Intercultural competence is the ability to develop targeted knowledge, skills and attitudes that lead to visible behaviour and communication that are both effective and appropriate in intercultural interactions.
Productivity: Intercultural research shows that a superior who knows the rules of the game of other cultures and leads his team to efficient and enjoyable cooperation brings measurably more money to the company.
Security: Wherever „human lives“ are at stake, it is enormously important that everyone knows where their own cultural imprint could possibly become a security risk. This is especially true when the other party ticks differently culturally.
Winning customers – retaining employees: Last but not least, people stay where they feel comfortable, respected and liked. So if you want to keep both your employees and your customers of different cultural backgrounds in the long term, it is worthwhile developing your openness and intercultural sensitivity. This is all the more true when there is fierce competition for good employees and customers.
Everyone working in an international and cross-functional team.
To develop and foster your intercultural competence, we offer a two-thronged approach:
(1) Enroll and make yourselves familiar with the findings of intercultural research in an easy to understand and time-saving way, understand cultural dimensions using case work, and become culturally savvy in connecting with people from various cultures. You will also be guided to reflect about your own inter-cultural abilities and behaviours. Duration: 3 hours. The online content prepares you for step two.
(2) On a regular basis, we conduct live-online and face-to-face coaching and 2-day workshops on international collaboration, virtual leadership, and team development. Teams will be working on real life cases and thus apply tools and techniques in practical exercises to make sure they can use their know-how in day-to-day work life.
Our cultural spectacles… An excursion into intercultural research
In the first learning unit you will take a trip into intercultural research and better understand what is meant by the term „culture“. You will get to know six cultural dimensions that Prof. Geert Hofstede and other authors have researched. The six dimensions are the „cultural glasses“ through which people of different cultural backgrounds perceive themselves. At the end of the first learning unit we invite you to reflect on what your own cultural glasses look like.
The cultural dimensions in everyday working life… Bankruptcies, bad luck and breakdowns – what happened?
In the second learning unit you can try out for yourself how well you have already understood the six dimensions. We will give you some examples from intercultural everyday life. You will become a culture expert and analyse what has happened and which cultural dimension is likely to have caused a misunderstanding.
Intercultural agility… How to become more flexible and confident in dealing with people from other cultures
In the last learning unit we help you with specific questions and tips to become more flexible and confident in dealing with people from other cultures. Perhaps we will even succeed in making you really want to learn more about each other and learn from each other. Then start tomorrow at work!
Team or individual online workshop, case work, situation and needs analysis, coaching.
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