Associate Professor of Leadership & Management The La Verne Experience Goes Global: Expanding and Deepening Cultural Competence Deborah Olson, PhD Associate Professor of Leadership & Management

Expanding Intercultural Competence What does it mean to be culturally competent? What competencies are linked to effective global leadership practices? Why these are experiences that last a life time. . .

Understanding Differences: Their Impact on Perceptions, Choices . . . Ethnicity/National Origin Where are you from? What language(s) do you speak? Occupational Doctor, student, retail clerk, school teacher . . . Learning approaches Kolb: Diverger, converger, assimilator . . . Demographic factors Age, gender, first generation college student . . . Life Experiences Previous travel experiences, family background, SES

Dimensions of Intercultural Competence A Mind Set Awareness of current events in our world Historical Perspective/Country Context A Skill Set Building Teams & Collaboration Selecting and developing talented people Managing Differences Communicating Vision Influencing and Leading Change A Heart Set Self Awareness & Reflection Desire to have positive relationships with a broad range of people Openness to experiences

Mind Set Historical knowledge/country context Cultural practices (Confucian: Filiel Piety) Underlying assumptions Let’s play . . .

Skill Set: Collaboration

In Country Experiences Breadth of Business Industry Visits (e.g. in China): Hill and Knowlton (advertising) Lenovo (technology, manufacturing) Wine industry (Consumer products) Volkswagen (manufacturing)

In Country: Cultural Visits In China Great Wall Hutongs Forbidden City The Bund Silk Factory in Shanghai In Italy Pompeii The Duomo The Coliseum and Forum Leather crafting (Florentine boxes) Sistine Chapel

Heart Set: Openness to Experiences

Learning Integration Journal summaries/ reflection on learnings Visual reminders of our shared experiences: Photobooks!

Outcomes: Student Reflections “…what will remain with me for years into my life will be the little comical stories of mountaineering The Great Wall.” “All of these will fall short of my most memorable events; these are the experiences I shared, the conversations I had with my fellow explorers as we had these shared experiences that deepened our understanding of culture and of ourselves.” “I guess what I noticed the most is how each small business seemed family owned.  As we walked through towns near famous monuments, many small businesses advertised outside of their businesses and encouraged shoppers and tourists to come in. They emphasized the "Italian" way of life. It showed their cultural pride.”

Outcomes: Student Reflections “Having this remarkable learning experience will serve as a new foundation for my choices and actions now in my business, my leadership role, and personal life. My understanding of diversity and culture has deepened beyond what I imagined before I had these experiences in China! You can’t just read about diversity and think you know.”

Competencies of Global Leadership

What we know . . . Globalization and multicultural competencies WILL make a difference These are developable skills and abilities You can’t get there through YouTube . . . Make the choice to continue to learn beyond our “borders” – perceptual and cultural Take initiative, explore – Invest in your development as a global leader; citizen of the world

Look for the remarkable and the subtle, it’s all there Look for the remarkable and the subtle, it’s all there . . . If you choose to see. Things to think about… Pick the right travel partner Pick the right company Things will happen – be flexible Get course work done before traveling Provide travel tips University policies (liability issues, insurance, course requirements) Let students have free time