Over the last 100 years business and social life have been changing quite dramatically. Especially in the last 15 years, communication has become more and more multicultural (web). If we want to communicate these days, we really need to be interculturally prepared.
How NOT to adapt?
- learn all about target culture: is not realistic, cf. economic "window of opportunity".
- Mimic, adapt as much as possible: is not realistic either, impossible, even insulting.
- Prejudices - cultural superiority
How to adapt?
- Leaders are excellent communicators
- Understand communication (+ link communication-culture)
- Active view on cultures
- Avoid prejudices
- Cultural awareness -> open attitude
- Careful transmission of information
- R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
- Find things in common and common objective(s)
Perhaps the most important question of today's lecture:
What are our common things and common objectives? (People in the classroom described themselves as: Belgian, Macedonian, Portuguese, Flemish, Muslim, Spanish, Christian, Chinese,…)
To get started:
- common objective: reach the level of intercultural competence
- common objective: building up a network of (new) friends in order to be able to contact them again in the future.
Other things we have in common and/or common objectives? Add them in the comments.
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Typical us...
when we are talking about the germans we all talk about large beer cans and würst !! (all smiling and giggling)
but when they ask => What are our common things and common objectives? The only thing we can bring out is the name of our country...
Shouldn't we start by knowing ourselfs ?
kind regards
Raisha
In my opinion, every person has his own objectives and wishes. The culture one belongs to does not matter in this case (if we observe the individual). However, it is not impossible to find a common ground, we all want to be happy and prosper in life, don't we? Well, you would say who doesn't, right?
Of course, my point is that we are all human beings with more or less the same needs and desires. Therefore, it is not a problem to find at least few commong things and common objectives for our group. However, it is obvious that there will be more differences than similaries which is due to the different personal views and different culutral values. Though the individual views are playing the key role, you cannot separate the individual from the society and his culture.
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