Smarter Collaboration Across Cultures

Clients’ demands for more joined-up, cross-border solutions is one strategic factor pushing many major professional services firms to shift from country-level structures to more regionalized or globally integrated models. More and more leaders are asking an important question: How does smarter collaboration play out across different cultures?

While smarter collaboration is a powerful driver of business performance, innovation, and leadership growth, its adoption varies by region. Here’s what we’ve seen:

• North America & the UK – Leaders and most partners already see collaboration as essential for business development, innovation, and leadership growth. Many firms, across a range of sectors, have adopted data-driven collaboration strategies to improve profitability and talent retention.

  
  

• Japan & East Asia – Collaboration in this region is often structured and methodical, reflecting a strong emphasis on efficiency, precision, and respect for hierarchy. While open disagreement can sometimes be less common due to cultural values of harmony and deference to seniority, many organizations are recognizing the benefits of creating psychologically safe spaces for diverse perspectives.

  
  

• Northern Europe – Collaboration is already highly embedded in many industries, and a tendency to speak with directness and candor can facilitate an open exchange of ideas, even when people disagree. This helps to ensure that diverse experts are not only present but meaningfully engaged in discussions.

• Latin America & Africa – In these fast-evolving markets, businesses increasingly leverage collaboration to drive growth, breakthrough solutions, and competitive advantage. However, similar to East Asia, traditional hierarchies can sometimes limit open discussions and the ability to challenge senior voices. Leading firms are using smarter collaboration to break down silos, encourage diverse thinking, and create more resilient, agile organizations.

Across all regions, smarter collaboration drives real impact by engaging diverse perspectives, even in cultures that prioritize harmony and hierarchy. The most successful firms balance productive friction with cultural respect, leading to stronger performance, agility, and innovation.

As firms rethink global integration strategies, how are you seeing smarter collaboration take shape in your organization?