Transcript Using Key Skills and Subject Benchmarks to help EMPLOYMENT

Education in a Changing Environment Conference,
Salford
12-14 September, 2007
Developing Intercultural Competence
James Wilkinson
Nicolas Sola
Thames Valley University, London
•
3. IICEE Project Partnership
4. Project Outputs
•
3 Learning Units
•
Module Guide
•
Research
•
Website: http://iicee.tvu.ac.uk
5. Defining Intercultural Competence:
some apparent contradictions
•
Goal
•
Scope
•
Application
•
Underpinning conceptions of culture
Coherence versus Cohesion
Rathje (2007)
Coherence versus cohesion-based view of
intercultural interaction
Rathje (2007)
Rathje’s (2007)“Tentative definition of intercultural competence”
“ Foundation:
understanding culture as existing within human groups,
characterized by cohesion due to familiarity with inherent
differences.
Scope:
intercultural competence can be defined as a culture-generic skill.
Application:
relevant in interactions between individuals from different human
groups experiencing foreignness ….
Goal:
that leads to culture production by creating familiarity and thus
cohesion among the involved individuals allowing them to pursue
their interaction goals.”
(Rathje 2007: 13)
Thus, IICEE can be seen as equipping individuals with practical knowledge and
skills which allow them to pursue their interaction goals
Developing three types of learning:
cognitive
affective
conative
Integrating theory and practice
1.
Interpersonal and intercultural communication
teamwork and presentation skills
2.
Creative problem solving strategies
3.
Cross-cultural project management and team
facilitation
Atmosphere for Creativity*
E
N
Energy available
for
for task and success
E individual
R
and
G
team
Y
Energy
required
for
emotional
survival
Threatening
*adapted from:
Ceserani and Greatwood,
1996
controversial
neutral
cooperative
ATMOSPHERE
supportive
6. Project Working Methods
The IICEE project is itself a case study in
•
•
•
interpersonal and intercultural teamwork
creative problem solving
cross-cultural project management
IICEE at Thames Valley University (2006-2007)
Assignment 1
Group Project
Intercultural and
Interpersonal
Communication,
Teamwork &
Presentation
Skills
(weeks 1-10)
Presentation and
Written Report
Cross-cultural
Project
Management and
Team
Facilitation
Creative
Problem
Solving
Strategies
Assignment 2
Critical Evaluation
(weeks 11-15)
Individual Report
Reflection on
international / intercultural aspects of project management,
based on
Experience of
multicultural
project teamwork
Critical evaluation
of relevant literature
Next year…
Cross-cultural
Project
Management and
Team
Facilitation
Assignment 1
Assignment 2
Group Project
Weeks 1 – 15
Weeks 1-12
Reflection on
interpersonal / intercultural
aspects
of project management,
based on :
Creative
Problem
Solving
Strategies
Intercultural and
Interpersonal
Communication,
Teamwork &
Presentation
Skills
• Experience of
multicultural project work
Presentation and
Written Report
• Critical evaluation of
relevant literature
Individual Report
The Student Experience
“In professional life, it is not important to know a lot
about the people you work with”
“In order to work effectively in a team, I need to
know the other team members well”
“Silence does not necessarily mean ‘Yes’ ”
Dissemination Activities
• Nice Network: Nice, Tralee,
Sopot, Gijon, Ljubjlana, Heilbronn
• International Association Conferences:
CECIOS - Kaunas
EAIE – Krakow, Basel, Trondheim;
IATIS – Cape Town;
SPACE – Edinburgh; Cyprus
IALIC – Passau
ECE - Salford
The need for an open approach
“ to provide frames of reference, to give
analytical tools to explore in-depth tradeoffs among short and long term
alternative decisions, to involve individual
managers in assessing their own values
and paradigms in order to be more lucid
and responsible in their own choices.”
(De Bettignies, cited by Schneider and Barsoux 2003: 258).
In Conclusion
“Through this module, I have met lots of different
people from different country who even have not
traditional personalities that people assume they
should have. I have really learned and
experienced intercultural communication. They
are all so unforgettable, which help me to have
knowledge and experience to deal with different
people with different culture in future.”
(MA in Tourism Management student, TVU)
Contact Details
Project Coordinator: [email protected]
Learning Unit Coordinators:
LU 1 Interpersonal and intercultural communication:
[email protected]
LU 1 Creative Problem Solving:
[email protected]
LU 3 Cross-cultural Project Management:
[email protected]
References
Ceserani, J. and Greatwood, P. (1996) Innovation and Creativity. London: Kogan
Page
Rathje, S. (2004) Corporate Cohesion – Handlungsansatz zur Gestaltung
interkultureller Unternehmenskultur, in Bolten, J. (Ed) Interkulturelles Handeln in
der Wirtschaft – Positionen, Modelle, Perspektiven, Projekte, Sternenfels 2004
(Wissenschaft & Praxis): 112-124
Rathje, S. (2007) Intercultural Competence – Status and Future of a Controversial
Concept, Retrieved 15th May 2007 from http://www2.unijena.de/philosophie/iwk/publikationen/intercultural_competence_rathje.pdf: 13
Schneider, S. and Barsoux, J. (2003). Managing across cultures, Harlow: Financial
Times Prentice Hall: 258