Susanne Dranaz, Natural Science, Careers, Munich, Germany

Working environments in science and business have become more diverse during the last years. More women are accessing male-dominated industries. Working together across the globe has become easier and more frequent than ever before. While diversity brings a lot of advantages, there are challenges as well. If we all have the same academic education, use the same gadgets and social media, why are there still so many misunderstandings - or is that no longer true? Do men really not listen and do females really always complain? And, why does my foreign colleague say “yes” but means “no”? In this talk we discuss communication styles across genders and cultures, as well as the different ways in which we take decisions at work, persuade each other and deal with our tasks. Understanding these differences will make it easier to focus on the communalities in our teams and to work together trustfully and efficiently.