Reflections on Day 1

My first day of the IMI Conference was packed with opportunities to test my intercultural management skills. As a graduate degree candidate in International Communication at American University's School of International Service, I enjoyed seeing how these crucial skills impact communication across cultures, whether it be negotiation, diplomacy, policy formation or development work. The conference provided a safe, tolerant environment to wrestle with various conceptions of culture and the challenges that they bring. My greatest concern is how to address cultural difficulties and misunderstandings outside of such a tolerant setting.

Voices from Home was the first leg of my intercultural journey. This session addressed the often overlooked, but nonetheless vital, personal and family context of short term assignments overseas. The study found that the more satisfied and supported overseas employees were by their companies, the better they perceived their personal and family life to be. I sincerely hope that corporations will implement these suggestions to support employees with overseas assignments.

My next stop was an exploration of sociolinguistics and visual imagery to raise cross cultural understanding. As a communications professional, I greatly enjoyed this session. We reviewed two Japanese and two American Honda Prius commercials and analyzed the differences between the two and what clues they offer about Japanese and American cultures. The interactive and engaging nature of this session was fantastic.

At lunch, Fons Trompenaars gave a lighthearted and insightful speech that challenged traditional conceptions of culture. He recommended reconciling different conceptions by using 'through' rather than 'either or' - in other words, not thinking of culture in diametrically opposed terms.

After lunch, it was a journey into the 'Wicked Problem of Coordinating Across Time Zones.' I learned that there are 40 time zones in the world and that Russia alone has 11 of them. The complexity of coordinating teams across the world is indeed a practical challenge that multinational organizations face. New telecommunication technology holds greater promise of international collaboration, however does it facilitate better coordination in reality? Our breakout group had an engaged discussion on this subject.

Finally, the charismatic and talented Motoo Unno showed video footage of the Toyota hearings in which U.S. Congressional representatives questioned Mr. Toyoda and his team of translators and legal counsel. It helped to see a real life, high stakes cross cultural conflict between two very different cultures with very different social cues. We then analyzed the situation and discussed what could have helped facilitate communication and understanding. I learned a great deal from this session and had fun.

I can't wait for day 2!