cepa foundation webinar #8 “incorporating meaningful inter-culturally focused academic components...

CEPA Foundation Webinar #8“Incorporating meaningful

inter-culturally focused academic components in education abroad”

Presented by:Dr. Wolfgang Glebe, University of Strasbourg École de Management

Lynn C. Anderson, Academic Director, CEPA Foundation

November 2, 2015 at 12 pm eastern, 11 am central, 10 am mountain, and 9 am pacific time

The presentation will last approx. 45 minutes. There will be a 15 minute Q&A session afterwards.

Sponsored by the CEPA Foundation - Cultural and Educational Programs Abroad 1

Kluckhohn’s cultural theories


Clyde Kluckhohn, One of the first scientists dealing with intercultural issues (together with Strodtbeck)1905 - 1960, an American anthropologist and social theorist, best known for his long-term ethnographic work among the Navajo and his contributions to the development of theory of culture within American anthropology.

Kluckhohn’s cultural theories


Kluckhohn defined 5 key aspects of human life: 1.Human Nature (people seen as intrinsically good, evil, or mixed)2.Man-Nature Relationship (the view that humans should be subordinate to nature, dominant over nature, or live in harmony with nature)3.Time (primary value placed on past/tradition, present/enjoyment, or future/posterity/delayed gratification)4.Activity (being, becoming/inner development, or doing/striving/industriousness)5.Social Relations (hierarchical, collateral/collective-egalitarian, or individualistic)

Geert Hofstede, one of the “fathers” in intercultural science

Hofstede’s cultural theories


a Dutch social psychologist, former IBM employee, and Professor Emeritus of Organizational Anthropology and International Management at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, well known for his pioneering research on cross-cultural groups and organizations.

Hofstede questioned at IBM hundreds of thousands of people and defined hereof his theories in 6 dimensions:

There are cultural clusters in the world, countries which are culturally closer than others (for example: Anglo-Saxon, East Asia, Southern Europe, Scandinavia, Middle East, etc.)

These countries within one cluster show cultural similarities regarding these 6 dimensions, other clusters differ significantly from them. So these characterizations can in some cases allow probabilities how people from these countries will react in certain situations.



The 6 dimensions are:



1. Power Distance Index (PDI) Is it accepted that power is unequally distributed? Authority,

hierarchy, power

2. Individualism (IDV) or Collectivism (COL)How free are individuals compared to group rules? Individual or team performance?

3. Masculinity/Feminity (MAS - FEM) Are roles of men/women strict or flexible? Is working/job/career more important than familiy life?

The 6 dimensions are:



4. Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI) How to accept ambigousness?How to deal with the risks of life?

5. Long/Short-Term Orientation (LTO) How to invest goods?How long ROI?

6. Indulgence/RestraintCan we enjoy life and having fun?How strict are our social norms?

Trompenaars’ cultural theories


Fons Trompenaars, continuing the work of Hofstede in applications in businessFons Trompenaars is a Dutch organizational theorist, management consultant, and author in the field of cross-cultural communication, known for the development of Trompenaars' model of national culture differences.



The Approach

Organizations need stability and growth, long-term and short-term decisions, tradition and innovation, planning and laissez-faire. The challenge is to integrate these opposites, not to select one at the expense of the other.

We should pay more attention to the reconciliation of differences rather than simply the identification of these differences.

Reconciling values makes business more effective.(Fons Trompenaars)



His 7 dimensions are:

1. Universalism/Particularism What is more important, rules or relations? Are rules absolutely to be respected?

2. Neutrality/Emotionality Facts or emotions? Can we show our emotions?




3. Specific/Diffuse Public or private? Are our roles depending on the context?

4. Ascribed or Achieved status? Do we have to work for our status or is it brought to us? (age, titles, experience, birth, …)



5. Nature Control or Wilderness? Are we working with or against nature?Does nature have to be dominated?

6. Time Are we oriented to the past, present, or future?How important are traditions?

7. Individualism or CollectivismWhat is more important? The group or the individual?

Hall’s cultural theories


Hall, a cross-cultural researcher

Edward Twitchell Hall, 1914 – 2009, was an American anthropologist and cross-cultural researcher. He is remembered for developing the concept of social cohesion, a description of how people behave and react in different types of culturally defined personal space.



During his research works with the native Indian tribes, Navajos and Hopis, he found out their complete different way of communicating, dealing with nature, time & space.

He basically defined 3 dimensions which are not mentioned in this way by other theorists.




1. High or low context (direct or indirect) communicationDo we speak in a clear or in a polite ambigous language?

2. Monochrone or polychrone understanding of time Are we able to do several things at a time or do we prefer do work one thing after the other? How important are time schedules?

3. Understanding of space Do we need more or less personal space? How do we behave in limited space?

In student work it has been shown that a seminar-type of class will give good results (class size from 10 – 35).

The concept: students teach students about 1 dimension (in teams or individually).

Advantage: deeper understanding of at least 1 dimension, the lecture on the other dimensions increases often the motivation to know more.

How to work with students


The teacher emphasizes that the dimensions are only models and do not reflect 100% reality in different countries.

Our individual behavior is not only determined by our cultural “programation” but also depending on:Our personal situationOur own value systemOur age, gender, etc.



The teacher gives general overviews about the thematics “culture”Values & practicesModel of icebergRelationship to actual issues in politics, history, economy and social sciencesPersonal experiences from individual travelling abroad

Things that students can’t know and where only little practical experience is available



Generally we can say that a great number of persons from one country will probably act in a different way in the same situation.



Common values Common values

Culture as gaussian distribution (the law of big numbers)

The differences within one country can be bigger than the differences between two countries.

Cross cultural competences will be increased in 4 steps:

1.Awareness - that other countries have other preferences2.Knowledge - about other countries (do’s & don’ts)3.Attitude - there is no “higher” or “lower” culture4.Skills - how to communicate with foreigners



The CEPA approach is to give students from US-universities the chance to live for 1 semester in Strasbourg among French students.The students participate in 3 seminar classes where there will be room to talk about:Their cultural “surprises” after coming to FranceDo’s & don’ts in FranceKnowledge about French culture (social, history, politics, economy)

The CEPA approach


Anderson’s version: Describe, Investigate, Evaluate

Provide examples in class that allow students to develop their ability to describe, investigate, evaluate

Ask students to provide a weekly one-page essay on an incident. They describe what happened/what they observed, then what they learned through investigation, and finally how they evaluate what they learned.

D.I.EDescribe, Interpret,

Evaluate

Examine your LENS: A Tool for Interpreting Cultural Differences Tracy Rundstrom Williams Texas Christian University

Look Objectively Examine Your Assumptions Note Other Possibilities Substantiate with Locals

Examine your LENS

Kolb’s Learning Styles Inventory


Discussion, Questions, & Answers


We look forward to your questions and comments.

Please use the chat function on your screen to post questions and comments for the presenters.

Thank you for participating today and also thanks to the CEPA Foundation for providing this free series of academic webinars for faculty and education abroad professionals!

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Contact InformationLynn C. Anderson, Academic Director, CEPA [email protected]

Dr. Wolfgang GlebeUniversity of Strasbourg École de [email protected]

Thank you for participating in this CEPA Foundation Webinar


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cepa foundation webinar #8 “incorporating meaningful inter-culturally focused academic components...

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