Openness and mentoring -
No.1 Factors for multicultural teams
Unnikrishnan Remani
Software Developer NETFORMIC GmbH & Author
Hey, I’m Unni and I’m from India. I have been living in Germany for eight years now. I have been working at NETFORMIC for one and a half years as a software developer. I like the general working culture in Germany, especially at NETFORMIC, which is very goal-oriented and structured. I also think it is very good that you proceed systematically when solving problems.
The first days in Germany
When I arrived in Germany in 2012, many things were foreign to me. Indian and German culture are very different, which is especially evident for me in the food, for example. I also had to get used to the rather cold climate. Also, colleagues kept asking me about the usual clichés, a bit uncomfortable, but probably unavoidable.
And of course I also missed my family and friends.
Experience Sharing by YouTuber Nikita Haupt - Cultural Differences India vs. Germany
My start at NETFORMIC
At NETFORMIC, I became part of an agile team early on. We were working on a project that had been in development for several years. I found it a bit difficult to get into this project. However, I was assigned a mentor who took a lot of time with me. He explained to me what my duties were and assisted me in processing my tickets. I would recommend any company to use mentors for new employees. Because of the mentor, I knew who to turn to and it was easier for me to ask the mentor things than if I had had to turn to a random person on the team. It was just clear.
Communication & Meetings
I particularly like the team meetings that take place every week during the sprints in the projects, for example. For example, if some points in stories are not self-explanatory or if there are bugs, it helps to talk about them. A great support are the product owners, who have the complete project in mind and can estimate the effort best.
Multicultural working atmosphere
Language and mentality can sometimes differ greatly in multicultural teams. That’s why I think openness on both sides is important, it prevents misunderstanding and creates understanding. Even if a topic seems self-evident, in my experience it is better to discuss it again so that mutual understanding can be achieved faster and better.
