extreme cultural awareness and sensitivity are needed as tools used by business coaches while operating in the industry. These tools can be used to drive enthusiasm with clients, especially as regards coaching engagement. Understanding Nigerians and their respective cultures, especially in the coaching industry would not only make acquisition of clients as a business coach seamless but also extend to sustaining these clients for further mutually beneficial relationships. To best describe this, cultural anthropologist, Edward T. Hall termed this experience as “cultural fluency” in intercultural communication. 

 Coaching Interculturally 

The impact of cultural factors on the dynamics of business cannot be overlooked. Businesses owned by several entrepreneurs are tied towards the ultimate goal of profit-making. However, how each entrepreneur makes ends meet with their business taking into the management of gains and losses is tailored mostly according to styles of business ownership influenced by the communities they are situated in. 

Business coaching can gain effective weight if approaches utilized by coaches are in sync with the cultural preferences and communication premises of clients. Particularly in Nigeria, more than half of its citizenry act in accordance to cultural and religious beliefs, it’s pertinent to adopt strategies as a coach to fit into their standards. This could lead to relationship-building and beneficial outcomes in the coaching experience. 

Business coaches must realize that intercultural communication is important, hence the need to equip themselves with knowledge that bothers about cultural differences in some concepts such as time orientation, decision-making processes, and conflict resolution. These concepts are totally different and should be tailored appropriately according to each client. The Muslim client would typically cancel all engagements on Fridays based on facts that day is dedicated to his religious belief or in cases where the Efik client would rather prefer conflicts to be resolved after libations are poured to earth. These cases must be catered for in accordance to clients’ unwavering beliefs. 

Moving forward, building cross-cultural competence becomes a necessity for business coaches to enhance their skills used in tackling cultural diversity. According to Harvard Business Review, cross-cultural competence is composed of three proposed clusters: cognitive, emotional, and behavioral.

• Cognitive: This cluster explores the need for coaches to develop grounded understanding of cultures and their different perspectives. In order to interpret certain messages in given cultural dynamics, a coach should be able to use the mental notes acquired about a certain culture to salvage challenging situations.  

• Emotional: Here, coaches must have a built-up emotional intelligence skill to deal with different types of situations. There’s a time to set boundaries, time to correct, time to be empathetic, time to take risks and time to engage. These little nuances are needed to demonstrate prolific openness, and flexibility when dealing with clients from different cultural backgrounds.

• Behavioral: As a coach there must be an exhibition of strong character and personhood. One who stands as resilient and demonstrative of unflinching integrity. These traits must be showcased at all times to clients from these different cultures in order to ensure trust and dependency.

Data gleaned from the World Values Survey is enough proof that Nigerians are heavy on the “collective” and “communal” living. This puts to light their preferred choice of building relationships; one which has to be drawn from a humble place of communal bond and collective acceptance, urging business coaches to stay aware and hop on these cues during the client acquisition stage.  

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, Nigeria’s population scope proves to be enormous and dynamic such that it’s easily termed “multicultural” or “multiethnic.” Addressing the multiplicity of this nature demands that business coaches apply strategies with durability to achieve their goals. Mastering the ample skill of cultural awareness and knowledge inculcation would prompt the need for their tolerance dealing with a vast set of individuals from totally different traditional and religious history. 

Understanding cultural diversity can both be a blessing and a curse, the outcome of every given leader depends on the approach applied from their understanding. Ideally, it’s advisable to inculcate and grow self cross-cultural competence from expository mediums in order to effectively serve in a multicultural setting as Nigeria. 

Oladipupo Timothy Clement is a highly accomplished Real Estate and Business Coach with a career spanning over two decades. He is the Founder and CEO of  Lifepage®️ Property & Investments Limited, a leading real estate company in Nigeria.

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