Interview on subject „Multicultural Training“
SPIDI (www.spidi.at)
• Headquarter located in Vienna
• 1961, Founded by the Federation of Austrian Industries
as the SPIDI Spracheninstitut (language institute)
• 2008, establishing the business segment SPIDI.communicating
• 2010, SPIDI Spracheninstitut was renamed SPIDI.language
• offices throughout Austria and numerous international partners
 This interview or parts of it must not be published in any way without a permission of „SPIDI“! 
Interview on subject „Multicultural Training“
SPIDI (www.spidi.at)
Training of intercultural communication
 Intercultural awareness training
 Team training for multicultural teams
 Intercultural training for executives
 Intercultural training for high potentials
 Culture-specific training
 Reintegration training
Interview on subject „Multicultural Training“
1. How does the intercultural trainings, offered by your training institute,
present themselves to intercultural competence (ICC)?
First the basic understanding is compiled to own culture and to own language.
Then the sensitisation occurs to other cultures and the preparation on special cultures
2. What are the specific, thematic contents of an ICC-training?
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own culture
own language and own slang
diversity of the own language
peculiarities of own religious culture
raising of awareness for cultural differences
imparting of history as a basis of the culture
3. Are the trainings adapted individually to the respective customer need and by which
measure is that achieved?
The trainings are demand-oriented, they are adapted to the demands of the respective
customer.
Interview on subject „Multicultural Training“
4. How has the training market developed from your view concerning ICC during the
last 3 years?
The consciousness for dealing with cultural diversity has risen noticeably,
contributed by a risen curiosity in other cultures and an expected competitive advantage.
This has effect changes of the role model and increased awareness trainings and - as the most
important development - to live the “interculturality.”
5. How would you show from your experience the development of ICC trainings during
the next 3 years?
A stronger convincement of the uppermost management to live interculturality as an important
part of the company culture and to straighten the company to it.
6. Which kinds of customers/companies have need in ICC training?
All companies which move in the international business segment, or with international
orientation.
Interview on subject „Multicultural Training“
7. Which branch would you define as that, with the highest parts of multicultural employees?
Big international industrial trusts and maybe the haulage companies.
8. Which functions/positions have those people who take part in your ICC-trainings?
Depending the company situation and the company culture - the areas of trade, management
or sales.
9. Is a need to the certification of the intercultural competence of employees from your
communication with their principals a subject?
Currently rather only for foreign languages concerning cultural structures and peculiarities.
Therefore already refer the „Pimlico EU guide“.
Particularly "Jürgen BOLTEN" of the university of Jena has dealt with this subject.
10. Do you, respectively your institute have interest in a cooperation in a promoted
EU-project on the subject „Certification of intercultural competence“ or „Leadership for
multicultural teams“?
Depending on the subject: Yes - perhaps
Interview on subject „Multicultural Training“
Additional remarks:
„Intercultural training is not a question of the budget but a question of discontinuation“
Internet sites about multuculture aktivities
• Intercultural Journal - http://www.interculture-journal.com/index.php/icj
• Dialogin - http://dialogin.com/index.php?id=85
• SIETAR (www.sietareu.org) is Europe's largest association of interculturalists
and is part of the worldwide SIETAR network
• The tool "IDI" is used to the lead regulations or to assess trainees about Interculturality
(see also "DMIS" from Bennett & Bennett)
see also examples therefore (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QepCx2R4UE)
The Bennett scale
The Bennett scale, also called the DMIS
(for Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity),
was developed by Dr. Milton Bennett.
The framework describes the different ways in which people can react to cultural
differences:
1. Denial of Difference
2. Defence against Difference
3. Minimization of Difference
4. Acceptance of Difference
5. Adaptation to Difference
6. Integration of Difference
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bennett_scale
SIETAR
SIETAR (www.sietareu.org ) works to:
• contribute to more effective communication among people of different cultures and
backgrounds
• enhance intercultural awareness in policy-making, business, education and civil society
• establish an ever-widening network of intercultural specialists
• provide multi-disciplinary, professional expertise
• contribute to the development of professional standards
• encourage publication and promote research
• provide opportunities for personal and professional exchanges
• hold regional, national and international conferences