Today’s conference provided so many new and diverse ideas and perspectives it’s hard to know where to begin! After the morning coffee and muffins I was very excited to sit in on the talk “Barking Up the Wrong Tree” by Ray Leki. I felt that it really pinpointed an important area of cultural training preparation that has not received the emphasis and recognition it should, specifically tackling the physiological manifestations of “culture shock” before being able to move onto developing the cognitive and analytic skills of adapting to a new culture. Having taken part in this session I now can’t imagine not including this in a pre-departure training for an international student or professional.
Another highlight for me was Fons Trompenaar’s luncheon presentation. Being such a well-known figure in the interculturalist field, and having read and studied some of his work, I was intrigued to see and hear him in person. His insights into intercultural management, combined with his incredible wit and humor made for a very entertaining and thought-provoking hour. I particularly appreciated the point he made at the conclusion of his talk where he demonstrated that dilemmas can be the same across cultures but that how you react to them is culture based. It is our jobs as leaders to bridge the gap between these sometimes polar opposite reactions to a problem.
The third session for the day was also quite interesting and very well organized. I appreciated listening to the discussion regarding the difficulties and complexities of developing a tool for sharing knowledge within an organization. Perhaps I was a bit less engaged in this topic than I was in the others because as a Masters student, not quite launched into a professional career, I wasn’t able to see an immediate use for the information. Nonetheless, I plan on keeping the interesting thoughts and ideas that were shared during this session in mind for a point in the not too distant future when I’m sure they will become more salient.
It was an incredibly interesting and engaging day and I’m looking forward to seeing what tomorrow brings!
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