When people ask me how I began working in intercultural communication, I often smile and say, “By accident.” In truth, the journey started high above the clouds.
I spent a decade in the airline industry, working for three very different carriers. My career began with United Airlines, immersed in American culture—a world of direct communication, individualism, and high-paced efficiency. I then joined Japan Airlines, where I experienced the contrasting values of Japanese culture: harmony, hierarchy, and meticulous attention to detail. Later, I moved to the UK for my master’s degree at Northumbria University, which opened my eyes to yet another set of workplace norms shaped by British culture—more understated, more reserved, but equally distinctive.
Living and working across these three cultures made me realise something: the same job, performed in different cultural contexts, feels like three entirely different experiences. And that realisation became the seed for my PhD.
From Curiosity to Research
When I began my doctoral studies, I asked myself a question that had been nagging me for years: Why do Asian airlines so consistently top Skytrax rankings for best cabin crew? What was it about their service culture, employee behaviour, and organisational values that set them apart?
I began reading everything I could find about airline operations, employee behaviour, and cultural influence. That’s when I stumbled upon a book that would change my life—Geert Hofstede’s Culture’s Consequences. I still remember its black cover, as thick as a telephone directory. I read it cover to cover, and it was like switching on a light bulb. Hofstede’s research showed me that the differences I had observed were not just personal quirks or company policies—they were rooted in deep-seated cultural values.
That discovery shaped my entire research path. I started to explore cross-cultural management, examining how cultural backgrounds influence communication styles, teamwork, leadership, and service delivery. My work began to focus on employees’ behaviour and the role of culture in shaping workplace interactions.
A Masterclass in Maastricht – Learning from the Source
A defining moment of my professional development was attending a masterclass in Maastricht with the late Professor Geert Hofstede himself. Walking into the room felt a little like meeting a rock star except instead of guitars and bright lights, there were charts, cultural dimensions, and the intellectual thrill of learning from the man who had revolutionised how we understand workplace culture.
It wasn’t just Hofstede who made the event memorable. The masterclass brought together scholars in the field of intercultural research. The discussions ranged from deep theoretical explorations of cultural dimensions to highly practical case studies on applying the framework in business, education, and policymaking.
For me, the experience was like connecting the dots between my own field observations and the theoretical underpinnings. Power distance, individualism vs collectivism, and uncertainty avoidance resonated directly with what I had witnessed in the airline industry and later in higher education. The masterclass also reinforced a critical truth: theory is only as useful as its application. The real challenge and the real value come from translating academic models into strategies that work in the messy, reality of cross-cultural workplaces.
I left Maastricht not just with a deeper understanding of cultural frameworks, but with a renewed sense of purpose: to bridge theory and practice in ways that help people and organisations thrive across cultures.
Joining SIETAR – and Finding My Tribe
I joined SIETAR UK a year or so before the COVID-19 pandemic. I attended the SIETAR Europa Congress Building Dialogues on Diversity in Leuven in 2019.
Walking into the Congress felt like walking into a global village. I met people from all over the world, academics, trainers, consultants, HR professionals, all passionate about building bridges between cultures. That sense of connection was immediate and profound.
From that point on, SIETAR became more than just a membership; it became a professional home. It has also helped me to stay current by keeping up with research, trends, and innovative practices through events, talks, and networking gatherings.
For me, SIETAR bridges theory and practice—proving that academic insights are most valuable when they can be applied in real-world settings.
My Academic and Research Work
My academic journey has taken me from London South Bank University, where I was a senior lecturer and course director for International Business Management, to my current role at Solent University, where I lecture in Human Resource Management.
My teaching is informed by my research, and vice versa. For example, one of my modules requires students to work virtually with peers from different cultures. Observing their collaboration led me to research virtual teams and the role of cultural competence in digital collaboration. A couple of my recent and current research projects include:
- Intercultural Integration of Refugee Learners into Host Communities – Funded by the RIKE Project Grant, exploring how intercultural understanding can support refugee education.
- Cultural Intelligence and Career Sustainability – A collaboration with the University of Salerno, Italy, investigating how cultural competence contributes to long-term career success.
Why Intercultural Communication Matters
One question I’m often asked is whether intercultural communication should be taught in schools. My answer is an emphatic yes.
Globalisation means that today’s students will almost certainly work, study, or collaborate with people from different cultures. The earlier they learn to navigate cultural differences, the better equipped they will be to thrive as global citizens. Embedding intercultural communication into school curricula could help build empathy, reduce prejudice, and prepare young people for a diverse world.
Lessons for the Workplace
In the workplace, intercultural communication is not a “nice to have”—it’s essential for effective employee management. My research on employee voice illustrates why.
In one comparative study, I looked at how employees in the UK, Thailand, and Nigeria express their views to management. The differences were stark. In some cultures, speaking up to a superior is seen as normal and even expected; in others, it is discouraged or only done indirectly. Without understanding these differences, managers risk misinterpreting silence as disengagement, or outspokenness as insubordination.
This is why adaptability is key. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to communication or management. Leaders must be willing to learn from cultural differences and adjust their approach to suit the context.
From Accidental Beginnings to Intentional Impact
Looking back, I never planned a career in intercultural communication. But my time in the airline industry planted the seeds, and my academic journey helped them grow. The masterclass in Maastricht deepened my understanding; SIETAR UK provided the network, resources, and platform to share it with others.
From the skies to the seminar room, the core lesson has remained the same: when we truly understand and respect cultural differences, we open the door to better collaboration, innovation, and human connection. And in a world that feels increasingly divided, that understanding has never been more important.
About the author
May is a lecturer in Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour at Southampton Solent University, a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, and an accredited intercultural management lecturer with Hofstede Insights. She has been trained in cross-cultural programmes in Japan and twice participated in Professor Hofstede’s Global Cross-Cultural Management Master Class. Her research explores intercultural management, global leadership, cultural competencies, and communication across cultures. May contributed to an EU-funded project developing the Cross-Cultural Competencies Toolkit for graduates and serves as Director of Research and Academic Relations at SIETAR UK, connecting educators, trainers, and researchers passionate about building cultural understanding.