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Half day (am), Wednesday 25 April 2007

In the 19th century, the anthropological and colonialistic insights flavoured with reports from missionaries were the only ways to analyse and understand other cultures. It was only in the middle of the twentieth century that there was progress in development of theories dealing with intercultural communication. This has been further accelerated due to the need for such theories both in the corporate world and the political world of today.

However, the maze of theories in this field has led to confusion and misuse in practical application of such theories as the intercultural practitioner is bombarded every day with new models from authorities claiming that they have the best solution for diversity management and intercultural trainings.

This workshop is designed to help practitioners by providing them with tools with which they can themselves analyse the usability of different intercultural theories in their training programmes. It will deal with a deeper insight into different intercultural theories and recent research, their applications and limitations. Further, the workshop intends to explore the possibility of how one can develop practical strategies and tools for dealing with intercultural problems in organisations.

• Knowledge of the most important theories and models in the field of intercultural communication;
  
• Knowledge of the range of application and limitations of theories and models;
  
• Knowledge of the new research being conducted in the field of intercultural business management;
  
• Knowledge of the philosophical, psychological and sociological roots of how people from different cultures react and respond to situations;
  
• Understanding the American approach, European approach and Asian approach in the field of intercultural training;
  
• Understanding the usefulness of the concepts discussed in the seminar to participants’ current projects and interests;
  
• Explore application of theories to training design and implementation;
  
• To learn to use several frameworks to compare one’s own and contrasting cultures in terms of non-verbal behaviour, communication styles, and values;
  
• To develop consciousness about one’s cultural and self-identity and its impact in consultancy and training;
  
• Assist in selecting appropriate resources for further professional development in the field of intercultural training.

• Experiential learning, group discussion, and critical self- analysis of one’s own cultural identity will be used to understand the concepts in intercultural communication;
  
• Training will be conducted with the help of power-point presentation, video clips and flip charts;
  
• Meta-card method will be used to answer queries and to discuss problems of the participants.

Dr. Neena Gupta-Biener is partner in the intercultural management consultancy firm Biener Consult International (based in Konstanz, Germany) and is a visiting Professor in Zeppelin University, Friedrichshafen in the field of ‘Intercultural Communication’.

She has studied in India, England and Germany. She obtained her Master of Business Administration from Lucknow University (India), and then conducted postgraduate research on ‘The Economics of the European Union’ for the London School of Economics, London, before studying for a PhD from Lucknow University and University of Konstanz (Germany) on the topic of ‘Economic Cooperation between India and Germany with special reference to SMEs’. Her doctoral thesis made her realise the importance of intercultural communication in business management.

As a consultant and trainer, her strengths lie in connecting intercultural theories with business reality (especially in the field of intercultural change management), development of a communication theory based on Indian philosophy in the area of intercultural communication with South Asia and developing simulation games and case studies for multicultural training programmes.

Since 2004, along with her business partner and husband, Johannes Biener, she has guided her clients both in large scale and small scale companies in Switzerland and Germany in operating an effective change management in a complex multicultural world through personal coaching, intercultural communication training programmes for managers and intercultural conflict resolution. She has conducted ‘train-the-trainer’ programmes to train consultants and trainers in the field of intercultural communication.

Besides, Dr. Neena Gupta-Biener has held various academic positions and has been guest professor in management departments of different Indian universities. Since 2006, she is responsible for the development of a curriculum in ‘Intercultural Communication’ in Zeppelin University, Friedrichshafen (Germany). She has also made presentations on her ongoing research in communication theory in different universities and organisations like Middlesex University, London; Sietar Congress in Nice; University of St.Gallen, St.Gallen; European Business School, London; Indo-German Business Round Table, Munich; Volksbank, Überlingen.

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Half day (pm), Wednesday 25 April 2007

This workshop will introduce the PICO intercultural learning instrument. PICO is a profiling instrument designed to measure an individual's orientation towards intercultural learning. It is used as an educational tool for intercultural training and coaching, and as a self-assessment tool for those interested in better understanding their own intercultural learning strategies. PICO measures an individual's orientation towards two important factors related to intercultural learning: Change vs. stability relates to how intercultural learners react to changes in our external environment. An orientation towards change involves a "jump right in" or "trial and error" approach to intercultural learning. Inner-referenced vs. outer referenced refers to how intercultural learners react to the internal (psychological) demands of a new environment. Inner-referenced thinking implies clear internal values and standards. Knowing oneself is the starting point for intercultural learning. Outer-referenced thinking, on the other hand, implies a recognition of the need to take into account the values and standards of others. PICO can be used to produce profiles which include four learning orientations: adaptive, proactive, protective and attentive. These profiles can be used as a starting point for training activities to improve intercultural skills, and self-awareness activities to deepen intercultural understanding. PICO was created by Joseph Shaules and is currently being developed under the auspices of the Japan Intercultural Institute (JII) in Tokyo. JII sponsors intercultural education projects and seminars. Information about PICO can be found on PICO’s website. There are currently three language versions of PICO under development, English, German, Japanese and Bulgarian. An on-line version of PICO, open to the public, is currently under development.

The workshop will include:

• Discussion of theoretical background of PICO including comparison with other psychometric instruments used in intercultural education
• Explanation of the structure and use of the PICO instrument
• Creation of PICO profiles for seminar participants
• Demonstration of how PICO profiles can be applied in training and education
• Discussion of how PICO could be used in participants’ professional context
• Participant feedback on PICO development

The workshop will start with a discussion of theoretical background, then move on to hands-on use of the instrument itself. Participants will be asked to analyze their own intercultural learning style using PICO. Examples of how PICO could be used in different training and educational contexts will be discussed. The workshop will be participant-centered, and oriented towards practical activities and use of PICO, rather than focusing on theory.

To learn more about the theoretical background of PICO (and other psychometric instruments used in intercultural education), please see the article Assessing Intercultural Learning Strategies with Personal Intercultural Change Orientation (PICO) profiles, published in the Intercultural Communication Review, No. 4, 2006. Download the article here. There is also a more detailed explanation of PICO on that website.

Joseph Shaules (PhD) has worked in intercultural education in Japan, Mexico and Europe for more than 20 years. For more than ten years he was a tenured faculty at Rikkyo University, Tokyo (School of Social Relations). He has published extensively and is the author of Deep Culture – Hidden Challenges to Global Living (Multilingual Matters, upcoming), numerous articles, as well as language and intercultural education textbooks. These include (among others) Identity (Oxford University Press), Impact Values (Longman International) Different Realities (Nan-un-do). He was for six years co-presenter of the NHK television program Crossroads Café. He teaches courses in intercultural education at the Rikkyo Graduate School of Intercultural Communication and the International Center at Keio University. He does intercultural training in Japan and is currently working with the International House of Japan to develop seminars in leadership skills for intercultural professionals. He holds a BA degree in foreign languages from Portland State University, an MA in teaching from the School for International Training, Brattelboro, Vermont, and a PhD from the University of Southampton, where he carried out research on intercultural adaptation. He created the PICO (Personal Intercultural Change Orientation) profiling instrument, developed under the auspices of the Japan Intercultural Institute. He has lived and worked abroad (Mexico, Japan, France) for more than 20 years and is proficient in English, Japanese, French and Spanish. Currently, he lives in Tokyo and Paris and is the director of the Japan Intercultural Institute (JII).

Matthieu Kollig is a professional trainer and certified coach focusing on intercultural communication, pre-departure, (re-)integration, conflict management and management skills. Until 2006, he was project-manager in the Centre for the Treatment of Victims of Torture in Cologne (Germany). For almost five years, he worked in the Area Orientation Centre, a division of InWEnt (Capacity Building International), designing and evaluating intercultural trainings and supervising an international team of intercultural trainers. The Area Orientation Centre offers pre-departure programs for German development workers. Matthieu obtained an MA in psychology at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany. He holds both French and German citizenship and he lived and worked in Belfast (GB) for almost two years. He is proficient in German, French and English.

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Half day (am), Wednesday 25 April 2007

Dianne Hofner Saphiere and Pamela Pappas Stanoch will facilitate an interactive session of Ecotonos: A Multicultural Problem-Solving Simulation. With 8-50 participants and a 3 hour block of time to conduct the simulation we will open the eyes and minds of participants to an exciting simulation. As the purpose of forums such as SIETAR is to enhance the knowledge base of cross-cultural trainers, increase their level of effectiveness in working with clients, sharing professional tools and ideas, “Ecotonos” is a perfect opportunity to do all of that.

Most people are comfortable learning new computer software that will help them solve complex problems in less time and with fewer people. Today people from different work areas are brought together and asked to work toward goals they might not fully understand, not to mention share. Ecotonos is a simulation game that breaks the usual stereotypes and barriers of diversity. It teaches participants decision making in groups which sometimes have conflicting priorities. It is a useful tool that can be used again and again with the same people by selecting a new problem and different variables. This powerful simulation is filled with real-life applications. Extremely adaptable, its overall focus can be tailored to particular audiences. Each replay offers new and different cross-cultural perspectives. In Ecotonos, eight to fifty participants form three groups and create their own “cultures.” Participants begin to solve a problem in their monocultural groups, then mingle to continue problem solving in multicultural groups. They reflect on their experiences and the group process. The simulation and debriefing require a minimum of three hours. Participants are enthusiastic about Ecotonos. One participant said, “As jaded as I am about simulations, I got really excited. It transcended my ability to remain objective.” Another said, “Nobody didn’t get it. And nobody got it all. The process of Ecotonos itself demonstrates the value of diversity. There is always more to be gained!”.

Dianne Hofner Saphiere is Founder and Principal of Nipporica Associates LLC, an intercultural consulting and training firm. She has facilitated intercultural effectiveness efforts since 1979, working with people from over sixty countries. She spent twelve years working in Japan, and has lived in Spain and Mexico. She speaks Japanese, Spanish and English.

Dianne holds an M.S. in Organization and Human Resource Development from the University of San Francisco, and a B.A. in International Studies from the University of the Pacific (both Caifornia USA). She has also studied at the Universidad de Salamanca (Spain) and Kansai Gaikokugo Daigaku (Osaka Japan), and is an active lifelong learner.

Dianne consults extensively at the executive levels of International Fortune 200 firms; has conducted large-scale research projects; trains trainers; has served as a process consultant in a broad range of negotiations, and as a facilitator of long-term team development efforts. Her specialties are three-fold: multicultural, dispersed work team productivity; global managerial competence; and business effectiveness with Japan. Her client list includes ABB, Cable and Wireless, Continental Airlines, Mitsui, NOVA Gas, Royal Dutch Shell, and Texas Instruments, among many others. She has been a member of the Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research since 1979 (is a founder of SIETAR Japan), the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) since 1986, and the North American Simulation and Gaming Association (NASAGA) since 1998.

Dianne is internationally acknowledged as a leader in translating the academic side of the intercultural field into practical tools for global business effectiveness. In 1994 Ms. Saphiere received the Interculturalist Award for Achievement from the International Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research. She has been on the faculty of the Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication since 1990, and has been listed as an International Woman of the Year during that same period. She founded and continues to moderate a leading international compendium of intercultural practitioners, the online community "Intercultural Insights."

Dianne’s most recent publication is a series (35 cultures and growing) of training materials called Cultural Detective: Increase Productivity, Strengthen Relationships. She co-authored Communication Highwire: Leveraging the Power of Diverse Communication Styles with Barbara Kappler Mikk and Basma Ibrahim DeVries, published by Intercultural Press in 2005.

Dianne has authored many manuals, book chapters, articles, and training tools, including Ecotonos: A Multicultural Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Simulation, Intercultural Press; Redundancía: A Foreign Language Simulation; and Shinrai: Building Trusting Relationships with Japanese Colleagues. She is a frequent contributor to edited volumes such as the Pfeiffer Annual, the Training and Performance Sourcebook and the Team and Organization Development Sourcebook, and Global Competence: 50 Training Activities for Succeeding in International Business, by HRD Press. Dianne conducted research on the effectiveness of global business teams, which was published in the International Journal of Intercultural Relations.

Pamela Pappas Stanoch founded Athena Group International, a consortium of global talent designed to meet the needs of clients expanding their global operations, in 2003. Athena provides coaching, strategy and global network design, and other resources to its international clients.

Pappas Stanoch began her career as a translator/interpreter in Rwanda, East Africa. She also served as the director of U.S. operations for the French firm VIE. In preparation for her career as an international leader, she completed a B.A. in French and in Foreign Language Education, a B.S. in International Relations, and a master’s degree in Cross-Cultural Communications from the University of Minnesota and the Université Catholique de L’Ouest, Angers, France.
In 1985, she founded Window on the World, Inc. to serve as a cross-cultural communications organization. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Window on the World, Inc. specialized in highly customized cross-cultural training and consulting for multinational corporations throughout the world. She and her staff worked with thousands of executives in the United States and abroad with the goal of enhancing individual and organizational effectiveness. For seventeen years, Window on the World, Inc. worked closely with fortune 500 companies including DaimlerChrysler, Honeywell, Inc., 3M, and General Mills, helping to bridge the gap between them and their international business associates. In 2002 Pappas Stanoch sold Window on the World to Toronto-based FGI.

As a contributing editor, for “Put Your Best Foot Forward: USA”, a quick reference guide for people wanting to avoid blunders when doing business in the United States, Pappas-Stanoch worked with author Mary Bosrock. In addition, Pamela authored a series on Global Awareness for Northwest Airlines’ World Traveler magazine.

Pappas Stanoch has been a keynote speaker and guest lecturer at events around the world. She has presented at worldwide conferences for Ernst and Young, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Carlson Wagonlit Travel and the Employee Relocation Council to name a few.

She has written and developed curriculum for expatriates, leadership development, coaching and multi-cultural teams. Considered an expert in her field within the cross-cultural community, Pappas-Stanoch has trained and coached thousands over the course of her 20+ year career.

Pamela is currently working with two of her Athena colleagues on a book dealing with Multi-Cultural Team Management, to be published in 2007.

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Half day (pm), Wednesday 25 April 2007

The main workshop activities will be intercultural exercises beginning with an introductory exercise and continuing with five other experiential exercises. The two experienced intercultural trainers will conduct the exercises, debrief them, and lead a discussion of potential uses for the exercises and how to modify them for re-use with different target audiences as well as different learning outcomes.

The learning outcomes for the workshop participants are:

• Acquiring several intercultural exercises and exploring multiple uses for the exercises
• Examining how to both challenge and support participants for maximal learning
• Gaining experience with debriefing

Sandra M. Fowler has been an intercultural program manager, consultant, researcher, and trainer for over three decades. She was part of the research team for the U.S. Navy that developed BaFa BaFa, a classic simulation game for cross-cultural training. President of the International Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research (SI) from 1986-88, she also served on the Board of Directors for the North American Simulation and Gaming Association (NASAGA). She is the senior editor for the Intercultural Sourcebook: Cross-Cultural Training Methods. She received SIETAR International’s Prima Inter Pares Award in 1993.

Margaret (Peggy) Pusch is the current Executive Director for SIETAR USA. She is a long-time interculturalist well known for her writing, lectures, and training programs. Former president of NAFSA, she has served on many boards and has been active in a variety of professional organizations. She was co-founder and managing editor of the Intercultural Press for almost two decades. She has been integral in the Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication in Portland, OR, and is the associate director for the Intercultural Communication Institute. She received the Lifetime Achievement Award from SIETAR Europa in 2005.

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Half day (am), Wednesday 25 April 2007

According to the World Economic Forum the level of trust levels in governments, the United Nations and global companies is now at its lowest level since tracking began in 2001. A Harvard Business School report found that trust in business leaders has been steadily falling over a seven year period with less that 1% of respondents having a very high opinion of their bosses honesty and ethical standards. Cross-cultural studies reveal that while 34% of US Americans believe other people can be trusted, in Latin America the figure drops to 23% and in Africa 18%.

In reading the literature on trust in teams we have found that cultural background impacts not only on the disposition to trust but also on the priorities in behaviour which will build trust. We have also understood that building trust across cultures is harder still since we tend to place higher levels of trust in friends, family members or people who share our way of thinking. This is rarely the case in cross-cultural contexts.

Low levels of trust in globally orientated organisations affects bottom-line productivity and those companies who can build trust to high levels have a clear competitive advantage which costs nothing in financial investment. In today’s world of ‘flat’ networks, JVs and partnerships, trust is the cornerstone for such ventures to be built on.

Quite simply, trust is the X factor in linking East, West, North and South. Without it people revert to a management by control attitude which is becoming increasing difficult to sustain in a context of global interdependence.

The workshop will focus on understanding both the theoretical and practical implications of measuring and building trust in the context of international teams.

The workshop will draw on our experience of using The International Trust in Teams Indicator developed by WorldWork Ltd. We can now draw on over 20 cases in teams representing a wide range of nationalities in which the instrument has been used to identify the gaps between trust factors people want and what they are actually getting in their present team. The instrument has been used in a number of corporate settings as well as with the World Bank and with an affiliation of Emergency Response charities in preparing their multicultural task forces.

Topics covered and questions answered during the workshop will include:

• What does trust mean in a cross-cultural working context?
• What are the key criteria for building trust in international teams?
• What aspects of trust are critical in different types of teams, contexts and stages in the team life cycle?
• What instruments and tools can we use to measure and identify trust gaps in cross-border teamwork?
• How does geographical distance affect levels and types of trust needed?
• What practical activities and exercises can we incorporate in our international team facilitation/training to deal with the issue of trust?
• What does our research suggest about what international team members need most in terms of trusting behaviour from their colleagues?
• What does trust-based leadership look like in an international team context?

David Trickey is senior partner of TCO International Diversity Management and Director of WorldWork Ltd. He is the original researcher behind the International Trust in Teams Indicator (ITTI).

David specialises in building trust in geographically dispersed teams, supporting alliance, JV and M&A integration processes from a cross-cultural perspective. At present he is supporting 5 leadership teams in globally oriented organisations. He has worked with Electrolux, Fiat, IVECO, ENI, KLM, T-Mobile, Deutsche Bank and Hitachi. With Nigel Ewington, David developed the DVD training package A World of Difference – working successfully across cultures which focuses on issues on international team management.

Nigel Ewington is Senior Partner TCO International Diversity Management and Director of WorldWork Ltd; faculty member of China European International Business School (2005-2006); and Director of the Diploma in Intercultural Management with Cambridge University (2000-2005).

Nigel specialises in international management competency measurement and development. He is the original developer of the widely-used International Profiler tool. He has worked recently on cross-cultural projects for The World Bank, Amnesty International, The Metropolitan Police, The World Wildlife Fund, HSBC, McKinsey & Co. Beiersdorf, BG Group, and Shell. With David Trickey he delivers regular papers at SIETAR conferences.

Marian Stetson-Rodreguez, M.S.O.D., is President and founder of Charis Intercultural Training Corporation, an intercultural communication and management consulting firm based in Pleasanton, California. Her work in successfully building global communication solutions includes multicultural team development programs for 30 countries and international relocation and management development. She manages a staff of intercultural associates in the U.S., Brazil, Costa Rica, Israel, France, U.K., Singapore, China and India.

She holds a M.S. in Organization Development a B.A. in Linguistics from University of California at Berkeley, has attended La Sorbonne Paris IV, the Monterey Institute of International Studies and the Summer Institute of Intercultural Communication.

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Half day (pm), Wednesday 25 April 2007

This half-day workshop is about using music, specifically the improvisational context of jazz, in diversity training and in understanding leadership and teams. Over the course of the workshop, the musical metaphor will be explored in detail. This approach will give trainers and consultants the tools to work in new and innovative ways with their clients, further enabling them to move from multicultural coexistence to intercultural cooperation and thereby to enhance leadership and management training.

The rationale behind this workshop's approach is that a challenge exists to create a sense of shared reality among groups with the diverse backgrounds, frames of reference, belief systems and attitudes that exist in multicultural teams. There is also a need to create a culture that supports innovation and exhibits a high tolerance of ‘failure’, thus helping to bring out people’s creativity. Small-group jazz improvisation, where players are routinely called upon to create high-level art in real-time, having often never even met before, shows how these challenges can be met. The lessons learned from the jazz context can be readily applied to many other settings, and the results are far-reaching.

In the workshop we will explore the following concepts through the metaphor of small-group jazz improvisation, using practical demonstration, discussion, audio and video excerpts. Participants will have a chance to experience and explore many of the concepts in a practical hands-on way.

• The value of metaphors – design new approaches to tackle organisational problems
  
• Understanding the music – this is a pre-requisite to move to the metaphorical level; certain basic musical concepts and practices will be explored; we will experience jazz from the inside
  
• Minimal and ambiguous structures – concepts such as the ‘song form’ lead to maximum flexibility, disrupting habits, avoiding cliché, creating new ideas; the ‘grammar’ of the music
  
• Listening/Memory – expanding our concept of listening. Understanding and applying concepts such as ‘harmony/dissonance’, ‘tension/release’, ‘melody’ etc. listening/responding and listening to oneself. Reflecting and acting at the same time; the role of memory; creating form through retrospective sense-making, decision-making;
  
• Trust – people have the skills to support us; aesthetics of imperfection and of forgiveness; embracing errors as a source of learning
  
• Collaboration – learning the strengths/weaknesses of people we work with; using this information in a non-judgemental way; awareness of different roles within the group, leveraging diversity for creativity and innovation;. evolving aesthetic
  
• Conflict – leveraging it to create dynamism; synchronicity and non-synchronicity (e.g. conflict due to unpredictability of others’ playing, good for avoiding clichés); negotiation towards a dynamic synchronicity
  
• Leadership/Contribution – Leadership as a form of contribution rather than control, and about when our leadership is needed. Alternating between 'soloing' and 'accompanying' behaviors; contribution; we don’t need to be an expert or to have all the answers
  
• Community – shared culture, ‘hanging out’, and the ‘jam session’; ‘groove’ and ‘feel’ align with organisational culture in similar emphases on emotional and aesthetic aspects of organisational life.

Carlos Lopez-Real obtained an MA in psychology and philosophy from Oxford University, and subsequently attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama for post-graduate studies in jazz performance. He then continued his training in New York City with Dave Liebman (sax player with Miles Davis in the 1970s).

He performs a wide variety of jazz, was a key member of John Mayer’s Indo-Jazz Fusions, plays with various salsa and samba groups and has been involved in numerous cross-arts projects, notably with contemporary dance companies. Carlos has toured extensively, both in the UK and internationally. He has recorded many CDs, as well as performing live on BBC TV and Radio.

Teaching has always been important to Carlos and he has taught at many schools and colleges including the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Royal College of Music, The Royal Academy of Music, Brunel University and the Purcell School. Spartan Press publishes his educational material. Through many years experience with the rehearsal and performance process in intercultural / interracial collaborations, Carlos has fine-tuned his ability to use musi