Intercultural Competence in the Workplace (Engl.)

In an era of globalization, contact between people of different national cultures has become very common. However, the fact that people can speak to each other using a shared foreign language – usually English – does not guarantee effective communication, understanding or agreement. In everyday working life, intercultural misunderstandings can easily escalate into interpersonal conflicts without the intercultural dimension even being recognized.

The aim of this seminar is to increase cultural awareness, discover the idiosyncrasies of your own culture, and understand how your culture is perceived by members of other cultures. During the seminar you will be introduced to a 6-part grid that summarizes the most important intercultural differences which enables you to identify potential sources of conflicts. As a result your level of sensitivity and tolerance towards members of different cultures will increase and you will be able to find the best ways to communicate, collaborate and accomplish your goals despite different cultural values, ways of thinking and behavior.

Seminar Contents (2-days):

*Cultural Awareness – Definition of “Culture”, cultural identification, cultural self-image, stereotypes and expectations

*Intercultural Differences – Comparisons of cultures (empirical findings), cultural dimensions, values, norms, behavior and standards

*Summary of the Most Common Sources of Conflict – The most important differences between cultures that lead to misunderstanding and failure of business relations and joint ventures

*Consequences of Different Cultural Socialization on Everyday Working Life – Expectations towards leaders, attitudes towards women, decision-making processes, formal and informal meetings, low and high context communication, dealing with time and deadlines, and more.

*Prevention of Conflicts and Building Relationships – Avoiding typical pitfalls, knowledge of taboos, building and maintaining relationships, gifts and invitations

*Standard Target Cultures: Europe, USA, China, Japan, India, the Arab World.

*Special Topics and Target Cultures: Prior to the seminar we use a questionnaire to ask participants about their previous knowledge, cultural background and target cultures as well as any existing intercultural problems, needs and demands.

Trainer: Beatrix Stahlberger (Psychologist, Coach)

Professional and managerial staff working in multicultural environments.