When strategy gets lost in translation, it is rarely only about the words.
A German head office expects quarterly reporting by the book. The Australian team calls the deadline “flexible.” Neither is wrong. But the gap between them decreases trust, slows execution, and can cost a leadership hire, market position, or the relationship entirely.
At Fisher People in Culture, we have spent years working at this intersection with European subsidiaries operating in Australia, with Australian businesses that have hired internationally, and with leaders who need to bridge two very different working worlds. We know what breaks down, and we know how to fix it before it does.
Joanne’s understanding of this work is not theoretical. She has guided people through relocations across Germany, Japan, and Australia by helping professionals find their footing in a new country, business culture, and way of working. That experience sits behind everything we offer.
Who is this for?
European-owned subsidiaries in Australia
You have a head office in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, or elsewhere in Europe, and a local Australian team responsible for executing a strategy that was designed 17,000 kilometres away. Expectations, communication styles, and ways of working do not always translate. The business is performing, but something is always slightly off.
Australian SMEs with international hires or global partners
You have hired a leader from overseas, or you are working with international suppliers, clients, or partners. You want to get the most out of those relationships, but the friction is real and getting in the way.
Leaders stepping into a cross- cultural role
A new country manager is coming in from Germany. Or an Australian GM is being asked to report into a European board for the first time. The technical capability is there. The cultural gap is the risk.
What we do
Intercultural Advisory
Ongoing support for organisations navigating cross-cultural dynamics.
For leadership teams and organisations navigating an ongoing cross-cultural dynamic. We work alongside you to identify where the friction is coming from, what it is costing you, and what practical adjustments will make the biggest difference.
This is not a one-off session. It is a working relationship because culture does not change in a day.
Executive Intercultural Onboarding
Structured support for the first 90 days in a cross-cultural context.
When you place a new leader into a cross-cultural context, the first 90 days are the most critical.
We provide structured onboarding support that goes beyond the job brief. We help new leaders understand the cultural norms they are entering, anticipate the friction points, and build the relationships that will determine whether they succeed.
This is often offered alongside our Executive Recruitment service — when FPC places a new leader, intercultural onboarding is a natural next step. Learn more about how we approach executive search
Cross-Cultural Workshops for (Leadership) Teams
Facilitated sessions that shift how teams work.
A practical, facilitated session for leadership teams who need to get on the same page. We do not run generic diversity training. We work from your specific context: your team, friction points, and business goals.
Workshops are designed to shift how people work, not just how they think. The outputs are practical: shared language, clearer expectations, and a team that has talked about the things that usually do not get talked about.
We do not deliver generic cultural awareness sessions. Our experience spans manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, financial services, and research institutions. All sectors where precision, technical depth, and hierarchy are woven into the working culture. We bring that sector knowledge into every engagement, so the conversation is grounded in your industry.
From our clients
Part of the long-term culture tune-up
Cross-cultural communication work is one part of something bigger.
Our Culture Mechanic approach treats culture like a business system: something that can be diagnosed, tuned, and improved over time. Cross-cultural communication advisory sits inside this model. It’s part of understanding how your people work, where the misalignment is, and what to do about it.
If you are already working with us on a culture tune-up, cross-cultural communication is often a thread that runs through it. If you are coming to us specifically for intercultural support, we will still always look at the whole picture.
When you place a new leader from overseas
One of the most common triggers for cross-cultural friction is a leadership hire.
A new MD or GM arrives from Germany. They are excellent at what they do. But they are operating inside a culture they were not trained for. That can create misunderstandings that leave a mark.
We have seen this pattern enough times to know: the gap between a good hire and a great first year is often intercultural onboarding.
When we place a new senior leader in a business, we can offer intercultural onboarding as part of the engagement.
Frequently asked questions
What is cross-cultural communication, and why does it matter for business?
Cross-cultural communication is about how people from different national or organisational cultures work together. In this, there can be gaps between their assumptions, norms, and expectations that create friction. In a business context, this shows up as miscommunication between teams, failed leadership transitions, slower decision-making, and trust problems that are hard to name but very real. It is a business execution problem as much as a people problem.
Do you only work with German-Australian businesses?
No, though the German-Australian context is where we have particularly deep experience. We work with European subsidiaries more broadly. We also work with Australian SMEs that have international hires, report into global structures, or work closely with international partners.
What does intercultural executive onboarding involve?
It is a structured program, usually run across the first 90 days of a new executive’s tenure, that helps them understand the cultural context they are entering. This includes the local business norms they may not have encountered before, the expectations of the team and board, and the practical communication adjustments that will help them build trust faster. It is tailored to the individual and the organisation.
How is this different from standard leadership coaching?
Standard leadership coaching focuses on the individual’s capability and development. Intercultural onboarding specifically addresses the cultural context, what is different about this environment, why, and what to do about it. The two can complement each other, and we often work across both in practice.
Can you run a cross-cultural workshop for our team?
Yes. Workshops are designed around your specific team and context, not just a generic session about cultural awareness. We work from your real friction points, specific cultural mix, and business goals. Sessions are typically half-day or full-day, facilitated by Joanne Fisher, and designed to produce practical outputs such as shared language, clearer expectations, and real conversations that shift how the team works together. Our experience spans manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, financial services, and research institutions. All sessions are grounded in your industry.
Talk to us about cross-cultural communication
Cultural friction rarely announces itself. It accumulates in the pace of execution, in the trust that builds slowly, in the gap between what was agreed in a meeting and what actually happened afterwards. If cross-cultural communication is showing up as a friction point in your business or you are about to place a new leader in an international context, we would welcome the conversation.
