Cultural-values axis in Amelia Walter-Dzikowska's talk. European cultures prize equality and flat structures — you talk to your manager as a colleague. Many Asian cultures (India cited as an example) are hierarchical: juniors wait for the manager to assign tasks as a sign of respect. A European manager unfamiliar with this may misread it as lack of initiative; from the employee's side it's appropriate workplace conduct. Mismatched expectations here routinely derail international cooperation.