Cultural Awareness Training

Individuals possessing a high level of intercultural competence tend to be more capable of interacting with members of different cultures in a way that is satisfying to both parties, culturally sensitive, and effective. Crucially, the goal is not only to work together successfully, avoiding prejudicial judgments and other impediments to effective collaboration, but also, in fact, to capitalize on the diversity of perspectives and approaches available.

To illustrate this point using the example of a German operation manager in India: The ‘indifference’ in the Indian plant towards his demands for smooth processes and high-quality output may very well frustrate him without prior preparatory training. The ‘unwillingness’ on the ground to assume responsibility or to admit failures may annoy him even further. And if he then thinks that, without him, operations collapse, and that his questions and requests are regularly met with apologetic smiles and nonsensical responses, he is likely to make negative attributions about Indian behavior and to draw negative conclusions as to ‘how things Indians tick’ and how to best deal with them…

It therefore poses a significant challenge in the training of the German operation manager to effect a process that enables him to act in a culturally competent manner permitting collaboration on equal terms and resulting in the achievement of organizational objectives.

Our trainings on general cultural sensitization therefore target the levels of cognition/reflection, emotion/experience, and the resultant behavior. The crucial starting point here is the recognition of one’s own cultural conditioning and the related values and customs generally perceived as self-evident, ‘correct’ and, in most cases, non-negotiable. A blend of methods including exercises, case studies, role plays, and discussions, supplemented by video material and presentations by trainers, target all levels of experience, cognition, and active rehearsal, thereby reinforcing learning outcomes.