I have a deeply personal experience of what it means to be “cross-cultural.” I was born and raised in Kuwait to an American mom and a Kuwaiti dad, raised Muslim but with Jewish roots. I’m queer, and I’ve lived and worked in five countries.
Throughout my education, work and travels, I’ve learned that cross-cultural innovation starts with people. Understanding culture means understanding who a person is and how they came to be.
Whether an entrepreneur builds a company that spans the globe and brings in billions of dollars, or they’re running a local cafe serving the best lattes in the neighborhood, entrepreneurs are people, and all of us are products of the culture we were raised in. By embracing our diverse backgrounds and bringing our authentic selves forward, we can ignite cross-cultural innovation.
Each piece in this issue highlights how understanding and navigating culture can lead to more inclusive, creative and effective business practices that foster deeper connections and collaboration across diverse communities.
Throughout the issue, we highlight ways innovation happens by challenging norms. This is especially clear in Jamie Wareham’s piece, Inherently queer: why entrepreneurs should keep doing what they’re told not to. Wareham’s contribution exemplifies how amplifying your community and your collective values can drive social change and create entrepreneurial success.
In The social cues of cross-cultural communication, Ingrid Polini walks us through how an early experience in her career helped her understand that the key to cross-cultural collaboration lies in being a good listener and adapting to the circumstances, even if they conflict with your own norms. She highlights the challenges of navigating cultural nuances–from communication styles to time perception–and how doing so can foster meaningful collaboration that drives innovation.
I also recap my experience at TechBBQ, the largest tech startup conference in Scandinavia. Their values are rooted in Danish culture so they’re proactive about fostering openness and community-building. I’ll walk you through how this created space for intimate and inspiring conversations–what I argue are the basis for cross-cultural innovation. In fact, we feature one of these conversations, with Marcus McDowell, whose diverse personal and professional background places innovation at the center of his work.
Each of our contributions emphasizes how important it is to embrace diversity—whether in culture, identity or unconventional ideas—as a driver of innovation and entrepreneurial success.
And this Q&A on building a culture-centered brand exemplifies the very essence of the Cross-Cultural Innovation issue, showing us just how possible it is to blend heritage with modern business practices.