Crossing Cultures
Cultural diversity has become the norm in the software industry. It’s not unusual to work with people from across the country or across the world.
Working with people from different cultures can be a great opportunity; it can also be challenging and puzzling.
In this session, we’ll use a simulation to explore what it’s like to work with people from a different culture.
We’ll look at the ways that culture determines how people decide, listen, and act. And we’ll learn several tools to reframe differences in order to reduce misunderstandings and improve productivity.
We’ll start with a brief explaination and discussion of culture.
Participants will from small groups to create several “cultures” based on simple rules related to observable behavior (e.g., speach patterns, proximity, listening). (10 minutes)
Each group will work on a short project with people of their own “culture,” acting out the cultural norms they developed. (20 minutes)
Then, the groups will mix and participants will work on a multi-cultural project. (20 minutes)
After the project, we’ll explore what happened and how people responded to people from another “culture.”
- Mono-cultural project debrief: what was it like working with people like you?
- Multi-cultural project debrief: what was it like working with people different from you?
- Analyze interpersonal interactions
Discussion of tools for reframing differences.
Work in multi-cultural groups to apply the tools to the multi-cultural project experience.
Wrap up.