Members
Newsletter
February 2003
Headlines
Features
(invited)
Reviews:
Dear
SIETAR Euope Members and Visitors,
We
are delighted to be able to restart the SE Newsletter, now fully
online with this February 2003 edition. We hope to make it a
rich source of information both about SIETAR goings-on and other
items of interest to the intercultural professions. Feel free
to be a contributor (we are willing to publish in other languages
than English as well). If there is anyone interested in sharing
editorial responsiblities drop us a line at newsletter@sietar-europa.org.
Your
SIETAR Europa Board of Directors
Summary
of SE Board Meeting,
25-26 January 2003 in Utrecht
UPDATE
- UPDATE - UPDATE
Dear
members,
The
SIETAR Europa Board met on the weekend. Here is our news:
1.
Congress in Budapest:
Collaborating Across Borders - New Learning and New Strategies
The
preparations are well on their way. Register early - the early
bird price ends on February 15, 2003. See
details
Please
invite interested non-SIETAR members from your own networks.
If you are not sure how to do this, please contact a steering
committee member.
The
Congress will have several parts: Online
presentations (we look forward to your submissions)
- workshops - large group process around the Congress topic.
Please ask us if you have any questions!!!
2. A New SIETAR
The
rejuvenation process is on the way. There are more details in
the minutes of the boards meeting with the national Presidents.
Please welcome with us our new secretary, Christine
Longé. She is working very hard for
all of us.
We
are looking at a change in structure, services and at a different
financial strategy.
3. Elections
The
Nominations Committee has been very active, and is preparing
the materials for the elections.
More candidates are still welcome! Go for it - either suggest
candidates or yourself. Board work is a great learning opportunity,
and a way to make new friends.
Best regards,
your SE Board Team
Francien,
Oyvind, Jan, George, Klara, Sabine, Lijljana
SIETAR
Presidents' and SE Board Meeting (Summary)
Saturday, 25 January 2003, Utrecht (NL), Amrath Hotel
14:00
hrs. - 20:30 hrs.
STAY
TUNED - SIETAR IS CHANGING -
NEWS FROM AN IMPORTANT MEETING
New
SE Secretary
Results from Vienna
New Structure and Statutes
Congress
0.
Welcome and Opening
Francien
Wieringa welcomed those present, especially the new SE secretary,
Christine Longé. Christine started with SE in October
2002.
1.
Budget 2003 and Financial Themes
Klara
Falk-Bano (SE Board Treasurer) presented the budget, and pointed
out that the current financial situation is not sustainable
in the long-term.
Frank
Brück reported the results from the Vienna Congress: There
were 487 participants (a very high number), which resulted in
an income of EU 153,000. There are some outstanding payments
of approximately EU 3,500. Expenses were roughly EU 90,000,
resulting in a profit of about EU 60,000. The profits will be
split according to the following formula: 40% to SIETAR Austria,
40% to SIETAR Germany, and 20% to SIETAR Europa.
In
context of the discussion of the SE budget it was pointed out
that it costs each SIETAR Europa Board Member approximately
EU 4,000 per year, plus time and work, to be on the Board, and
serve the organization. This is not conducive to a truly democratic
representation of members from lower economic groups..
2. Role Structure & Communication
In
conclusion, and after extensive discussions, the following points
were agreed upon:
- SIETAR
Europa is in a transition phase.
- Re-structuring
the links between the SE Board and the national SIETARs is
desirable. Statute changes will be prepared.
- A
more professional organization is desirable.
- There
is a desire for connection and better communication.
- It
is important to see each of us as "SIETAR Europa",
rather than think in a division of "us" (national
groups) and "them" (Europa)
Historically,
SIETAR Europa existed first; local chapters have grown up at
later points in time. Where we are now in the development of
the organization, we need to be looking at a new and more efficient
way of interaction between the national groups and SIETAR Europa.
There
was agreement that we are in a transition phase in terms of
the SIETAR Europa, and also in terms of the overall identity
of the organization, from a small network of colleagues to a
professional organization.
The
participants jointly brainstormed what the functions of SIETAR
Europa could be in the future:
Functions/Role:
- Benchmarking
best practices
- Stimulate
project on global or European level
- Provide/Find
cooperation partners to fund projects
- Cooperation
ne twork for local research groups
- Promoting
intercultural field to the future (younger members, next generations)
- Expansion
and support of SIETAR, internationally and worldwide (new
local SIETARs)
- External
(non-local) representation (NGO, UN, EU, Council Europe...)
- Professionalism
and professional standards for the intercultural field
- Offering
professional services?
- Communication
service infrastructure
- Meeting
Point (and events)
4. Future Search Conference
Jeffrey
Beeson, Entheos Group Munich introduced himself and explained
how he became involved in the process with SIETAR.
Those
present then shared their expectations for the Congress. As
a result, the following clusters of expectations/needs emerged:
- Process
(is it the right process? right time? will it deliver? etc.)
- Professional
Community (professionalization)
- Projects
(practical projects, specific ideas etc.)
- Methods
(collaborative learning, large group processes etc.)
- Financial
(financial success, many participants)
- New
Ideas/Change (change process, vitality, empowered and active
members etc.)
- Intensified
Networking (more community, deeper networking etc.)
The
Congress can deliver on all these items but the success depends
crucially on intensive communication with the members and everybody's
commitment to the recruitment of external stakeholders.
All
those present agreed to support the Congress and the future
search approach, and emphasized that the conversation had contributed
to their feeling of confidence, opitmism and trust.
5.
Fee Structure
Due
to time constraints, this agenda item was not discussed in depth.
There was agreement that, in the future, there should be a homogenous
fee structure for all national groups.
Michael
Thiel announced that SIETAR Germany will only be able to pay
12.5% of their fees to SIETAR Europa and has therefore cancelled
its agreement with SE (December 2002) which foresees the payment
of 25%. This measure has been taken in order to avoid budget
deficts at SD for which he and Anette Hammerschmidt are personally
accountable and liable.
6.
Next Steps
Action
Item: Proposals for Statute Changes
Francien
Wieringa and George Simons of the SIETAR Europa Board and Michael
Thiel of SIETAR Deutschland will meet in Mandelieu la Napoule
prior to March 10, 2003, to write the drafts for the proposed
changes in our Terms of Reference, so that these proposals can
be communicated to the membership 2 months prior to the General
Assembly, and then voted on during the GA in Budapest.
Present:
Francien
Wieringa, SE Board
Christine Longé, Secratary for SIETAR Europa
Pavel Valentinovic, Young SIETAR, Congress Steering Committee,
and SIETAR in formation from Poland
Karla Eubel-Kaspar, SIETAR Germany
George Simons, SE Board
Klara Falk-Bano, SE Board, Congress Steering Committee
Jan Verhoeven, SE Board, Congress Steering Committee
Annette Hammerschmidt, SIETAR Germany
Michael Thiele, SIETAR Germany
Sabine Amend, SE Board
Oyvind Aadland, SE Board
Phillip O'Connor, SIETAR UK - late arrival
André Cresson, SIETAR France
Dr. Frank Brück, SIETAR Austria
Liljiana Deru-Simic, SE Board
Kitlin SIETAR Netherland - arrived at 14:10
Jeffrey Beeson, Entheos Group - from 15:30
Budapest
Congress...will you be there?
As
of February 1 more than forty people have taken advantage of
the earlybird registration fees to sign up for the innovative
SE Congress in May.
We repeat the invitation to you to attend and to invite your
stakeholders to join you in this important meeting that will
influence the future of our profession and our organization.
Earlybird registration has been extended to February 15 to enable
those who only recently got news of the Congress to register
advantageously.
For
full details and registration, please go to the Congress
pages of this site.
Reviews
Title:
MANAGING CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN TECHNICAL PROFESSIONS
Author: Lionel Laroche, Ph.D., P. Eng.
Publisher: Butterworth-Heinmann/Elsvier Science (Academic Press),
Oxford, UK or Burlington, MA, USA (www.elseview.com)
Details: 2003, ISBN 0-7506-7581-0; pp. 238, Softcover,
General mangers and customers often complain about communications
when they interact with engineers and technical personnel. These
cross-cultural communication problems can become acute with
users try to comprehend instructions from technical support
services or manuals. The dominance of high technology in the
global marketplace seems to exacerbate the situation. The world's
workforce has become more multinational, and those with technical
competence are much in demand, regardless of place of origin.
However, for those who use English as a second or third language,
there can be difficulties in oral or written exchanges. Finally,
a Canadian engineer who is also an intercultural communications
expert has written a book that is sure to improve matters, if
only those in varied fields of technology will read and learn
from it!
MANAGING CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN TECHNICAL PROFESSIONS has six
easy-to-read chapters for increasing productivity among multicultural
professionals, teams, and departments in all aspects of 21st
Century technology. Dr. Lionel Laroche opens with a very comprehensive
explanation of culture and the impact of such differences on
both interpersonal and organizational relations. The author
then examines the management of technical personnel, especially
in terms of teams, technial communications, and career development.
In his final chapter, Laroche projects into the future, offering
astute insights on globalization and meeting its cross-cultural
challenges. In addition, the writer provides five helpful appendices
dealing with diversity and the HR trainer; North American demographics;
technical education; technical professional associations; and
a useful glossary of idioms and sports phrases used by North
Americans. For all managers, especially those in tec hnical
positions, this is a pragramatic handbook. But for foreign visitors
and workers in the United States and Canada, or outsiders who
have to do business with North Americans, this is an essential
guide for higher performance. And the analysis comes from a
graduate of Ecole Polytechique de Paris and the California Institute
of Technology who has himself worked, consulted, and published
effectively 40 countries
This is the fourteenth offering in the successful MANAGING CULTURAL
DIFFERENCES SERIES, now published by Butterworth-Heinemann/Elservier
Science (www.bh.com/management).
Recent Series releases of relevance were EURODIVERSITY, UNITING
NORTH AMERICAN BUSINESSES, GLOBAL STRATEGIC PLANNING, SUCCEEDING
IN BUSINESS IN CENTRAL AND ESTERN EUROPE and INTERCULTURAL SERVICES.
These and other titles are spinoffs from the classic, parent
volume, MANAGING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES, now going into a 6th
edition and used in over 200 universities worldwide.
Reviewer:
Philip R. Harris Ph.D., management psychologist and author;
member of the European Business Review Editorial Advisory Board.
Title:
LIVE & WORK IN SCOTLAND
Author: Nicola Taylor
Publisher:"The
Live and Work" series of Vacation Work Publications,
Details: 2001. 255 pages, ISBN 1-85458-252-6
Nicola
Taylor might have subtitled her book, "More than most Scots
know about Scotland." Before you judge this unfair to the
Scots, think for a moment about the know-how you have about
how to find information in your own environment. The traveler
and the expatriate may have similar intuitive skills in their
native land, but most of this disappears once one has crossed
the frontier to find work or a new home, hence the value of
an explicit compendium of such good information that is hard
to find.
One
cannot help but be impressed by the range, quantity and quality
of the data squeezed between the covers of this 255 page vademecum
for those preparing to "Live & Work in Scotland."
It is "hard data," the who, where, how, when, and
how much of life in the Highlands and Lowlands, the city and
the country, covering every step from making the decision to
go to Scotland and departure preparation, through home finding
and homemaking, daily life, employment, and even to retirement
and death.
The
book offers little "soft data", e.g., about the personal
impact of moving to Scotland, the cultural values and communication
styles of one's new Scottish neighbors and colleagues. This
needs to be inferred from the author's advice how to use the
information the book provides. The only exception to this is
found in final section of the book. There, five short personal
case histories are presented in interview form. This invite
the reader to experience glimpses of the transition to living
and working in Scotland through the eyes of others who have
weathered the surprises and the disappointments as well as enjoyed
the successes and satisfaction of acculturating to a new environment.
Indeed, though this "soft" information is as essential
as the hard data, the author has rightfully not cluttered this
data trove with asides. These guides are elsewhere.
The
book contains an adequate table of contents, but is not indexed,
a dissapointment to those who often find themselves saying,
"Yes, I saw information about that somewhere, but, just
where was that…?"
For
those unfamiliar with the Vacation Work Publications, it is
worth a look at their website at www.vacationwork.co.uk to discover
a wide range of similar publications. Their products and their
success are testimony to the fact that by and large, despite
CD ROM and online learning, books are still portable, handy
and attractive sources of information and learning. You may
be abroad for quite a while and still benefit from such information
sources, particularly as the the events of expatriate life unfold
into new areas and challenges.
Book
available from: Vacation Work Publications, 9 Park End St, Oxford,
OX1 1HJ, England, Tel. +44 0 1865-241978
sales@vacationwork.co.uk
Reviewed:
Dr. George F. Simons at www.diversophy.com. Dr. Simons is the
author and editor of the DIVERSOPHY® series of intercultural
training games and a consultant who prepares individuals and
teams for working interculturally both online and through expatriation.
He is editor and an author of EuroDiversity: A Business
Guide to Managing Difference (Butterworth-Heinemann, 2002)
Update
on SIETAR Europa's online services
While
all the SIETAR
sites are linked to each other, it will be helpful to know where
you are going for services and information, so here is an update
of what SIETAR Europa is offering online.
- Currently
as you read this, you are on the public website of SIETAR
Europa at www.sietar-europa.org.
The information on this site is open
to anyone surfing the web, members and visitors alike.
The monthly newsletter appears here.
The
SIETAR Documentation Centre is also a part of the
public site though it has a separate navigation system.
- The
SIETAR Europa Workspace is a "members only" site
located on the servers of Management Center Europe at http://quickplace.mce.be/sietar-eu.
This site, though it operates more slowly, is a place where
you can begin conversations and exchange information securely
with other members. In order to access this site you need
an ID and a password. All registered SIETAR Europa members
whose email addresses were in our files were issued an ID
and password in June. Each new member is given a password
upon enrolling. If you have not received or have misplaced
your password for this site, please request a new one from
the office.
- We
welcome assistance and volunteers who would like to contribute
time to the websites, the documentation centre and the newsletter.
Contact the webmaster
if you are interested.
