1. L161 Tutorial Units 13 and 14

2. A group of people who form in pursuit of a mutual endeavour is called… A. A community of leisure B. A community of practice C. A network of like-minded individuals

3. Communities of practice Tell us about a community of practice you belong to: 1. Why did you decide to join? 2. Are there particular norms of behaviour in this community? 3. Are there specific ways of talking or specialized vocabulary? Give examples. 4. Do you think you have a “persona” in this community? What aspects of your identity do you project? How?

4. Match each definition with the correct term: A.Colloquialism B.Specialized vocabulary C.Jargon D.Slang 1.Vocabulary needed in a field or discipline in order to refer to specific concepts that everyday language would not be able to express as concisely or accurately. 2. Term used to refer contemptuously to any mode of speech abounding in unfamiliar terms, or peculiar to a particular set of persons 3. A ‘ type of language consisting of words and phrases that are regarded as very informal, are more common in speech than writing, and are typically restricted to a particular context or group of people. Slang is often used by the underworld or by particular subcultures in order to assert their group identity and make their speech incomprehensible to outsiders. 4. A word, phrase or other form used in informal language.

5. Match each term with the correct example: A.Colloquialism B.Specialized vocabulary C.Jargon D.Slang 1. 'The Teacher's Pension Scheme (TPS) is 'contracted out' of the State Earnings Related Pension Scheme (SERPS). The TPS must therefore guarantee to pay a public service pension at a rate no lower than a pensioner would have received if he or she has stayed in SERPS. This rate is known as the Guaranteed Minimum Pension (GMP). The TPS generally provides a pension above the guaranteed level. The pension, including the GMP, is inflation proofed.’ http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/campaigning/examples/pensions-jargon.html 2. “This is the bees knees!” 3. Anaphora (in writing or speech, the deliberate repetition of the first part of the sentence in order to achieve an artistic effect) 4. “That is not my cup of tea.”

6. Managing multicultural teams (1)  Trouble with accents and fluency: a scenario  Although the language of international business is English, misunderstandings or deep frustration may occur because of non-native speakers’ accents, lack of fluency, or problems with translation or usage. These may also influence perceptions of status or competence.  Some teams, we learned, use language differences to resolve (rather than create) tensions. A team of U.S. and Latin American buyers was negotiating with a team from a Korean supplier. The negotiations took place in Korea, but the discussions were conducted in English. Frequently the Koreans would caucus at the table by speaking Korean. The challenge in managing multicultural teams effectively is to recognize underlying cultural causes of conflict, and to intervene in ways that both get the team back on track and empower its members to deal with future challenges themselves. People tend to assume that challenges on multicultural teams arise from differing styles of communication. But this is only one of the four categories that, according to our research, can create barriers to a team’s ultimate success. These categories are direct versus indirect communication; trouble with accents and fluency; differing attitudes toward hierarchy and authority; and conflicting norms for decision making.

7. Managing multicultural teams (2)  Trouble with accents and fluency: a scenario  Although the language of international business is English, misunderstandings or deep frustration may occur because of non-native speakers’ accents, lack of fluency, or problems with translation or usage. These may also influence perceptions of status or competence.  The buyers, frustrated, would respond by appearing to caucus in Spanish— though they discussed only inconsequential current events and sports, in case any of the Koreans spoke Spanish. Members of the team who didn’t speak Spanish pretended to participate, to the great amusement of their team mates. This approach proved effective: It conveyed to the Koreans in an appropriately indirect way that their caucuses in Korean were frustrating and annoying to the other side. As a result, both teams cut back on sidebar conversations. The challenge in managing multicultural teams effectively is to recognize underlying cultural causes of conflict, and to intervene in ways that both get the team back on track and empower its members to deal with future challenges themselves. People tend to assume that challenges on multicultural teams arise from differing styles of communication. But this is only one of the four categories that, according to our research, can create barriers to a team’s ultimate success. These categories are direct versus indirect communication; trouble with accents and fluency; differing attitudes toward hierarchy and authority; and conflicting norms for decision making. (Bret etal., 2006)

8. Discussion 1. It may be that you have colleagues who are non native speakers of English and/or come from a different culture. Or perhaps you are a non native English speaker and work with people of different nationalities, including native English speakers. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this in your field? 2. Have you ever encountered a difficult situation with a co-worker, or as/with a customer/patient/member of the public, because of language or a cultural difference? How was it resolved? What did you learn from the experience? 3. Have you ever been asked to translate? What are the challenges of this?

9. Mighty Walmart admits defeat in Germany Can you think of examples of multinational businesses that have failed in their attempts to get established in a new country? Why did they fail? Aldi is changing the habits of shoppers in the UK Can you think of examples of multinational businesses that have succeeded to get established in a new country, even changing the habits of consumers? Why were they so successful?

10. Reference: Brett, J., Behfar, K., and Kern, M.C. (2006) ´Managing multicultural teams´, Harvard Business Review, November [online]. Available at https://hbr.org/2006/11/managing-multicultural-teamshttps://hbr.org/2006/11/managing-multicultural-teams (Accessed 23 January 2015).