It’s 8 a.m. in Riyadh, 1 p.m. in Singapore and just past 10 p.m. in San Francisco. Somewhere in between those time zones, a network engineer jumps on a call to resolve a critical issue affecting a global infrastructure.
These kinds of moments are a reminder that working in a global network team isn’t just about routing protocols or firewall rules. It’s also about people — people from different backgrounds, speaking different first languages, with different ways of solving problems. Cross-cultural communication is not a buzzword for network engineers. It’s part of our everyday toolkit.
If you’ve ever had to explain a high-severity issue to a colleague who thinks and speaks differently from you, you know that patience and clarity go a long way. In one of my early experiences, I struggled to understand why a colleague from another region kept insisting on a completely different troubleshooting approach. It wasn’t until we paused and talked more openly about our local processes that I realized we were both saying the same thing, just in different ways. That small moment of understanding helped us build better collaboration going forward. Those moments stick with you. They shape how you communicate, how you listen and how you show up in a team that spans countries and cultures.
Empathy and Communication
Overcoming these barriers starts with empathy. Instead of jumping straight into tasks, take a moment to understand your teammate’s communication style. Ask questions like, “Would you prefer a summary or more detailed steps?” or “Do you usually work in this way?” Simple questions open the door to better understanding.
Also, don’t underestimate the power of shared documentation. Creating clear, concise runbooks and handover notes makes handoffs smoother and prevents misunderstandings. Time zone overlaps can be a challenge, too, so it helps to plan recurring meetings during a mutually convenient time and rotate schedules when possible. Tools such as Slack, Teams and shared dashboards help bridge the gap when words get lost. If something feels off, pick up the phone. Sometimes hearing someone’s voice is more helpful than a thousand typed words.
Take Time for Personal Connection
Another way to build rapport is to make room for personal connection. A quick “How’s the weather there?” or a “happy holiday” might sound small, but it builds a sense of team beyond just tickets and alerts. Celebrate wins across cultures. Acknowledge effort. Learn how to say “thank you” in another language. These small steps create a big shift in how we work together as network teams.
Don’t Assume
One thing I’ve learned over the years is you can’t assume anything in a global team. What sounds polite or clear in one culture might come off as abrupt or vague in another. I’ve found that making an effort to understand someone’s communication style — whether they prefer direct talk or more context, whether they like structure or are more casual — goes a long way in building trust. Even things like holiday schedules, religious observances or local events can affect how teams plan project timelines or respond to incidents. It’s not just about being culturally aware. It’s about being human and respectful.
Technology might connect our networks, but it’s people who make them work. When those people come from all over the world, communication becomes both the biggest challenge and the biggest opportunity. The beauty of it is that once you embrace these differences, you start building something stronger than just a technical solution. You build a truly global team that trusts each other, even when you’re oceans apart. However you might see it, at the end of the day, great network engineers don’t just connect systems — they connect people.
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