|
We were honored to be included on the team of interculturalists from all over the world who
is working on the Cultural Detective™ project under the able leadership of Dianne Hofner-Saphiere.
Dianne developed the methodology and has used it successfully for many years in various training
projects. As she describes it:
 "Cultural Detective™ is a new approach to a centuries-old challenge: how to better
understand and collaborate with people from other cultures. What's new is that rather than
memorizing a long list of dos and don'ts. . .the facilitator assists participants' discovery of
core values that have been researched by cultural insiders and experts in intercultural
communication. Values motivate behavior in all sorts of different combinations. Once your
participants grasp the core values of a culture, they are much better able to decipher the
intentions behind the actions of their foreign colleagues, and better able to see their foreign
colleagues as unique individuals influenced by culture, rather than as stereotypical
representatives of a culture.
Cultural Detective™ uses storytelling, music, props, posters, and small group
discussion of real-world situations to enable participants to quickly understand a culture's
core values and how they impact real life. Participants will leave your program better able to
dialogue with their colleagues about cultural similarities and differences, and better able to
create methods for more effective intercultural collaboration."
 Cultural Detective™ materials are available for licensing and download online from
www.culturaldetective.com. Packets are available for many cultures (not just nationalities)
of the world and more are being developed all the time. Each packet includes a detailed
facilitator guide that will help both new and experienced intercultural trainers run a
successful activity, and an attractively designed Participant Guide comprising:
- A values wheel of the culture
- Explanations of each value and negative perceptions it may generate
- A minimum of five critical incidents
- A sample debrief sheet
- A list of best practices for bridging cultures and enhancing intercultural productivity
- A bibliography of additional resources
Please check out Cultural Detective™ for France and any other cultures you are dealing with,
and let us know how it works for you. We are always interested in hearing from facilitators
and participants, and getting any suggestions from users on how to improve our products!
Global Team Effectiveness:
Cultural Detective™ and the French-German-Japanese Interface
Ruth and Gilles presented with Dianne Hofner-Saphiere and Rita Wuebbeler at SIETAR Europa's
annual conference in Nice, France (www.sietar-europa.org).
In this workshop, participants experienced the Cultural Detective™ method as it
applies to global teams whose membership includes the French-German-Japanese interface. Using
an interactive format, participants learned the core values of each of the three cultures and
had the opportunity to analyze a team scenario using the Cultural Detective™ method. We also
explored the topic of global team effectiveness and reviewed best practices for bridging
differences in global teams.
"For Two Hours, It Won't Kill You to Love the French"
This was the message that appeared on billboards and buses all over New York last winter in
conjunction with the History Channel's special program on the French Revolution. An irresistible photo op!
On a more serious revolutionary note, Ruth and Gilles attended a fascinating colloquium
called "Genesis of Revolutions: the Twin Births of Republican Nations" in the spring at
the Fondation France-Amériques in Paris during which distinguished historians from both
countries analyzed similarities and differences in the legacies of the French and American
revolutions.
An interesting cultural note was sounded when the floor was opened for questions from the
audience. An elderly Frenchwoman made an impassioned plea in favor of the monarchy, and such
was her outrage at the temerity of Danton et al. that she refused to relinquish her soapbox
and very nearly had to be wrestled to the floor to get the microphone away!
| 
