General focus in these programmes:

In many organisations, staff members need to be aware of cultural differences because they regularly work with clients, colleagues and suppliers from other cultures. Our learning programmes on cultural awareness respond to this need.

In an intake meeting with the client, we explore the contexts where staff members mostly need to be culturally aware: Do they need to build long-term relationships with a small number of people from one or two cultures? Are they typically involved in short-term interactions with many different members of other cultures? Are their cross cultural interactions well-structured and reoccurring, or diffuse and hard to predict?

We then propose a training programme and discuss it with the client. The programme will often include a workshop, which may be preceeded by individual preparation and followed by assignments to ensure that learning will be translated to the workplace.

Prior to the workshop, participants fill in IBI's Intercultural Readiness Check. As much as possible, groups will be composed according to learning needs, cultures involved and level of intercultural competence.

IBI trainers conduct the workshops in line with the learning goals identified. Below you find workshop topics for two different objectives, and information about our approach.
For more information on these programmes, please contact IBI.

Dealing with short-term, reoccuring events

Through our workshop, participants will:

• Improve their intercultural sensitivity:
  • Sensitivity to cultural differences in verbal and nonverbal behaviour
  • Awareness of their own cultural frame of reference, and how it has influenced their values, beliefs and behaviours
  • Understanding different frames of reference, and different ways of communicating.
• Recognise how stereotypes obstruct learning
• Practise new skills in specific situations, and reflect on their behaviour through debriefs of video-taped interactions
• Understand their emotional responses to cross cultural situations at work
• Develop an action plan: Which situations at work will they manage differently? Which skills will they practice first? How will they monitor their progress?

• Improve their intercultural sensitivity:
  • Sensitivity to cultural differences in verbal and nonverbal behaviour
  • Awareness of their cultural frame of reference, and how it has influenced their values, beliefs and behaviours
  • Understanding different frames of reference, and different ways of communicating.
• Realise how stereotypes obstruct learning
• Be better able to develop trust in intercultural relationships
• Gain insights into cultural differences in information exchange: Who needs to inform whom, at what time and how detailed? What information should they provide?
• Learn how to encourage collaboration and enhance commitment
• Be better able to manage the emotional challenges of working across cultures
• Learn how develop solutions that are acceptable to members of other cultures and benefit from exposure to other cultures
• Develop an action plan: How will they use those solutions in their work? How will they interact differently with business partners from other cultures? How will they monitor their progress?