The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Multicultural Teams (and why it’s essential in Japan)
On one hand, multicultural teams have the potential to be a superpower because they can leverage a wide variety of perspectives and bring initiatives to a global scale. And when things are going well, it can feel elating! But on the other hand, when something goes wrong - a missed deadline, a misunderstood comment, an unexpected reaction - the frustration can run deeper than in a purely domestic team.
Why? Because misunderstandings aren’t about what happened, but about why they happened. And when the “why” is unclear, it can lead to misassumptions and frustrations that erode trust.
Back when I first started working in Japan, I was terrified. I had just graduated from university and got a job at a company where they said I’d be handling international requests in English - but my first assignment was to fulfill domestic requests in a Japanese team.
Any time I made a mistake (well, not necessarily a mistake - just something that wasn’t according to protocol), I’d get corrected by my manager. That may seem normal, but the thing is, my manager wasn’t directly working on the projects I was, which meant the only way she knew I wasn’t following protocol was if someone in the team told her.
I felt paranoid each day, trying to avoid making mistakes because I didn’t know who it was in my team who was talking to her behind my back. Was it a single person? Was it each of them at different times?
Who could I trust?
Eventually, I got better and better at the job, and the corrections went away. And one thing that helped me through that transition was recognizing that Japanese culture has a different feedback system than Western cultures.
In a Western culture, people expect to give and receive feedback directly to the person of interest. In other words, if my colleague saw that I made a mistake, they could point it out to me directly, and we’d get on with our work.
But in Japanese culture, my colleague may not feel like it’s her place to correct me, so she thought it may be better to raise it to the manager, who does have authority in quality control. This isn’t a malicious intention to talk negatively about me behind my back, but to recognize and respect relationships and responsibilities that come with roles.
Even though I understood that logically, it still felt awkward.
And that’s why Emotional Intelligence (EI) is so important, because doing great work as an individual or influencing great work as a leader all comes down to how you make people feel.
This is where Emotional Intelligence (EI) becomes more than a “soft skill”. It’s the critical connector that allows leaders and team members to navigate challenges with empathy, clarity, and trust.
Why Emotional Intelligence Matters Even More in Multicultural Teams
In any team, relationships are built on how people feel when they work together. In multicultural teams, those feelings are influenced by:
Different communication styles
Varied comfort levels with hierarchy
Distinct approaches to conflict and problem-solving
Preferences in how decisions are made
This means misunderstandings can escalate more quickly. Not necessarily because of bad intentions, but because the emotional signals we rely on to interpret others aren’t universal.
So to reiterate based on my personal story… In Japan-based teams, for example, what’s intended as polite restraint may be read as disengagement by someone from a more direct culture. Without emotional intelligence, those moments can create unnecessary tension.
In addition to cross-cultural education, one thing I love exploring with individuals and teams is the Genos Emotional Intelligence Assessment.
The perfect tool: The Genos Emotional Intelligence Model
The Genos EI model breaks emotional intelligence into six competencies:
Self-Awareness – Recognizing your own emotional state and its impact on others.
Awareness of Others – Understanding and empathizing with the feelings of those around you.
Authenticity – Expressing yourself honestly while respecting cultural norms.
Emotional Reasoning – Using emotional data to inform decision-making.
Self-Management – Regulating your emotional responses in challenging situations.
Positive Influence – Positively influencing the emotions and motivation of others.
In multicultural teams, these aren’t just personal development areas - they are the operating system that allows diverse perspectives to work in harmony.
Combining Emotional Intelligence with Cross-Cultural Education
While emotional intelligence is critical, it’s not enough on its own in multicultural teams. Leaders and team members also need cross-cultural education to understand the “why” behind behaviors.
For example, after my cross-cultural training sessions, leaders often report a sense of clarity and relief. They finally understand why certain behaviors happen, which means they can respond in ways that build trust rather than tension.
When you combine cultural awareness with emotional intelligence, you create a double advantage:
You understand the context of behaviors (culture)
You manage your response to those behaviors (EI)
Practical Ways to Build EI in Multicultural Teams
Assess First: Use the Genos EI assessment to understand current strengths and development areas for both leaders and teams.
Debrief Together: Discuss results openly in a safe setting, connecting them to cultural realities of the team.
Practice Micro-Moments: Build habits of self-awareness and awareness of others through short, real-world scenarios.
Revisit & Reinforce: Make EI development part of ongoing team conversations, not a one-time event.
Why This Matters for Leaders in Japan
In Japan’s global teams, leadership isn’t just about managing tasks. It’s about managing relationships across multiple cultural lenses. Emotional intelligence gives leaders the ability to:
Avoid misinterpretations
Build trust faster
Lead with influence rather than authority
When trust is high, collaboration improves — and so does performance!
Here’s what you can do next
If you lead or work in a multicultural team in Japan, investing in emotional intelligence is one of the highest-return actions you can take.
I offer Genos Emotional Intelligence assessments with personalized debriefs tailored to multicultural contexts. You’ll walk away with a clear understanding of where you and your team excel - and where you can grow to work more effectively across cultures.