2015 Paola Motta for SIETAR ITALIA. WHAT MARKET FOR THE INTERCULTURAL FIELD? a qualitative research

Transcription

1 2015 Paola Motta for SIETAR ITALIA WHAT MARKET FOR THE INTERCULTURAL FIELD? a qualitative research

2 What market for the intercultural field? OBJECTIVES how relevant intercultural issues are for organizations which training and consulting solutions are commonly adopted and which ones are more effective what organizations, training companies, and free lance consultants expect about offer and service quality what resources professionals more frequently and effectively use to present themselves as trustworthy and reliable professionals in the market and to maintain and update their competences in the intercultural field SAMPLE AND METHODOLOGY 26 interviews one hour long, 3 different outlines for the different targets : - 8 international or global companies area managers and hr managers - 9 consulting and training institutes directors - 9 free-lance practitioners (4 sietar members, 5 non members) working in the intercultural field

3 Cultural differences and organizations: needs, approaches and practices CRITICAL POINTS ARISE ABOUT HOW TO DEFINE AND SHARE A new cultural and organizational identity In this contamination process we need to be prepared to give up our exclusive culture The sense of the organization and of the organizational tools:..especially evaluation, career and development paths The culture of work What time, merit, responsibility, results, data, planning, reporting, the concept of factory mean, and how much they matter

4 What support for people in the company? solutions and practices TOP MANAGEMENT AND MANAGEMENT Workshops with President and Country Directors Training on Sustainability and Diversity Management International travelling training paths A two-year path for 52 managers from different countries EXPATS, TASK FORCES operating in new plants Training about local situations Coaching TEAMS Team sessions assisted by facilitators MOREOVER, for different targets Skill matrix for each production phase in each plant There is a work culture impacting directly on the production process Working in English, Yearly methodology classes

5 Some critical points Companies usually invest in supporting high level managers and do not care about middle management company s low commitment Impacts on participants motivation This is the moment of pills, they cost less and the time for learning is shorter and shorter An erratic and discontinuous commitment Poor investments in terms of quality and quantity A limited approach

6 Organizations and cultural differences: is anything changing? Companies notice a different scenario BUT: Thinking about ten years ago, there is a big change due to a considerable turnover of managers Our company swept away all managers lacking an international mindset WARNING! we must not to mistake our being accustomed to INTERNATIONAL SITUATIONS for our paying attention to the INTERCULTURAL DIMENSION Companies NOW need consultants skilled in organizational intelligence and intercultural awareness Able to understand the organizational context, Willing to be in the same wavelength of purchasers Competent and responsive from an intercultural point of view not just China or South Africa experts, but organizational specialists in issues concerning internationalization

7 Service and consultancy offer and proposals: Institutes FROM CATALOG COURSES TO CUSTOMIZED SOLUTIONS Development paths to increase awareness : assessment, business coaching Ad hoc paths: context analysis, project and country culture analysis Customized systemic paths awareness workshops, focus groups for top managers, team building, conventions, training the trainers Integration of leadership models Product selling proposition INSTITUTES ARE GENERALLY APPRECIATED FOR THEIR STRUCTURED TRAINING METHODS, THOUGH MANY AMONG THEM DO NOT GENERALLY REFER TO ANY PARTICULAR MODEL OR THEORETICAL FRAME ABOUT ITERCULTURAL ISSUES

8 Service and consultancy offer and proposals: Free-lance practitioners Most FREE-LANCE PRACTITIONERS work to support people in one-to-one relationships Expat preparation and support Support activities for managers relocation Coaching in international contexts and intercultural coaching Moreover, they follow international teams with team-building and team development activities provide organizational consultancy, working as executive committees facilitators, supporting companies in cultural integration processes and adapting marketing strategies Free-lance practitioners have strong methodologies and are well informed about models They are used to being flexible, and adopting syncretic models: because of this approach, for all their expertise and theoretical knowledge, they often risk having poor visibility

9 Methods and models Institutes We have our methodology: we design the project phases, and for each phase we have very powerful exercises and tools Work experiences become learning histories Hofstede, Country Navigator We don t refer to any specific model We worked our model out basing it on the best classical texts I use the Bennett model as a mental grid, it s a very powerful model, which highlights the most critical points and explains many things not only regarding cultural differences Free-lancers I always do needs analysis and context analysis I always start from their problems Our work is like that of a crafstman I consider Hofstede somewhat outdated and I have had enough of this approach Bennett model would be interesting to propose, but is difficult Bennet is one of the most interesting ones, I always explain it through adaptations Bennett, Rosinski and Cultural Navigator models are my underline guide I have certification for many models.. I have a syncretic approach.

10 What critical points practitioners meet The value of the intercultural profession is commonly appreciated BUT...THE MARKET IS ON STANDBY!! poor working opportunities, poor commitment from companies unfair and threatening competition inefficiency in self-promoting themselves My work does not pay as it should I meet some resistance on the part of the company, a limited view of interculture, made of dos and don ts poor motivation in the classroom, which reflects a low commitment in the part of top management Another consultant unfairly eliminated me The HR manager has moved out, and they changed the supplier They copied a course and made an ugly copy of it, reducing it to a quarter of it

11 Improvement areas: self promotion institutes and free lancers Self-promotion is a critical issue for many institutes : We are more expert in technical and methodological issues than in marketing I don t like marketing, because I am a trainer.. A good relationship with customers is the best tool for self promotion but... Word of mouth basically works But it is actually working less and less because of competitors like Country Navigator Freelance practitioners have a difficult relationship with their website It s old, it s awful, I shoul redo it All of them appear on LinkedIn, but generally don t make use of it; they fundamentally depend on word of mouth With a few exceptions, though aware of the value of networking, they are reluctant to build and take advantage of it You are afraid to give your information to somebody who can steal it

12 A virtual network for intercultural practitioners Ex colleagues Schoolfellows Colleagues Associations University Partners Prospective customers Trainers associations LinkedIn Customers psy association SIETAR Intercultural practitioner Former customers Coach Training participants Students A good network is the environment where experience sharing and intellectual confrontation are possible This would allow practitioners to overcome their individualistic approach Coachees

13 About SIETAR Improvement areas: A commercial attitude seems to be prevailing at SIETAR. It seems that inside SIETAR many people are unwilling to confront and share experiences Good points: SIETAR is one of the most important resources that allows me to keep stay me up to date Don t take SIETAR away from us! It has a lot of limits It is like the United Nations: everyone despises it, they say it does not do anything. SIETAR is not perfect, but it exists! It is the only thing of this kind we have in Italy!

14 The intercultural practitioner: competence areas languages Communication Personal Characteristics Training and development methods Intercultural Dimension Business and organization

15 Languages Communication Intercultural Dimension English Mother language Third language Effective Communication, Intercultural communication Negotiation, Conflict Management Virtual communication Diversity Theoretical Models, Intercultural communication Principles Country Culture (of one s own and of another country) Business and organization Training and development methods Organizational culture, Organizational behaviour People management tools, Change management Knowledge of organizational structures, Business dynamics Needs analysis, training design and management, evaluation methods and tools Classroom and team management Coaching for individuals and teams; empowerment, assessment

16 PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS BROADMINDEDNESS Curiosity about people and cultures Voyager attitude Confronting, sharing, networking skills RELATIONAL ATTITUDE Listening skills Empathy Capacity to perceive subtle signs AWARENESS Personal intercultural experience and elaboration Self-awareness, caoacity to generate insight

17 In the future : opportunities for improvement New kinds of projects for different targets : The most interesting developments will occur in the factories, since Italy will no longer go ahead without immigrants We should first think of diversity itself, before thinking of cultural diversity We should design systemic solutions, dealing with the problem from many points of view, and using different strategies Training should become increasingly close to companies. Intercultural training should integrate in change management and negotiation paths.. Professional should learn to work in a virtual dimension and be open to nonprofit organizations: We need to become able to teach and coach virtual teams New solutions should and could be found: Not only coaching or training expats Customized training would do better than catalog training, we need no general training