1. Create Psychological Safety Through Structure
In Romanian professional contexts, hierarchical boundaries are respected through waiting for explicit invitation to speak. Danish flat hierarchy assumes everyone will contribute freely. Bridge this by creating structured meeting segments where contribution is explicitly expected from everyone.
Implementation: Begin meetings with a clear statement: "We'll now spend 10 minutes hearing perspectives from each team member." This creates a formal invitation that respects Romanian cultural norms while achieving the Danish expectation of hearing all voices.
2. Leverage Written-Verbal Communication Balance
Romanian professionals often excel in thorough written analysis but may hesitate in spontaneous verbal exchanges. Danish culture values quick verbal exchanges and immediate feedback.
Implementation: Distribute discussion topics 24 hours before meetings, allowing Romanian team members to prepare thoughtful responses. This honors Romanian preference for preparation while meeting Danish expectations for substantive contribution.
3. Reframe Silence as Cultural, Not Personal
Danish managers often interpret silence as disengagement or lack of ideas. For Romanian professionals, careful consideration before speaking reflects respect and thoroughness.
Implementation: Educate Danish managers that a Romanian engineer thinking deeply before responding is demonstrating professionalism, not hesitation. Normalize longer response times as cultural strength rather than communication weakness.
4. Establish Explicit Communication Protocols
The most damaging aspect of this cultural misalignment is that both sides develop incorrect impressions of the other's capabilities and engagement.
Implementation: Create team-specific communication agreements that acknowledge both cultural approaches. For example: "In this team, we value both spontaneous contributions and thoughtful analysis. We invite ideas through both direct questions and open discussion."
These approaches don't require either culture to fundamentally change, but rather create bridges that allow both communication styles to coexist productively, unlocking the full innovative potential of your cross-cultural teams.
