Global Workplace Communication: Culture, Identity & Collaboration

About

This course draws on research, knowledge, and best practices from communication studies, intercultural theory, organizational behavior, and global leadership research.

We will cover the following topics:

Communication in the global workplace: We’ll introduce the role of communication in professional success and explore how intercultural competence and communication breakdowns affect collaboration across global teams.

Identity and communication: We’ll examine how personal, cultural, and social identities influence workplace communication and inclusion, with a focus on intersectionality and global perspectives on diversity.

Cultural patterns: We’ll explore deep-level cultural values and norms that shape workplace behavior, introducing frameworks like Hofstede’s dimensions and the iceberg model to understand culture in the workplace.

Communication styles: We’ll analyze the ways language, interaction styles, and disclosure norms vary across cultures and offer tools for navigating verbal communication and building rapport in professional settings.

Perception and bias: We’ll unpack how cultural filters, stereotypes, and unconscious bias influence interpretation and decision-making, and provide strategies for ethical, inclusive communication.

Discrimination and prejudice in the workplace: We’ll investigate how discrimination, privilege, and microaggressions show up in workplace communication and introduce practical tools for allyship and equity.

Intercultural conflict: We’ll learn tools for understanding and managing conflict across cultures, including conflict styles, facework, and power dynamics in professional settings.

Feedback and listening: We’ll examine how feedback and listening styles differ across cultures and identities, and present strategies for giving and receiving feedback with emotional and cultural intelligence.

Teamwork: We’ll focus on the dynamics of intercultural teams, exploring how identity, communication, trust, and technology impact cohesion, participation, and collaboration.

Problem solving and leadership: We’ll explore how cultural values influence problem-solving and leadership, offering flexible strategies for decision-making and delegation in international teams.

Course leader

Carolyn Hurley

Target group

To apply for the course you must either be enrolled in a bachelor's degree, have a bachelor's degree or have passed a qualifying entry examination.

Students should have prior coursework or interest in business, communication, management, or related social sciences

Fee info