Reconcile-it!!
The growing 'global workplace' highlights the need for Managers and employees to work alongside colleagues from a diverse range of cultural and ethnic backgrounds, in order to do this they have to develop inter-cultural communication competencies.
Intercultural communication is a skill; cultural differences can get in the way of clear communication, which in turn creates problems for mutual understanding in the workplace. By increasing knowledge and skills clients often find renewed confidence in their ability to relate accross differences.
If communication fails, people adopt different positions; becoming polarised and meaningful discussion becomes difficult. Miscommunication can lead to inter-personal conflicts, grievances, disciplinaries and low morale affecting individual and team performance.
Beyond Difference workshops and resources aim to build on your existing expertise, knowledge and skills. We often hear from clients and customers of services, how difficult it is to talk about sensitive issues in an honest and direct manner and we use our expertise of working creatively with cultural difference to change this perception.
We think that a celebration of differences between people is a more productive and holistic way of exploring complex situations, it reduces a 'blame game' and leads to a 'same frame' that can then be used to find solutions to problems.
We have designed a series of display banners and supplementary materials to support you in facilitating conversations in groups, teams and one-to-one that move 'beyond difference'. Use them in a way that suits you - within a workshop or team meeting, in the classroom or just pin them up on the wall in the office, we hope they will stimulate discussion and debate.
