Competencies
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Working in a Multicultural Environment
Ability to function in cross-cultural communciation and in multicultural environment
We work in dynamic and diverse situations with people from different cultural backgrounds. The ability to communicate cross-culturally is essential in collaborating and establishing good relationships.
Understanding social and cultural values and group dynamics is essential for effective team-work.
Is able to communicate well cross-culturally.
Is able to work well with others in multicultural environments.
Growth Activities
The following activities have been identified to achieve comptency in Working in a Multicultural Environment in levels from Learner to Expert.
Read about cross-cultural communication. Discuss with your mentor the different styles of communication that you have encountered and how they have affected you and your work.
Read about how leadership styles are shaped by the person's cultural background. Reflect on how your own cultural background influences the way you lead and/or relate to leadership.
With the help of your mentor, identify 2 areas of growth in your communication and find concrete ways to work on them.
Read about cross-cultural team dynamics. Discuss with your mentor what you found relevant.
Reflect on possible barriers that can prevent people from participating effectively in a decision-making process in your context. Discuss with you mentor how to avoid or overcome those barriers.
Identify some of your own strengths and weaknesses that you are aware of when working cross-culturally with others. With the feedback of your mentor, choose 2 areas to work on.
Ask around to find out about some appropriate ways to how respect in the cultures you work with. Discuss with your mentor.
Ask a colleague who is not from your culture to give you feedback on your communication. Identify a strength and an area of growth.
Set a SMART goal to improve in this area of growth. Discuss with your mentor.
Reflect and discuss with your mentor how you can support your leader in a culturally appropriate way.
Find out what are the culturally appropriate ways to encourage others.
Observe how a group you’re working with makes decisions/come to consensus. What do you observe? What should you take into account so that you can participate more effectively in the decision-making process?
Read about cross-cultural conflict and resolution. Discuss with your mentor.
Do some informal mini-research about what people in your cross-cultural context think a good supervisor is like and what he/she does. Discuss with your mentor what you learned from this mini-research.
Identify 2-3 strengths in 1 or 2 people you work with cross-culturally (if you work in a team, this could be your teammates) and explain why their contribution is important. Discuss with your mentor.
Ask a colleague who is not from your culture to give you feedback on your communication. Identify a strength and an area of growth. Discuss with your mentor.
Reflect on and discuss with your mentor how you can better support and encourage the people you work with / lead in a culturally appropriate way.
Apply cross-cultural communication principles in training and project team activities. Reflect on how effective you thought your teaching and communication was during a training event. Ask someone else who was present, and with a different cultural background, to give you feedback.
Find out something new about each of your close colleagues' patterns of working. Show that you value them and their perspectives. Afterwads discuss with your mentor what you discovered and how it might help you to work better together.
Identify 2-3 concrete things you can do to facilitate team/group discussions in a way that every member can contribute. Discuss with your mentor.
Initiate a team discussion about how you can work better together. Discuss with your mentor what you have learned. Identify one area of growth for yourself.
Help others understand different communication styles.
Facilitate reflection and discussion about cross-cultural communication and leadership in your context.
Help others to adapt their teaching, mentoring and supervising in a way that will enable them to work effectively in cross-cultural situations.
Design activities and facilitate discussions that foster the development of effective cross-cultural team or group work.
Help others to learn about working cross-culturally with a team or group, and to reflect on their strengths and weaknesses. Help others appropriately deal with cross-cultural conflict situations.