1. IATEFL BESIG Annual Conference
the most important global conference for Business English
http://www.besig.org
18 – 20 November 2011
Plenary by Jeremy Comfort
What’s culture got to do with business?
Supporting our learners in a complex world
In this talk, I will explore what we mean by intercultural competence and how we
make it relevant for our Business English learners. http://www.iatefl.org
Starting with knowledge, it is important to distinguish between briefing on a
particular culture and understanding/preparedness for working with and in any
culture. For business people understanding and developing organisational cultures is
often much more relevant than focusing on national cultures.
Secondly, what are the skills that our learners need to
add? Above all they need to become better at observing,
reflecting and learning. Busy people rarely find time for
this distancing, decentering or what I call mindfulness.
However it is fundamental to getting the right balance
between adapting to a new culture and having confidence Sponsor:
in what you bring from your culture. Companies choose
people for international assignments and roles for both
reasons. They need to be confident that they have the pull
skills that allow them to adapt (listening, observing,
perceiving) as well as the push skills to operate
successfully in tough and ambiguous environments
(autonomy, influencing skills).
Thirdly, and most importantly our attitude towards difference is fundamental. It may
not fit with the target-driven agenda of our participants but we need to convince them
of the value of diversity. Companies pride themselves on having inclusive and vibrant
cultures but they also need to make them open – curious about other cultures –
seeing cultural diversity as an opportunity rather than an obstacle.
Venue:
Jeremy Comfort helped to found York Associates more than 30 years ago. He has
developed approaches and materials for language, communication, intercultural and
international leadership training. He has published widely in these four areas, most
recently The Mindful International Manager (Kogan Page 2010). He works closely
with major multinationals and also businesses which have just started the process of
internationalising. He created and now facilitates the DPI accreditation seminars
which are available online as well as face-to-face.
