Managing Differences
Intercultural
communication, research and problem solving
Our services in this area include social science, interpretive and critical
approaches to cross-cultural data gathering and analysis (diagnostic). Our
approaches are designed to identify differences in expectations and operational
behaviour and articulate the context in which they have developed. This enables
us to target key cultural characteristics that may impact on customer, supplier,
partner, staff and managerial relationships and behaviours.
Client profiling and global marketing
An organisation’s tacit knowledge and culture is its greatest asset. The only problem is that this tacit knowledge is in the day to day experience and activities of the organisation and is not consciously recognised or articulated in a way that can be used or marketed.
We have recently completed a research project to profile MNC’s in Europe and established a methodology for surfacing and identifying the "intangibles", that is, what is actually happening rather than what is said or believed to be happening.
We are now in the second phase of the project which involves training staff in the application of the methodology to their areas. This includes matching sales approaches with client company profit models so that the marketing/sales focus is on helping the client company grow its profits.
This will provide the impetus for our client to provide new and innovative solutions based on their value adding potential for customers’ real intellectual property.
Intercultural communication
Our intercultural communication programmes are designed to provide participants with an understanding of:
communication
as both a conscious and an unconscious process
the underlying bases of culture and cultural differences;
emotional, psychological, and behavioural impacts of differences in a communication
context;
strategies for recognising and working with them in the organisation.
Briefings and workshops can be arranged for groups of varying sizes and levels
of expertise and can address immediate workplace issues, preparation for short
and long term overseas projects, and the integration of skills and knowledge
from overseas and/or multicultural work sites.