Cross Cultural
Leadership Services
When your teams, leaders, and programs cross cultural boundaries, you need more than awareness training. You need practitioners who have sat in both chairs, who understand what breaks when cultures collide, and who know how to build something that works for everyone in the room.
One partner in Vancouver. One in Tokyo. A shared conviction that the space between cultures is where the real work happens.
New to cross cultural consulting? Read our guide: What is cross cultural consulting and why global teams need it.
01
Leading Across Cultures: Executive Workshop
When your leadership team spans multiple cultures, miscommunication is not the exception. It is the operating system. Leaders who are individually brilliant can still fail as a group if they have never examined the invisible rules each of them brings to the table.
This workshop helps executive teams identify the cultural patterns that shape how they make decisions, give feedback, build trust, and resolve conflict, then build a shared leadership culture that works for everyone in the room. We use the Intrivity MRTS Assessment, a validated tool built on Edward T. Hall's intercultural research that measures individual communication styles across four dimensions: Message, Relationship, Time, and Space. Unlike frameworks that stereotype entire nations, Intrivity profiles each person's actual communication patterns so your team can work with real differences rather than assumptions.
What is included
- ✓ Pre workshop Intrivity MRTS Assessment for each participant, measuring communication style across Message, Relationship, Time, and Space
- ✓ Half day or full day facilitated workshop with the executive team (in person or virtual)
- ✓ Frameworks for high context and low context communication, consensus versus top down decision making, and trust building across cultures
- ✓ Guided exercises using your team's actual cultural dynamics, not generic scenarios
- ✓ Post workshop action plan with specific commitments for how the team will operate across cultural differences
- ✓ 30 day follow up session to review progress and address new friction points
Who this is for
Executive and senior leadership teams at companies where the leadership group itself spans multiple national cultures. Especially relevant for organizations with leadership across North America and Asia Pacific, or any company that has grown through international acquisition or expansion.
Starting from
US$5,000 per engagement
Pricing varies by group size, location, and customization. The first conversation is always complimentary.
Request a Proposal02
Cultural Transition Program for Relocating Leaders
Relocating a leader to a new country is not just a logistics problem. It is a leadership development challenge. The executive who thrived in Frankfurt may struggle in Tokyo, not because they lack skill, but because the rules for how decisions get made, how feedback gets delivered, and how trust gets built are completely different.
And if their family is unhappy, none of it matters. This program prepares leaders and their families for the full reality of cultural transition, from boardroom norms to daily life, so they can perform from day one instead of spending the first year figuring out the unwritten rules.
What is included
- ✓ Pre departure cultural briefing (2 to 3 sessions): decision making norms, communication styles, hierarchy expectations, and meeting culture
- ✓ Executive coaching module (3 to 6 sessions): one on one coaching focused on leading effectively when your instincts are calibrated for a different culture
- ✓ Family transition support (2 to 4 sessions): practical and cultural orientation for the leader's partner and family, including daily life, social networks, and the cultural adjustment cycle
- ✓ Custom communication toolkit covering key phrases, business etiquette, and the most common cultural misunderstandings
- ✓ 90 day check in after arrival to troubleshoot real situations and address the culture shock dip
- ✓ Optional ongoing coaching retainer for the first year of the assignment
Who this is for
Global companies sending executives, senior managers, or high potential leaders on international assignments, particularly to Japan or across the Asia Pacific region. Also relevant for HR and global mobility teams who want to improve assignment success rates and reduce early returns. Designed for the full household, not just the employee.
Pricing
Custom program
Tailored to your assignment scope, family size, and destination. Every program starts with a conversation about what your leader and their family actually need.
Discuss Your Needs03
Japan Facilitation & Localization Partnership
You have a leadership development program that works. Now you need it to work in Japan. The challenge is not translation. It is transformation. A workshop designed for direct, participatory Western learners will fall flat in a Japanese classroom if you do not rethink the facilitation approach, the examples, the pacing, and even the role of silence.
Peak Potential partners with global training organizations and corporate L&D teams to localize and facilitate their existing programs for Japanese business audiences, delivered by facilitators who understand both the content and the culture.
Partnership models
- ✓ Content localization: We adapt your existing training materials, case studies, exercises, and assessments for Japanese business culture. This goes beyond translation to restructure activities for high context delivery.
- ✓ Japanese language facilitation: Experienced facilitators who deliver your program in Japanese with the cultural fluency to read the room and manage group dynamics in a consensus oriented culture.
- ✓ Full service partnership: We both adapt the content and deliver it, acting as your Japan delivery arm.
- ✓ Facilitator briefing: For organizations that want to prepare their own facilitators, we provide cultural briefings on Japanese classroom dynamics and facilitation adjustments.
- ✓ Pilot and feedback loop: First delivery includes structured observation and participant feedback to refine the localized program before broader rollout.
Who this is for
L&D leaders at multinational companies who have global training programs that need to be delivered effectively in Japan. Training and consulting firms based outside Japan who want to expand their delivery footprint into the Japanese market. HR and talent teams at companies with significant Japanese operations who need more than off the shelf cultural training.
Pricing
Partnership based
Varies by scope, volume, and engagement model. Tell us about your program and your Japan objectives, and we will design a partnership that works.
Explore a PartnershipWhy Peak Potential for Cross Cultural Work
We do not teach cross cultural leadership from a textbook. We live it.
20,000+ employees trained across cultures
At Rakuten, Jay designed and delivered cross cultural leadership and communication training across Japan, APAC, and EMEA. Not as an outside consultant. As the person responsible for making it work at scale.
A decade living and working in Tokyo
Jay understands nemawashi, ringi, the weight of silence in meetings, and the difference between "yes, I hear you" and "yes, I agree" because he navigates these dynamics every day. Not from a case study. From lived experience.
Both sides of the Pacific
Matt brings deep North American leadership development expertise from Vancouver, one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world. Jay brings Asia Pacific fluency from Tokyo. Together, they bridge what no single consultant can.
Filipino Canadian bridging Western and Asian perspectives
Jay's multicultural identity is not incidental to the work. It is the work. He sees business situations from both Western and Asian perspectives simultaneously, and he helps leaders develop that same dual fluency.
Intrivity Certified Trainers
Both partners are certified in the Intrivity MRTS Assessment, a research validated tool built on Edward T. Hall's intercultural communication theory. Intrivity measures how individuals actually communicate across four dimensions (Message, Relationship, Time, and Space) rather than relying on national stereotypes. It is the first model to operationalize all four of Hall's dimensions into a validated assessment, backed by researchers from Duke University, Wharton, and the University of Washington.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is cross cultural leadership training? +
Cross cultural leadership training helps executives and senior leaders understand how cultural differences shape communication, decision making, trust building, and conflict resolution. At Peak Potential, we use the Intrivity MRTS Assessment to profile each leader's actual communication style across four dimensions: Message, Relationship, Time, and Space. This gives teams a shared language for real differences rather than relying on national stereotypes.
How is cross cultural training different from diversity training? +
Diversity training focuses on awareness, equity, and inclusion within an organization. Cross cultural training focuses specifically on the practical communication and behavioral differences that emerge when people from different national cultures work together. Our programs are built on Edward T. Hall's intercultural research and are designed to change how leaders actually behave in meetings, negotiations, and day to day collaboration, not just how they think about difference.
What is the Intrivity MRTS Assessment? +
The Intrivity MRTS Assessment is a validated intercultural communication tool built on Edward T. Hall's research, developed with backing from researchers at Duke University, Wharton, and the University of Washington. It measures individual communication preferences across four dimensions: Message (direct versus indirect), Relationship (task versus relationship oriented), Time (monochronic versus polychronic), and Space (personal and contextual boundaries). Both Peak Potential partners are Intrivity Certified Trainers, and we use the assessment in our executive workshops and relocation programs.
Do you offer cross cultural training for teams relocating to Japan? +
Yes. Our Cultural Transition Program for Relocating Leaders is specifically designed for executives and their families moving to Japan or other Asia Pacific destinations. Jay Vergara has spent over a decade living and working in Tokyo, and both Peak Potential partners are Intrivity Certified Trainers with deep experience in Japanese business culture. The program covers pre departure briefings, one on one executive coaching, and family transition support so the whole household is prepared, not just the employee.
How much does cross cultural executive training cost? +
Our executive workshop starts at US$5,000 per engagement, with pricing varying by group size, location, and customization. Relocation programs and Japan facilitation partnerships are priced on a custom basis depending on scope and assignment length. The first conversation is always complimentary, and we'll be honest if we aren't the right fit for what you need.
Can cross cultural workshops be delivered virtually? +
Yes. Our executive workshops and coaching programs are available in person or virtually, so geography isn't a barrier. We work with leadership teams across North America, Japan, and the broader Asia Pacific region from our bases in Vancouver and Tokyo. Virtual delivery is especially practical for geographically distributed teams who need to work across cultures but can't easily gather in one location.
Let's talk about the cultural gap your organization is navigating.
Every engagement starts with a conversation. Tell us what you are facing and we will be honest about whether we are the right fit.
Start a Conversationhello@peakpotentialconsulting.com