Getting the Most From Cross-Cultural Training

You don't know what cross-cultural training (CCT) is really all about? Unclear if it will be useful? If you answer "yes," you have lots of company. However, if your HR director has asked you and your family to attend a CCT session prior to starting your international assignment in, say, Argentina, wouldn't it be better to know what to expect from such training and how you could maximize its usefulness?

What Exactly Does CCT Entail?

CCT helps individuals prepare for the new and potentially stressful situations they will face living and working in a new culture. Many vendors of such training focus on providing participants with much diverse information about the new culture. Often, this training takes the form of "lecture with Q&As," similar to most of our experiences in college or university (i.e., a professor-student model). A small but growing group of vendors, however, approaches CCT as a structured adult learning program, which focuses on having participants develop the new skills they will need in the new environment.

There is a world of difference between these two approaches to training: The first is a one-way information flow (or, "briefing"); the second is a program that allows one to identify, develop, and practice new skills. In light of the challenges facing prospective expatriates, skill development would seem to be of greater value than a simple briefing. More importantly, though, the second type uses a framework of created experiences to develop the active learning skills needed for success in new cultural environments. The following case study illustrates the potential for skill development within a CCT program.

Contact the Trainer Before CCT

Brian and Angela Timson are relocating from Bristol, UK to Buenos Aires, Argentina, on behalf of Brian's employer, CyberComp Corp. Brian and Angela, both 36 years old, have two children (Ian, 5, and Gwendolyn, 2). Brian, who has been with the company for 10 years as a process engineer, will help oversee the design and construction of its new plant in Argentina.

A few weeks prior to their CCT, the Timsons have a conversation with their trainer, Ms. Copland. They use this conversation as a two-way street-telling Ms. Copland important facts (e.g., they've already spent two weeks visiting Argentina), making her aware of their needs and expectations, and hearing about the overall objectives and structure of the program. Jointly, they arrive at decisions about what needs to be emphasized in the program-getting around and managing daily life in Buenos Aires, differences in values and communication styles, and so forth.

Key point: Insist on an extensive conversation with your trainer well in advance of the program to develop an initial rapport. If you have strong reservations about the training format, discuss them with the trainer. If you have not heard from your trainer a week before the session, contact the trainer yourself.

Don't Just Listen

The program starts with a discussion about how things stand with the Timson family and their preparations for relocating in a month. They also talk about Brian's previous business trips to Buenos Aires, along with the 10-day visit by the couple a month earlier to accomplish some very fast house-hunting. Angela observes that she was surprised at "how late everyone seemed to be for appointments."

Brian and Angela are playing an active role in this program. During their conversation prior to training, they participated in making decisions about program design. Now they are interacting with Ms. Copland, rather than simply expecting information to be "dished up."

Key point: You should be an active participant in the program. Even if no "interactions" are scheduled in the training agenda, create them-ask questions, think out loud, etc.

Observe Closely

Next, Ms. Copland asks the Timsons to observe as a pair of her training colleagues act out a brief skit about an interaction between a U.K. manager and an Argentine subordinate. She then asks Brian and Angela a series of questions that examine what went on between the characters and takes the occasional opportunity to briefly make a point about what the Timsons noticed. Thus, the CCT did not start with a lecture, and is not lapsing into one-an important element for which a participant should look.

Key point: The program should use a variety of approaches, not just a lecture format (i.e., case studies, role plays, critical incident analyses, mini lectures, readings, discussions). If the program is not offering these formats, try to create them.

Local Advice Is Valuable

Ms. Copland and the Timsons have a long telephone conversation with Ms. Ruth Pennington, who relocated to Buenos Aires from the U.K. two years earlier with her husband. Ruth shares her experiences and discusses daily living issues for expatriates in the Buenos Aires region. Ms. Copland ensures that the most important aspects are covered - domestic staff, shopping, transportation, expatriate organizations, and so forth.

Angela pays particular attention to what Ruth says about the International Women's Club in Buenos Aires, such as meeting times and the variety of services offered. At the end of the call, Ruth offers her telephone number and address to the Timsons, with the intent to introduce Angela to club members.

Key point: Ensure that there is a practical focus on your immediate social and/or business needs. Make sure these needs are met, as it matters little what happens in "the long run" if you never get past the "short run." If they are not met, arrange for some means of follow-up with the trainer or the training provider.

Ms. Copland introduces a new person to the Timsons, Ms. Rosalia Gasparini, an Argentine national who lives in the area. She spends a few hours with them to explain some of the fundamental Argentine values. She discusses her background and experiences in adapting to life in the U.K. Ms. Copland asks all three individuals to fill out a brief questionnaire that presents choices about different situations in terms of agreement or disagreement. Having completed the questionnaire, they then discuss each situation.

Although in some cases there is little or no difference in interpretation, Ms. Gasparini's answers sometimes make it clear that an Argentine looks at things very differently. For example, she mentions that she had lived with her parents until the age of 29, and Angela says, "Your parents were unusually generous to let you live with them for such a long time." Rosalia responds that her parents weren't unusual, since many Argentine children live with their parents until they are married, well into their 20s.

Brian and Angela, a little surprised, ask, "Don't the kids want to move out and be independent? Don't the parents want the kids to finally move on?" From that point, facilitated by Ms. Copland, they all discuss individual needs for independence and the role of family in broad cultural terms.

Key point: Nothing is better than actual experience for the impact of learning. A way of creating the experiences that will make the learning "memorable" is to have opportunities to interact with real nationals of the assignment country. Treat the training event as an experience from which you can learn. If the training design is not appropriate for your learning style, you may have learned something about your learning style to build on during your international assignment.

Don't Overlook Business Skills

Mr. Leo Catamarca, an Argentine engineer living in the U.K., joins them to discuss business protocol, using a short series of dialogues. After reviewing one, Brian comments, "Of course, everyone wants their manager to be a good coach." Leo responds that in his experience working as an Argentine in Argentina, the idea of having a manager as a coach is really quite unknown. "I simply expect that my manager is my boss. If he tells me he wants to 'coach' me, I'd really wonder what game he had up his sleeve!"

Brian then presents a series of hypothetical situations to Leo: "What might happen if I were to &.?" Brian is now doing what every CCT participant should do to get the most out of the experience-actively use the program to try out new ways of looking at information, seeking feedback on ambiguous points, and so forth. These skills are among the most fundamental that the couple must cultivate in order to succeed abroad.

Key point: Use the program to begin to develop the necessary skills. It's your opportunity to "try out new moves." You will get little from the program if you simply look for reassurance that people everywhere act the same (because they don't!), and you want to prepare for the differences. "Think out of the box" during training-suggest alternative ways of looking at things, think out loud how you might do a familiar task in a different way, and so forth.

Be Responsible for Your CCT

Possibly the single most significant aspect of a good CCT is making it "experiential" in ways that simulate experiences you will have in a new cultural environment. If the only experience that a CCT provides is a lecture, then the program implicitly teaches that "learning is passive." But if it provides experiences more directly connected with "real life," in which you have to engage and interact, then the program implicitly teaches that "learning is an active experience."

You can enhance your chances of completing a successful expatriate assignment by taking an active role in your preparation long before you leave home. And when it's time to come back-or go on to another foreign assignment-you'll be able to put those skills to good use once more.

Peter T. Bürgi, Ph.D., spent several years as research director and cross-cultural trainer at International Orientation Resources (IOR) in Northbrook, Illinois. He is currently a Research Fellow for Organizational Identity at The Imagination Lab, in Lausanne, Switzerland. He can be contacted at [email protected]."

This article first appeared in Organization Resources Counselors, Inc.'s Expatriate Observer.