Intercultural sensitivity

Intercultural sensitivity In a rapidly internationalizing educational environment, students need to develop intercultural sensitivity in order to improve communication with lecturers and students, and to achieve excellence in their future international careers. Through exchange programmes, millions of students spend part of their studies at universities abroad every year. Lecturer mobility programmes are bringing foreign lecturers straight into the classrooms. Classrooms are more culturally diverse than ever before. Research shows that culturally diverse groups are seldom "just average". They either perform very badly or extremely well. Performance is low when cultural differences are ignored or denied. Culturally diverse groups excel when differences are recognised and managed as valuable sources of innovation and growth. Intercultural Sensitivity makes university and college students eager to learn about other cultures. It also makes them aware of the uniqueness of their own cultures, which they may take for granted. And it helps students recognize culture as a valuable resource. This new edition uses proven cultural models by Hall, Kluckhohn and Hofstede and adds the modern and dynamic approach by Trompenaars: the 7 Cultural Dimensions. This compact book can easily be studied in a 7-week term. It is packed with hands-on assignments, cases and role plays from real life intercultural situations. Cases range from education to health care and marketing -any place where students will need to communicate across cultures. In class, on internship, or in the professional fi eld, Intercultural Sensitivity helps students achieve intercultural competence. About the authors From highly diverse cultural and professional backgrounds, the authors are managers, trainers and lecturers at universities of professional education. They also work as independent intercultural trainers, coaches and consultants.