Are you mining the power of diversity?
For whom?
International teams, organisations and partnerships.
Globalisation is a fact. Organisations are increasingly working internationally with staff members from different cultural backgrounds within one and the same organisation or with colleagues at different locations around the world. Diversity in your team can have a great added value, but it can also lead to unintentional miscommunication or conflicts.
- You’re aware that you find it difficult to work with colleagues abroad, who have different cultural backgrounds. Misunderstandings occur in communication, which lead to the required results not being achieved.
- You’re aware that communication is tricky and you don’t agree with the decisions being taken.
- You’re aware that cultural misunderstandings and differences of opinion are leading to mutual tensions.
During the mediation, we work with the differences in the multicultural environment. We make use of them to become more skilled as a team, organisation or partnership. We help ensure that staff members listen to each other and that they are open to each other’s differences. We also help them to discover new, effective ways of working together.
Our approach
Our starting point is a thorough intake in which we identify all the issues: we chart all of the differences AND the similarities. Then we make a made-to-measure plan. In the team interventions which follow, we follow “The Argument’” model from the Lewis method of Deep Democracy.
During these conversations, cultural diversity, differences in ways of working, values, habits and behaviours are discussed in constructive ways without avoiding conflict. The conversation consists of four stages:
- 1st Stage: Determine the contradictions and agree rules of communication.
- 2nd Stage: Say what needs to be said.
- 3rd Stage: Self-reflection and new insights: discover what has affected you and reflect on the grain of truth it contains.
- 4th Stage: Using the insights gained, discuss the solution: action plan, agreements and decisions for the future.
The mediation closes with an evaluation. The facilitators are Deep Democracy mediators and intercultural trainers.
Thanks Sandra and Nikki for following up and finalising the process from your side. I did find the process interesting and useful so thank you for creating the space for us to not only work through some critical issues but also strengthening our partnership.
Shaun Mellors, Director Knowledge and Influence International HIV/AIDS Alliance, 2017
Would you like to know what Deep Democracy could do in your situation?
Please request a mediation or information!
