Working Across Cultures
Plan
- What is culture?
- Cross cultural coaching
- Dealing with stereotypes
- Your cultural profile
- Leveraging cultural differences
- Bibliography
Let me introduce …
- Write down the most important thing about yourself in 25 words or less
- Share with the group/small group/partner
- How does introduction reflect on cultural values?
What is Culture?
« A group’s culture is a set of unique caracteristics that distinguishes its members from another group »
Rosinski, 2003
The Cultural Iceberg
Cross Cultural Coaching
Coaching
- A pragmatic humanism (Rosinski, 2003)
- Pratical solutions
- Step back and think out of the box
- Concrete impacts and tangible results
Cross Cultural Coaching
- Challenge your cultural assumptions
- Go beyond your previous limitations
- Discover creative solutions
Dealing with stereotypes
Stereotypes may lead to misunderstanding when overgeneralized
Learn about observation and interpretation:
- Watch the 3 following drawings
- What do you see? Write it down and compare with a partner
- What are your conclusions?
Dealing with stereotypes
What do you see in these pictures?



By looking at a situation, we cannot tell what is happening
- We bring our own cultural frame of interpretation to any situation: culture, personal history and personality
- We need to distinguish observation and interpretation
My Cultural Profile
Sense of Power and responsability:
Control/Harmony/Humility
- Time management: Monochronic/polychroni
- Identity and Purpose: Being/Doing
- Organizational Arrangements:
Competitive/collaborative
- Communication: Direct /Indirect
- Modes of thinking: Analytical/Systemic
Adapted from Cultural Orientations Framework, P. Rosinski, 2003
Leveraging Cultural Differences
Compare your profile with partners
- Identify similarities and differences
- Working as a team, what would be the pitfalls and advantages ?
- Define 10 Team Rules to work effectively
Conclusion
- 40% of UK businesses have experienced export growth in 2009 and 30% are refocusing their effort towards international markets (SME Web, www.smeweb.com)
- Going Global
Bibliography
- J. Ph. Leyens, V. Yzerbit, G. Schadron (1994) Stereotypes and Social Cognition, London: Sage
- L.R. Kohls, J.M. Knight (1994) Developing Intercultural Awareness: A Cross Cultural Training Handbook, 2nd Edition, Boston: Intercultural Press
- G.J. Hofstede, G. Hofstede, P.B. Pedersen (2002) Exploring Culture: Exercices, Stories and Synthetic Cultures, Boston: Intercultural Press
- P. Rosinski (2003) Coaching Across Cultures, London: Nicolas Brealey Publishing
Websites:
- Publicité Renault: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5h7h3_pub-renault-crashtest- saucisse_auto
- Video Arts: http://www.videoarts.com/product/
Download the Cultural Profile Tool
