Ever since I left the corporate world and began teaching leadership and cross-cultural communication, a question has lingered in my mind:
How can adult, working students connect with working professionals to discuss how to exercise leadership in the culturally diverse work place?
I am not the only person who is
preoccupied with the issues of leadership and culture in today’s diverse
society. Leaders, managers and other professionals in the United States and
around the world are forced to deal with this unprecedented challenge every
day. The international and interconnected working environment that has
developed over the past 20 years demands a level of cross-cultural
understanding that previous generations of business and organizational leaders
never imagined. The sand traps of cultural misunderstanding are everywhere;
some are visible and others you don’t notice until you have slid into them.
With every class, I administer a needs-assessment tool. The “Getting-To-Know-You Questionnaire" identifies the workplace issues on students’ minds—from leadership and diversity to culture-specific communication, global team-building, and the nuances of business and social protocol in different countries and cultures. Over the years the questions submitted by my students have provided a window into their real-world quandaries, and these questions are now compiled into a database that offers many rich insights.
For example, Question #14 on the questionnaire asks: What is one question or situation related to the topic of leadership and/or cultural difference that you would most like to address during this course?
Here are three typical responses from students:
- I am preparing for off-shore team work, and I want to look at the real-world challenges that multicultural teams bring to the table like communication, work culture, cultural norms, etc. How do people deal with these issues successfully?
- As a leader of a global company, is it possible to adjust one's leadership skills for cultural differences? In other words, if a company operates in 20 countries, how does the CEO adjust his or her management style to accommodate each culture? Is that possible?
- Does age
have an effect in leading others?
What is the role of experience? In my work space, the majority of
the people are age 50 and older. Is
a young person going to have more difficulty establishing herself or
himself as a good leader just because of lack of experience?
The questionnaire is used to tailor these
undergraduate and graduate-level courses, and also to drive discussions as the
class moves from theory to practice.
This blog represents an enormous opportunity for professionals from all over the world and in all industries to exchange ideas on today’s most challenging workplace issues related to leadership and cultural diversity.
A new blog question will be posed every week based upon questions surfaced by prior and current students, and you are invited to respond with your insights and personal work experiences. While the students are all U.S. based and their questions will naturally be framed with that perspective, I welcome--indeed encourage--contributors from other cultures and countries to offer their viewpoints.
My hope is that this blog and your thoughtful commentary will serve as the catalyst that connects workplace professionals across the globe with adult, working students in the higher education classroom. I intend to manage the blog and moderate the discussion, with a light hand, as needed.
You are invited to join the discussions.
Charlene Blockinger, Ed.D.
