Political correctness for dummies. Oops! Sorry ... for the ...challenged?!

I agree we need to respect self, others, AND our planet and I thought this was a good article to begin a discussion. A politically correct version of Noddy.

The issue isn't the terms we use to refer to 'different' people, but that they are still treated as 'different'. My 'differentlyabled' participants wanted to be treated just like the others and that I acknowledged their 'difference' instead of tippytoeing around them. Great learning, what do you think?

Two diverse cultures take on a third

Every team intervention I do focuses on an appreciation for diversity -- cultural as well as personalities, work styles, upbringing, lifestyles, exposure, schooling, interests, etc.

Recently, I worked with two cultures who had come together to travel abroad to take on a sensitive client project. 

Firstly, it was imperative that the two teams understood AND stood by each other. Their second challenge was to understand the host culture to secure the account.

The two team cultures were similar in the way that they were both highly collective and indirect communicators; however, one to a greater degree than the other. Secondly, one team had folks from smaller towns who hadn't travelled abroad before and hadn't had to worry about dining and meeting etiquette.

The preparation included global business etiquette -- making small talk, the handshake, body language and personal space. We dug deeper into understanding tone, reading between the lines, and feedback styles -- both when giving and receiving feedback. 

I held a separate session for the second team where we simulated dining and meeting etiquette, as well as asking intelligent questions in training.

All in all, a very rewarding session. The team is standing tall and walking the talk.

Using the META model to build cross-cultural relationships

Am sure you know the story of the six blind men and the elephant. Each described the animal as a tree, wall, fan, rope, spear, and snake in turn, and each believed he was right. Each was creating his description from the part of the animal he was exploring.  

I know you know where I'm going with this: The map is not the territory. Each of us interprets the world differently and responds to our internal map of reality. These maps are plotted from a variety of beliefs, values and experiences and could often prove inaccurate when communicating with others, particularly from different cultures. 

Remapping via the Meta Model changes the language that guides behavior, opening one up to more choice.

We find asking the right questions allows leaders, individuals and teams across cultures to reexamine their experience or beliefs about the other.

We've worked with client-facing individuals who perceive the client as abrasive and difficult. There have been teams who brand their team leader as unapproachable and tyrannical. We've been able to stand in the gap and challenge these beliefs/perceptions. We've even worked with the said leader to tweak his style.

We use a combination of tools from mind maps and fish bone diagrams for the HOWs and WHATs. I've found the META model gives added impetus to problem solving.