Diversity, equity, and inclusion (EDI) strategies are no longer “nice to have” - they are fundamental to the success of global businesses. But crafting a strategy that works across borders is about more than celebrating different holidays or translating policies. It’s about genuinely understanding the cultural nuances that shape workplace expectations, communication styles, and ideas of fairness.

At ThinkGlobal HR, we help companies move beyond surface-level diversity to build inclusive systems that work in Tokyo, Toronto, Lagos, and London alike. A truly global EDI strategy doesn’t dilute difference - it recognises, respects, and leverages it.

Quick Tips

• Begin with local listening: EDI must be informed by employee voice in each region

• Train managers in cross-cultural communication and bias awareness

• Align your global values, but localise implementation

• Embed EDI into hiring, performance, leadership, and communication systems

• Measure progress with both global benchmarks and local relevance

Understand That Inclusion Feels Different Across Cultures

In some countries, inclusion may centre around race or ethnicity. In others, age, gender, caste, or socio-economic background may be more salient. For example:

• In India, caste equity and parental expectations around career progression may affect how employees view fairness.

• In Japan, hierarchical culture and indirect communication require psychological safety to be fostered differently.

• In Germany, direct feedback is often seen as respectful - in contrast to cultures where it may be perceived as confrontational.

Global EDI strategies that copy and paste approaches from a headquarters country often fail to resonate elsewhere. Start instead with local diagnostics: surveys, interviews, and data that explore what inclusion really means in each context.

Build Communication Bridges, Not Barriers

Cultural misunderstandings are one of the biggest blockers to workplace efficiency in international teams. From differing email norms to attitudes toward time and feedback, poor communication isn’t just frustrating - it can fuel exclusion.

We worked with a client whose Middle Eastern and Scandinavian teams had clashed over decision-making pace and feedback style. Rather than treat it as a performance issue, we ran a cross-cultural training programme rooted in curiosity and understanding. The result was higher productivity and a significant improvement in team satisfaction scores. Training leaders and teams in cultural agility, active listening, and inclusive communication helps reduce friction and boost trust.

Don’t Assume One Size Fits All - Localise Your EDI Tactics

While your values might be global - dignity, fairness, belonging - how they’re actioned should flex locally. This could mean:

• Adapting leadership expectations to support more hierarchical or collective cultures

• Customising mentorship or sponsorship programmes to reflect local barriers

• Allowing for culturally relevant employee networks (e.g. caste equity in South Asia or tribal representation in Africa)

In one project, a client’s gender inclusion efforts were stalling in Southeast Asia. Through local consultation, we discovered that safety during commutes and after-hours events was a bigger barrier to female participation than policy gaps. Addressing those logistics made a real difference.

A Real Example: Global Strategy, Local Relevance

A UK-based professional services firm wanted a global EDI strategy that worked across 12 countries. Rather than imposing a single framework, we helped them build a tiered strategy: shared global goals, regional EDI leads, and local action plans.

We ran inclusion diagnostics in each location, mapped cultural dimensions that impacted engagement, and created a dashboard that combined global metrics (like representation) with local ones (like employee safety or family leave access). The result was not just compliance, but cultural competence - and better retention worldwide.

Final Thoughts

True inclusion isn’t about removing difference - it’s about creating systems where difference is respected, understood, and included in how we work. The best EDI strategies reflect the richness of global workplaces without losing sight of fairness and human dignity.

What’s next for your global people strategy?

Book a free EDI audit or strategy consultation with ThinkGlobal HR. We’ll help you understand your cultural context, engage employees meaningfully, and build a global inclusion strategy that works - in every language and location you operate in.