Developing Cultural Competence
Perhaps you have noticed people who have cultural competence – the ability to work successfully with colleagues, customers, suppliers and other stakeholders from other cultures. They can communicate seamlessly; the can lead and influence multi-cultural teams; they achieve results with business units across geographies, and they seem to enjoy the experience. They are rarely frustrated by working across the globe and seem to get energy from their international contacts.
Many people were raised internationally and developed this cultural competence early. For the rest of us, though, we have been trying to navigate this cultural space with ‘trial and error’. In addition, some of you may feel stuck – you understand that cultures are different, but uncertain how to turn hurdles of working with others (regarding time, communication, expectations, etc) into opportunities.
We help leaders, managers and professionals to develop the cultural competence to feel comfortable and work successfully with others across the globe. Our approach helps people to learn about others as they learn about themselves, their own assumptions and cultural influences. We design workshops, conversations and other interventions by incorporating a variety of learning techniques that resonate with different learning styles, thereby touching the emotional, cognitive and behavioral levels. The core strength of all of our interventions is an interactive experience – participants learn from and share with each other, so that they may continue this dynamic upon their return to their regular work.
Our passion is creating a space where people talk about culture and we design a structure for conversations which is flexible to move with the needs of the participants. We can participate in various events such as presentations for an audience, facilitation of teams, and facilitation or trainings. Past examples have included:
- Leading or Managing Across Cultures
- Understanding Cultural Differences
- Project Management Across Cultures
- Working with the Dutch or Americans
- Working Across Cultures for the Expatriate
- Working Successfully Internationally
- Understanding Culture in an International Team
- Leadership Development Programs in Corporate Academy
For more information about how we can design a customized solution for your team or organization, please contact info@interact-global.net