Fachhochschule
Dortmund
University of Applied Sciences
Business schools and
inter-cultural training
Henri de Jongste
Emil-Figge-Straße 44
44227 Dortmund
henri.dejongste@fh-dortmund.de,
henri.dejongste@web.de
Fachhochschule
Dortmund
Business schools and inter-cultural training
University of Applied Sciences
Requirements for intercultural
communication skills
(based on Knapp, 1992)
1. Cultural awareness
2. Cross-cultural awareness
3. Communicative
awareness
Fachhochschule
Dortmund
Business schools and inter-cultural training
University of Applied Sciences
What does that imply?
• Cultural awareness
(requirement 1) is awareness
of culture as a phenomenon
• Cross-cultural awareness
(requirement 2) is sensitivity
towards manifested differences
Fachhochschule
Dortmund
Business schools and inter-cultural training
University of Applied Sciences
Communicative awareness
(requirement 3) is
a. general sensitivity towards:
• style differences in languages (e.g.
German conversation strategies vs.
British conversation strategies),
• aspects of L2 use (e.g. limited
vocabulary) and
• lingua franca communication (e.g.
professional skills may not be
conveyed adequately in lingua
franca use, leading to
underestimation of status, skills
and/or talent, cf. Chinese students)
Fachhochschule
Dortmund
Business schools and inter-cultural training
University of Applied Sciences
Communicative awareness
(requirement 3) is
b. specific sensitivity towards
occurrence and effects of such
differences and limitations in
the course of interaction
Fachhochschule
Dortmund
Business schools and inter-cultural training
University of Applied Sciences
How can such awareness be taught?
Ideally training consists of at least
three components:
• Cultural awareness courses (cf.
requirements 1 and 2)
• Language courses (focusing on
language proficiency and Knapp’s
general communicative awareness,
cf. requirement 3a)
• Inter-cultural project work (to
develop specific sensitivity and
negotiating skills, cf. requirements
2 and 3b)
Fachhochschule
Dortmund
Business schools and inter-cultural training
University of Applied Sciences
THE IDEAL AND THE REAL
1. Cultural awareness courses
Conventional content:
• Theoretical background
knowledge based on etically
oriented research (comparison of
cultures, cf. Hofstede,
Trompenaars, partly Globe
project)
• Case studies
• Games, roleplay, discussions
Fachhochschule
Dortmund
Business schools and inter-cultural training
University of Applied Sciences
THE IDEAL AND THE REAL
Personal assessment:
• Cultural awareness courses
seem to be successful in
raising interest in, and
awareness of, culture
Fachhochschule
Dortmund
Business schools and inter-cultural training
University of Applied Sciences
THE IDEAL AND THE REAL
2. Language courses
Conventional content:
• Skills training (grammar,
vocabulary training, training
of writing, reading, speaking
and listening skills)
• Implicit training of stylistic
differences, if any offered at
all
Fachhochschule
Dortmund
Business schools and inter-cultural training
University of Applied Sciences
THE IDEAL AND THE REAL
Personal assessment (1):
• Language courses seem still
to be largely focused on, and
successful in, training
students in managing
propositional contents
(roughly, giving and
receiving “factual”
information)
Fachhochschule
Dortmund
Business schools and inter-cultural training
University of Applied Sciences
THE IDEAL AND THE REAL
Personal assessment (2):
• Language courses seem to be
less successful in training
students in managing social
contents (roughly, giving and
receiving “social” information,
e.g. applying appropriate
politeness strategies,
relationship-management
strategies etc.)
Fachhochschule
Dortmund
Business schools and inter-cultural training
University of Applied Sciences
THE IDEAL AND THE REAL
Personal assessment (3):
• Language courses seem to offer
no training in detecting and
managing effects of secondlanguage or lingua-franca use
• In business education, language
courses often seem to come
under pressure to justify their
position in the curriculum
Fachhochschule
Dortmund
Business schools and inter-cultural training
University of Applied Sciences
THE IDEAL AND THE REAL
3. Intercultural project work
Conventional content:
• Team of students is given
assignment. They are supposed
to arrange conflicting interests,
communication and time
management, role distribution,
assessments of methods and
outcomes etc. independently, in a
“sink-or-swim” approach
Fachhochschule
Dortmund
Business schools and inter-cultural training
University of Applied Sciences
THE IDEAL AND THE REAL
Personal assessment (1):
• Intercultural project work often
seems to be ineffective from a
cultural-training perspective
• Students are rarely given
training in negotiating
differences before or during the
project and end up frustrated,
drawing the conclusion that the
only effective team is a monocultural one
Fachhochschule
Dortmund
Business schools and inter-cultural training
University of Applied Sciences
THE IDEAL AND THE REAL
Personal assessment (2):
• Business schools restrict
themselves to a passive role,
hoping a learning effect will
occur more or less
automatically
Fachhochschule
Dortmund
Business schools and inter-cultural training
University of Applied Sciences
Points for discussion:
A. Language courses
1. How can language courses
take the needs of intercultural
communicators into account?
2. Is there a difference between
teaching world languages
(English, Spanish) and more
local languages (Japanese)?
Fachhochschule
Dortmund
Business schools and inter-cultural training
University of Applied Sciences
B. Training intercultural skills
3. Is my analysis right?
4. How can students be taught
to negotiate cultural and
personal differences in
intercultural project work?
5. What exactly should they
learn to be able to do this
effectively?
6. What could be the role of
business schools in this
learning process?
Fachhochschule
Dortmund
Business schools and inter-cultural training
University of Applied Sciences
7. Are there other methods to
teach students intercultural
communication skills than
project work?
8. Are communicative skills still
an underestimated
component in business
curricula?
Fachhochschule
Dortmund
Business schools and inter-cultural training
University of Applied Sciences
I am looking forward to your
comments!
Note:
Knapp (1992) refers to
Knapp, Karlfried (1992). „Interpersonale und interkulturelle
Kommunikation“. In Bergemann, Niels und Andreas L.J.
Sourisseaux (eds.), Interkulturelles Management. Heidelberg:
Physica-Verlag, pp. 59-79. I used Knapp‘s framework but gave
my own interpretation and examples.