Groningen, Netherlands

Developing Across Differences: Building Intercultural Viability in Organizations

The whole is more than the sum of its parts. In its positive sense, that maxim describes the synergistic potential of organizations to combine unity and diversity into innovation. But it also can mean that the collective organizational culture can perpetuate ethnocentrism and inequity, despite individual development.

This course will show how to integrate tactical training in intercultural communication with strategic organizational transformation towards the goal of generating sustainable viability in unpredictably changing global and domestic social conditions.

Course leader

Dr. Milton Bennett

Target group

The DAD is for multipliers who help individuals, organizations and societies better recognize, appreciate and use differences as a way of better communicating, working and thriving together.

These are (in-house and external) trainers, educators, consultants, coaches, researchers, scholars, facilitators, HR staff, advanced-level (MA+) students, and professional development specialists with 5+ years of experience/study in the greater Differences field. Contact the organisers at ic@rug.nl or info@iddifferences.org for consultation about appropriateness and eligibility.

It is expected that the participants have a sufficient command of the English language to actively participate in the discussions and to present their own work in English.

Course aim

After this course you —and those you work with— will be able to:

1. Recognize the challenge of preparing organizations for unpredictable social change
2. Acquire conceptual tools for understanding and explaining the idea of collective intercultural adaptability to emerging social conditions.
3. Consider various methods for tactical and strategic intervention that will support collective intercultural development.
4. Learn how to select appropriate assessment methods to create credibility, diagnose needs, and demonstrate effectiveness.

Fee info

EUR 1495: includes course and materials, optional evening programming