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Cultural Orientations Approach™ to Cross-cultural Integration

What is it?

The Cultural Orientations Approach™ encompasses two trade-marked products of TMC, the Cultural Orientations Model™ and the Cultural Orientations Indicator®.

We use both of these products in our Organizational Development work with companies. To help organizations understand the ten dimensions of culture, we use the Cultural Orientations Model™ and to allow people to identify their cultural dimension preferences, and receive a self-assessment report, we use the Cultural Orientations Indicator®.

What are the organizational challenges, problems and opportunities of cross-cultural integration ?

  • Employees having difficulty integrating into the company / national culture.
  • Managers who need to work with other people, internal or external to the company, across national cultural boundaries
  • Lack of awareness in the company about their company culture and its impact on the integration of new hires or expatriates
  • Incoherence between a formulated vision and the implicit, taken-for-granted values and behaviors which can impact negatively the implementation and drive towards the vision

The Cultural Orientations Model™, The 10 Dimensions of Culture

1. Environment How individuals view and relate to the people, objects and issues in their sphere of influence

2. Time
How individuals perceive the nature of time and its use
3. Action
How individuals conceptualize actions and interactions with people and objects in their environment
4. Communication How individuals express themselves
5. Space
How individuals demarcate their physical and physiological space
6. Power How individuals view differential power relationships
7. Individualism How individuals define their identity
8. Competitiveness How individuals are motivated
9. Structure How individuals approach change, risk, ambiguity and uncertainty
10. Thinking How individuals conceptualize

 

What is interesting and different about it ?

  • The Cultural Orientations Model™ is based on the research of many culture specialists such as Hofstede, Hall, Hampden-Turner. It was developed by a Swiss national, Danielle Walker, of TMC, USA.
  • It brings many cultural dimensions into one model and one self-assessment report.
  • It is not a psychometric test, does not draw conclusions about personality.
  • The language is about preferences or resources available, as opposed to value-laden about right or wrong.

What’s in it for you and your organization?

  • Participants who do the online self assessment tool receive one year’s access to the Cultural Navigator, an online resource with many cultural comparisons tools.
  • Participants can receive either a short report or a long report with behavioral recommendations.
  • Increasing your people’s cross-cultural awareness, self-awareness and skills in communicating and working across cultures.

What kind of services do we offer your organization?

Overview for your Human Resources department

A half-day overview of the Cultural Orientations Approach™ , with the COI® for your HR team, and how it can be used in your organization.

Individual coaching or cultural mentoring for managers

Individual coaching or cultural mentoring for managers who have a specific and punctual need. The individual fills out the online self assessment form (Cultural Orientations Indicator®) and works with a coach to inform him/herself of cultural differences and improve his/her cross-cultural skills.

Cross-cultural interpersonal skills training

A half-day workshop to present the team with the report, which conditions could be improved, and to get the team ready for implementing improvements.

Team coaching or team-building

An ongoing coaching relationship with the whole team to assist in your team effectiveness.

Managing across cultures training for managers

Training on “Managing across cultures” for managers who find themselves in cross-cultural management situations where they need to adapt their management skills to the national culture or to understand the culture gap between different cultures.

New Hire Induction

Design and development of a module on culture for induction training for new hires and expatriates.

Why work with us?

Kate Lindley Scheidegger , M.Sc., is an organizational development consultant with over 30 years experience in training design and delivery. British by birth, she is a “3rd culture kid” having being brought up in the US and in Zurich, Switzerland. She has a natural inclination to adapt to different cultures, and is a certified practitioner of the COA™ .

The Talent Spirit team members, Elizabeth Auzan, Linda Wee-Henz, Ben Johnson, have many years of experience working and living in cultures outside their own national cultures. They are all cross-culturally astute trainers, facilitators and coaches.

It is easy to approach cross-cultural issues by bringing in “experts” who will inform people about how such or such a group supposedly functions. At its best, this approach can create awareness on which follow-up training can be based. At its worst, it can reinforce stereotypes and prejudice. Our approach, and the tools we use, aim to create individual awareness from personal reflection. By facilitating debriefing of the information gathered and introducing tools such as appreciative inquiry we can hope to create a vision of what would be the ideal solution to tend towards. Through coaching we can hope to ensure that the individuals or different groups learn to work together towards a common goal which transcends cultural differences whether personal, national or company.

Managing across cultures training for managers