• ETN Focus Agent Fairs
  • About Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Media Resources
  • Contact
facebook
linkedin
twitter
youtube
email
  • Home
  • Internationalization
  • Diversification
  • Retention
  • Cross-cultural Management
  • Market Focus
  • Meet The Educator
  • Meet The Agent
BREAKING NEWS
INPS 2021 call
The number of Italian students studying abroad to double in 2021
Tips and tricks: how to recruit international students?
Italian students abroad: here’s some figures and facts
The Importance of attending agents fairs
ITACA: a great opportunity for Italian students to study abroad
INPSIEME, the scholarship for Italian students who want to study abroad
PON (National Operational Program): New Opportunities to go abroad for Italian Students
ETN Focus – Milan 2019 | Interviews
ETN Focus in Milan, September 6 and 7 – Here’s what happened
common-mistakes-cultural-management

Common Mistakes In Cross-Cultural Management: How To Avoid Them?

Posted On 18 Jan 2017
By : ETN Focus
Comment: 0
Tag: Diversity, International students

We talk a lot about all the successful examples of cross-cultural management. Isn’t it time to talk a bit about some common mistakes, too?

Defining the problem is the first step towards a solution. Let’s seek for solutions together in the comments!

cultures

Mistake #1: Forcing the culture

International students are not the sum of their cultures. They are individual beings with their own belief systems, interests and life stories. After all, most of them grew up on the Internet and can relate to a young person from another continent more than they would to their own grandma. So, don’t make cultural nights a must. Don’t ask everyone to sing national songs and dance national dances. Some students – gasp! – don’t even know how to make the signature meal of their country!

You must realize that sometimes is better to do nothing than to force the culture. Allow individuals to flourish: ensure that they have enough opportunities to share their stories, try out new things and form new relationships. Let them simply be themselves and you will see the most natural emanation of culture and diversity.

You never know – they may try cooking their national dish just because they want to be nice and share something special.

Mistake #2: Providing the templates

Not everyone can sing, dance or cook. And far from every student thinks that these are precisely the activities that represent their culture. Having a national song singing contest makes sense only if your university actually specializes in music.

Culture can mean so many different things to different people. For example, it can be family traditions, outdoor activities or a specific way of using language. Someone may feel the most connected to their national psyche on All Saints Night, while others can only feel that way on a hockey arena. Every way of representing a culture is perfectly adequate as long as it is sincere. Providing templates of cultural activity robs students of their ability to critically assess what exactly their culture means to them.

Make sure that cross-cultural connections happen not on specific days, but in daily life. Your international students should feel comfortable making their cultural traditions part of daily life on campus, without disturbing the others.

common-mistakes-crosscultural

Mistake #3: Avoiding the conflict

Cultures clash. That’s kind of their thing. You cannot put together hundreds of people that come from different social, cultural and economical backgrounds and hope that everything will go smoothly. Especially if they are young people trying to figure out what they believe in and what is their identity.

People will get upset or confused. Some of them will have prejudices. Others will have direct or indirect experiences. One student may be led to believe in a certain stereotype by their family or friends. Another may have a misguided way of their own. All these things happen.

The worst solution here would be to ignore the situation and pretend that you don’t see the elephant in the room. Avoiding conflict means avoiding discussion. Seek ways to address cultural issues with care, respect and open mind. Don’t stop after hitting a brick wall – cultural understanding is a marathon, not a sprint.

Mistake #4: Skipping the meaning

Culture is a complex, multilayered and ever-changing mechanism. Taking out just one element of it – may it be music, food or a flag – turns it into a simplistic, two-dimensional copy of the rich and versatile creation it was before. That is why adding a burrito on the menu in the cafeteria on Cinco de Mayo celebration is borderline offensive, even with all the best intentions in mind.

Think about all the stereotypes about your own country. Would you like to be seen only in this light? Would you say that these stereotypes represent you as an individual or a member of the diverse community you come from?

Every cultural practice on campus must be understood in its context and introduced by people that know what they are talking about. So, ask your current international student body for help. Involve them in creating a diverse campus where different cultural traditions intertwine and support each other.

In conclusion, would you agree that the majority of mistakes on campus are the result of poor execution, even with the best of intentions? What is your way of resolving such conflicts?

Comment section is below, tell us your opinion!

  • google-share
Previous Story

Using Student Recruitment Agents: 3 Pros and Cons

Next Story

Step By Step: Creative Writing for Getting Quality Feedback

Related Posts

0

Tips and tricks: how to recruit international students?

Posted On 25 Nov 2019
, By Gabriel Tripaldi
international student recruitment
0

Top 11 Countries for International Student Recruitment

Posted On 04 Jul 2019
, By ETN Focus
0

EUROACE – European Association for Cultural Exchange

Posted On 01 Nov 2018
, By ETN Focus
0

TASIS The American School in Switzerland: “TASIS is a vibrant global community of students from more than 60 nations”

Posted On 24 Aug 2018
, By ETN Focus

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

*
*

banner

Stay Focused

  • Facebook
  • Linkedin
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Upcoming Workshops

banner
banner
banner
banner

Subscribe for our Newsletter

ETN Video Stream

Focus Workshop moments

Institutional Partners

coicec-logo yedab

Categories

  • Cross-cultural Management
  • Diversification
  • Internationalization
  • Latest News
  • Market Focus
  • Meet The Agent
  • Meet The Educator
  • Retention
  • Student Focus
  • Tips and Tricks
  • Uncategorized

Popular Posts

La Paz, Bolivia

Dr. Renetta Garrison Tull: The Jessica Effect and Gender Equity in STEM

2 Comments
maria-consultancy-header

Maria Consultancy: Visiting Institutions Plays A Vital Role In Our Business

2 Comments

Student Recruitment Agents And Where To Find Them

2 Comments

Contact us

  1. Name *
    * Please enter your name
  2. Email *
    * Please enter a valid email address
  3. Message *
    * Please enter message
Copyright © 2019 ETN Focus Workshops