One of SoCoCo's biggest projects this year involves an American subsidiary of a French-German company. A large number of their managers, involved in three-way ventures, are eager to share their intercultural challenges, and learn about French and German cultures while reflecting on their own cultural background.
We have called in the help of some of our colleagues who are experts in German culture, including Rita Wuebbeler, Greg Nees and Sabine Amend, to co-train these sessions.
Participants in the two-day program also receive an intercultural mini-library to take with them, consisting of our own "Au Contraire! Figuring Out the French", Greg Nees' "Germany: Unraveling an Enigma" and Edward and Mildred Hall's "Understanding Cultural Differences: Germans, French, and Americans".
So far, we have trained approximately 300 participants in Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, Washington and Massachusetts. Many participants ask if their French and German counterparts will be having similar training on understanding US culture and their US counterparts. We are working hard to make this happen! Clearly, intercultural communication works best when the understanding and knowledge is shared across all cultures involved.
Several training sessions have coincided with World Cup matches, so we've incorporated football commentary (and live match commentary via the Internet during coffee breaks and lunch!) to provide a truly global perspective.
Many of the comments we received from sessions' participants show the pertinence of such training, coupled whenever necessary with follow-up coaching.
Plans are underway for more sessions in 2007, including Canada, and we are entertaining the possibility of engaging newly-formed intercultural teams in a two- to three-day teambuilding program.
Cultural Detective Goes to School
Recently, we've had the opportunity to use the French Cultural Detective in school settings. The results have been very satisfying-and quite surprising!
Association of French Schools in North America
When the Association of French Schools in North American held its annual conference in San Diego, Ruth was invited to do a one-day workshop with French instructors and administrators from French and international schools. The title was "Comprendre l'Autre: Anatomie des différences culturelles" ("Understanding the Other: the Anatomy of Cultural Differences").
Ruth decided to use the Cultural Detective method, but rather than use the incidents in the French CD, she put together a special set of case studies concerning schooling and relationships among students, teachers, parents and administrators.
After a general discussion of differences in child-rearing philosophies and methods, and educational systems in France and North America, we learned and practiced the Cultural Detective method. In small groups, participants analyzed the school-related case studies. The cases resonated very well with participants and sparked lively discussions that went on long after the end of the session.
This was a wonderful example of how flexible the Cultural Detective can be, and how it can be customized for various audiences.
High School
One of Ruth's friends is a French instructor at a local high school, who has very kindly invited her to make several presentations about French culture for her students. Last year, Ruth asked if she would be interested in trying the French Cultural Detective with her students, and they consented to be guinea pigs.
The workshop went very well-although the "oldsters" got rather more of a kick out of hearing "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" in French than the kids! The small groups worked hard on their case studies, and as we moved around the room, we were impressed by the level of discussion.
A spokesperson from each group presented the group's results to the entire class. Each spokesperson scribed their group's worksheet on the board and walked all of us through their analysis and conclusions. The kids were doing some very high-level thinking, and Ruth and their teacher were both impressed.
Then the young girl from Group 5 stood up. She reviewed their case, which involves a dispute between a French company who has contracted with the Forest Ministry in Cameroon to harvest timber. Without going into the details of the incident, the situation reaches crisis point when the French begin to build a road through a village to reach the timber area. They are confronted by a mass sit-in by the entire village to prevent the destruction of their dwellings, gardens and ancestral shrines.
The girl summarized the group's discussion. When she got to the Cultural Bridges section, she looked at us with the kind of disbelief in the folly of adults that only a 16-year-old can muster and asked, "OK, why can't the French just, like, build the roads AROUND the villages instead of, like, THROUGH them? Hel-LO!"
We had to confess that none of the distinguished interculturalists, high-level business people or consultants who reviewed the Cultural Detective had ever come up with this concept! And what a brilliant concept it is. The moral of the story is: don't underestimate the power of the simple (non)obvious solution. Like, hel-LO!
SIETAR Europa (La Colle sur Loup, France)
Twenty members of the Cultural Detective author team (total membership is now over 80) met for lunch during the annual conference of SIETAR Europa (Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research) in the Provence region of southern France.
During the conference, Gilles and Ruth joined Dianne Hofner-Saphiere, developer of the Cultural Detective tool and methodology, and Rita Wuebbeler, co-author of CD: Germany to lead a session called, "Global Team Effectiveness-Cultural Detective™ and the French-German-Japanese Interface". Participants were invited to "experience the Cultural Detective™ method as it applies to global teams whose membership includes the French-German-Japanese interface. Participants ...learn[ed] the core values of each of the three cultures and [had] the opportunity to analyze a team scenario using the Cultural Detective™ method." Along with the facilitators, they explored "the topic of global team effectiveness and review[ed] best practices for bridging differences in global teams."
After an introductory activity and some opening remarks, participants split into smaller groups. Each one ran through a mini-version of a Cultural Detective incident, then put on their "trainer hats" to brainstorm how they might use the tool in their own programs.
Following the conference, some of us also enjoyed a meal at the Café Signes in Paris, Europe's first restaurant run by the hearing-impaired. The charming staff helped us overcome multiple cultural and communication barriers, and we enjoyed a delicious lunch. We eagerly anticipate the addition of CD: Deaf Culture by Anna Mindess and Thomas K. Holcomb in the beginning of 2007.
Earlier this spring, Ruth had the opportunity to work with several Southern California offices of the Department of Rehabilitation. The DOR "works in partnership with consumers and other stakeholders to provide services and advocacy resulting in employment, independent living and equality for individuals with disabilities." Ruth was invited to run an intercultural team building session for personnel from various offices who represent and work across a wide range of cultural differences, including national, regional, local, gender, racial, abled/disabled and others. It was also an opportunity for people from various offices who don't normally work together to meet and get acquainted, and enjoy lunch together afterwards.
DOR volunteers put together some fun table activities that allowed people to mix and break the ice. Then Ruth ran some lively experiential activities that helped participants understand their own and their colleagues' cultural patterns and preferences, and how to build bridges across the gaps.
Several DOR employees are themselves disabled, which certainly helps them empathize with their clients. To accommodate the deaf participants, sign language interpreters were provided, which gave Ruth the chance to learn how to work with them for effective communication.
When Ruth and Gilles first went abroad to study, they received no intercultural training. This resulted in a great deal of unnecessary stress added to the inevitable wear and tear of an international experience. So, whenever we can, we try to help exchange students make a smoother transition than we did!
Part of this effort involves our Paris colleague, Anne-Hélène Gutierres who returned to Paris with an American husband after twelve years in the US heartland in Minnesota.
Upon the arrival of new students, she organizes and delivers intercultural training for several American universities in Paris and other French cities. Here are some comments from her participants:
- "The first session was helpful. It prepared us for some of the things we might encounter..."
- "It was good to know about mood trends for [exchange] students. No matter how disbelieving I was at the time of the event, the 'slump' definitely was predicted by the information given on the first session."
- It was fun to hear about people's stories..."
- "They made me feel that I was not the only person struggling to meet French people."
- "I thought the two sessions were good opportunities to express our thoughts about living in France. I feel that it was necessary to talk about stereotypes and expectations and to discuss how to best adjust to living in France."
- "I found it very helpful, especially learning about the different phases of culture hock, many of which I experienced."
- "The 'coconut vs. peach' model was very true and helpful..."
- "I liked [Anne-Hélène]. She was interesting. . . .it was nice to step back and to talk about our experiences together."
- "...Helped explain the process of growing accustomed to a foreign country..."
- "...It was fun to identify common problems/situations we were all experiencing here in Paris, because they were surprisingly similar for everyone..."
- "...Particularly helpful ... with the tips to sign up for groups as soon as possible before we got burned out."
If you are involved with any kind of exchange program, please do get in touch with us to discuss how we can help!
Over Memorial Day weekend, Gilles and his colleague Barry Finch co-organized a three-day Community Building workshop. It took place at The Abode of the Message, a Sufi retreat center southeast of Albany. Eleven of us gathered that weekend in order to share our selves, listen to one another, and build group spirit while getting to know each another.
Evenings gave us a chance to visit the local ice cream parlor or take a trip "up the road" into Massachusetts in order to walk the labyrinth. The caterpillars were continuously part of this spring adventure and it gave our workshop a special and wonderful "close to nature" taste.
Travelogue
After attending a conference in New Orleans, Ruth stayed on for a couple of days and did some volunteer work. She describes her experience in helping to rebuild the city on page 1 of her travelogue and includes information on how you can help if you are interested. On page 2, she shares the discoveries that she made during some of her recent travels.
How to Reach Us
For more information about our programs or any of the activities mentioned in this newsletter,
please email us:
Gilles: gilles@sococo.com
Ruth: ruth@sococo.com
