Their focus on teaching international teams to navigate the barriers of geography and culture put Hofstede Insights in a good spot to help businesses adapt to the challenges of pandemic work life, says Lisa DeWaard, managing director and CEO of the company’s U.S. office.
“We are specialists in global virtual management – how do you effectively manage a group of people from different countries online and get the same level of high-quality work that you could face-to-face?” she says. “We’ve been doing it for years, and we’ve been pivoting to offering more things virtually.”
The companies that merged to form Hofstede Insights in 2017 had been around for nearly four decades, but the business just officially opened a U.S. headquarters in Chattanooga in January. The coronavirus crisis meant the company had to indefinitely postpone the launch party planned for late April, when clients and colleagues from around the world, including Hofstede’s Finland-based global CEO, had planned to come to the Scenic City for the event, DeWaard says.
“We’re going to postpone it and do it face-to-face, though when that happens will be determined by how this pandemic plays out,” she says. “There is value in having a big face-to-face event once it is appropriate.”
With a network of 150 consultants in 60 countries, Hofstede Insights could have opened its U.S. headquarters in any number of cities, but Chattanooga fit the bill for a range of reasons, DeWaard says. She had been living here for the last six years, having moved here from Clemson, South Carolina, to join her husband, who has a therapy practice in town.