A paradox

Working in cross-border, intercultural space is now the norm for many of us.
Here’s the paradox I keep seeing in practice:

On the one hand, Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian managers are generally highly adaptable and culturally aware. On the other hand, even subtle differences between the Baltic cultures themselves — for example in feedback style, directness, or how disagreement is expressed — can still lead to misunderstandings.

And those differences become even more pronounced when interacting with HQs in Germany, Nordic colleagues, or other international partners.

A simple (and common) example I often hear from people managers:

“The feedback I gave was clear and professional — but afterwards the person stopped contributing in meetings. I later found out they resented the interaction and experienced me as insensitive.”

From one perspective, the feedback was efficient and factual. From another, it felt abrupt, incomplete, or publicly exposing — even though no offence was intended.

Intercultural challenges today are rarely about “big” cultural clashes. They’re about small, everyday signals that are easy to miss.

Assignment

Over the past years, I’ve worked with LIDL Latvia on several topics, such as interest-based negotiation, decision-making, and understanding context.
This year, the work moved to a Baltic level — and into new themes.

At the invitation of my dear Lithuanian partners OVC Consulting, I designed and delivered two connected (but standalone) programmes for Baltic managers and team leaders: Intercultural Communication & Message Delivery and Inclusive, Intercultural Leadership.

The programmes were deliberately practical and participatory: real cases, simulations, and reflection on participants’ own leadership situations.
We drew on intercultural frameworks (Hall, Hofstede, Meyer, Lewis), message clarity (Minto), psychological safety (Edmondson), culture and humble inquiry (Schein), emotional intelligence (Goleman), empathy (Rosenberg), and bias awareness (Fuller).

A few insights that resonated strongly

• Intercultural friction is rarely about intent — it’s about interpretation.
• Clarity and empathy are not opposites; strong messages land better when culturally and emotionally calibrated.
• Leaders shape culture less by what they say and more by what they tolerate or ignore.
• Bias is normal — managing its impact is a leadership responsibility.
• Psychological safety is built in everyday moments, not in policies.

Thanks to OVC Consulting and the LIDL Baltic teams for the trust and openness.

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