Each and every one of us brings our cultural background into the workplace. So how can we be inclusive and mindful of our differences—especially when we’re doing business globally? It’s a question that Erin Meyer seeks to answer in her landmark book The Culture Map. In it, she charts where different cultures sit along a spectrum, through the lens of seven behaviors: communicating, evaluating, persuading, leading, deciding, trusting, disagreeing, and scheduling. Meyer’s work demonstrates it’s not necessarily where we sit on the spectrum, but where we sit in relation to another culture that truly matters.

Jean-Phillip Courtois—Executive Vice President and President, Microsoft Global Sales, Marketing and Operations—recently sat down with Meyer to discuss how we can leverage her research in our organizations, building stronger relationships and more inclusive teams. “One of the biggest things that I've learned from this, is that no matter how well you think you know the different world cultures, you never know enough,” says Meyer. “If anyone tells you I’ve really learnt everything, you know they don’t understand anything right, because the world is so advanced.”

Meyer’s upcoming book will once again look at culture, only this time, at one of the most successful global organizations in the world: Netflix. Written alongside company co-founder Reed Hastings, No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention will be published by Penguin Random House in May 2020.

Watch the first clip from Meyer’s fireside chat here.

To book speaker Erin Meyer for your next speaking event, contact her exclusive speaker’s bureau The Lavin Agency, and speak to a representative.