Cross Cultural Dialogues1
Description: The purpose of this module is to introduce an interactive session on
how culture impacts conversations and person-to-person interactions in the
workplace. (Note: Other modules can be constructed to focus on social and business
dialogues)
Part 1: Dialogues & Culture Wheel. 20-25 minutes
Cross-cultural misunderstandings aren’t always obvious. This module will use short
dialogues to illustrate how quickly cultural miscues can occur.
Process:
1. Select two participants to read the dialogues listed below.
a. If necessary – ask them to read it a 2nd time.
2. Open a group discussion about the dialogue
a. What happened here?
b. Is there a cross-cultural issue or problem?
c. What do you think the issue/problem is?
d. Etc – draw out a group analysis.
3. Pick two different participants to read the second dialogue:
a. Same debrief as above
b. Discuss some of the cultural problems from the dialogue and
introduce the “Culture Wheel”2.
c. Discussing the culture wheel (and description sheet) can take a lot of
time, however for WHO’s purposes, I suggest focusing on the
following:
i. Time
ii. Action
iii. Communication and
iv. Power
DRAFT DIALOGUES
1) A Possible Candidate
Ms. Miller:
Have you finished writing the job advertisement yet?
Mrs. Santos: Not quite
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Learning Module developed by Theodore Johnson PhD, 2011.
I’m in the process of obtaining permission to use this tool from Karen Walch at Thunderbird School
of Global Management in Phoenix. She will send the slides. In the mean time, I don’t see a problem
with using it and referencing her as the originator of the tool. The substance is not new, just the way
it’s presented.
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Ms. Miller:
Don’t take too long. Filling that vacancy is a priority.
Mrs. Santos: I agree. Actually, I think I know of a possible candidate.
Ms. Miller:
You do? Who?
Mrs. Santos: He’s my youngest nephew, Eduardo. He’s a good boy.
Ms. Miller:
Great! Tell him to apply.
(Discussion – See notes below) You may fully debrief #1 with the notes below
before going to the 2nd dialogue or do both dialogues with short participant debrief
and then do the more thorough debrief after both dialogues. It’s a matter of
facilitator choice.
2) The Thinker
Richard:
Did Claude turn in his final draft yet?
Isabelle:
No, he’s still working on it. You know Claude, always
thinking and pondering.
Richard:
But I needed that report last week.
Isabelle:
I know. Claude never meets his deadlines; it a real
problem. But his ideas are so wonderful, aren’t they?
Richard:
I’ve complained about him twice to Mr. Cardin, but he
doesn’t do anything.
Isabelle:
You’ve complained. Why?
Discussion/debrief notes:
#1 A Possible Candidate. Mrs. Santos hasn’t finished writing the job advertisement
because advertising is a poor way to fill a vacancy. Anyone can respond to an ad –
and the organization should not have just anyone working for it. What is needed is
someone who is trustworthy, reliable, and with the right background, style and
manners. You only find such people if you know them. By mentioning her nephew,
Mrs. Santos expects to make the advertisement unnecessary. Surprisingly, Ms. Miller
tells Mrs. Santos to have Eduardo apply for the job implying that Eduardo will be
subject to some other set of criteria. For Santos, Eduardo meets the only important
criteria necessary – he is known and has good personal qualities. However for
Miller, technical qualifications are more important than personal qualities.
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In some organizations, Santos’ approach indicates favoritism and may be restricted
by policy or law. In this way, the cultural norm is being written into law or policy.
But what happens if the organizational policy conflicts with local custom or culture?
How could you talk about this? What difference would talking about it make in the
final decision?
#2 The Thinker. What good are all of Claude’s ideas, Richard thinks, if he can’t meet
deadlines? With such a keen mind and such wonderful ideas, Isabelle wonders, why
should someone like Claude have to worry about turning reports in on time? In the
end, your view of Claude comes down to how you feel about ideas. Some cultures
place a high value on “thinking” and ideas (France, Germany, many European
countries). In such cultures, intellectuals are given more flexibility. Other cultures
place a high value on “doers” and people who prefer action rather than thinkers.
How does this dynamic play out in your WHO office? What are the benefits and
rewards of being either a “thinker” or a “doer”? How does being a “thinker” relate to
“performance management”? If your style is to be a “doer” and you are managing a
“thinker”, what would be an effective management strategy?
The above two examples are drawn from the cultural variables of Action (Being vs.
Doing) and Structure (Emphasis on rules and procedures vs. tolerance of change,
receptivity to new or different ideas).
Part 2: WHO Cultural Footprint. 20-30 minutes
This would be a good time to engage in a group discussion of WHO’s cultural
footprint -- identifying a range of “values” from among the Cultural Variable list such
as:
 Time
 Action
 Communication
 Power
 Structure
Have participants brainstorm at their tables to create a list of organizational and/or
personal values. For example: meetings must start and end on time, or meetings
never start on time. As another example: “We are burdened by too many rules that
interfere with doing our work effectively” vs. “Rules are essential to the organization
– without rules, we suffer from lack of clarity and direction.”
Have each table present and record their responses. Ask participants if they have
thoughts or insights from their cultural footprint of WHO (or this particular region).
Distribute Ted’s 2 page summary of findings, asking participants to comment on
whether & how they have seen these dynamics “show up” in their office or the
region.
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Part 3: Construct a Dialogue. 25-30 minutes.
At each table, participants should now be ready to write their own cross-cultural
dialogue. For a successful dialogue, there are four general guidelines
1. The conversation must sound natural,
2. The difference or mistake must not be obvious,
3. The mistake must not be a result of something esoteric – it should be
something average people will understand and,
4. The conversation should contain clues to the difference (which people can
see once it’s pointed out).
Specific Steps:

Think of a WHO cultural value or attitude. (use the WHO Cultural Footprint
list, or they may add to it)

Think of a concrete example of a situation where this value or attitude comes
into play.

Imagine the conversation that would take place in that situation between
someone who holds that value and someone who does not.

Polish and refine the dialogue to make it sound natural and subtle (even
humorous if possible) and a little surprising;
(One more example)
Alice: I heard your son is getting married. Congratulations.
Fatima: Thank you. The wedding will be next spring.
Alice: How nice for you. How did they meet?
Fatima: Oh, they haven’t actually met yet.
Here the conversation isn’t about arranged marriages – dialogues are never about
the cultural difference. The difference in marriage is revealed in the dialogue. The
purpose of the dialogue is to illustrate a cultural difference, to render cultural
differences into instances of behavior, not to identify or explain those differences.
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Have participants construct and be prepared to present and discuss their dialogues
– depending on time.
Part 4: Generating Advice. 15-20 minutes
Debrief participant dialogues in part by asking what advice they might give
themselves for how to manage such cultural differences.
Come in behind their advice with our own advice, which is: The ultimate goal is to
follow the cultural guidelines for having a learning conversation in the slide deck.
Key learning objectives from engaging in the dialogue:

Active listening
o Inquiry - asking questions to learn
o Withholding judgment
o Following the Advocacy/Inquiry Matrix
o Remaining curious

Hold your own cultural value as a “reflective image” -- the fact of cultural
difference prevents you from being an observer
o Be willing to learn from the cultures of others, and be willing to share
your own cultural viewpoint.

Overall objectives
o To have a conversation that is respectful and appropriate
o Produce mutual learning -- about your own cultural values as well as
of the other
o Develop a culturally effective way to deal with the cultural differences
o Develop a list of your best advice and recommendations for dealing
with cultural differences.
References:
Theodore A. Johnson, Ph.D. (2009) “The Paralysis of Culture, Developing a Cultural
Awareness Process to Increase Cross-Cultural Understanding in International
Organizations; The Case of the World Health Organization.
Karen S. Walch, Ph.D. (2011) Social and Emotional Intelligence in Negotiation;
Presented at The Negotiation & Leadership Conference, Harvard University 2011.
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Craig Storti (1993) Cross-Cultural Dialogues, 74 Brief Encounters with Cultural
Difference. Boston. Intercultural Press.
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