Cross-Cultural Competency Curriculum

Introduction to Cultural Competency-Building
In this interactive session we will explore and build the foundation of effective communication between new Canadians and their Canadian employers. Curriculum topics include: perception – and how it affects workplace communication; understanding how cultural adaptation affects workplace effectiveness; communication styles (how we interact through conversation) and case study examples; non-verbal communication (75% of our message); and problem-solving – cross-cultural case studies.
Intercultural Problem-Solving Strategies and Understanding Verbal and Non-Verbal Messages
Most intercultural conflict is related to perceptual differences. In this session we will discuss: developing strategies to identify and address communication style differences; learning when and how to address non-verbal issues of concern; using a problem-solving paradigm to analyse case studies; and identifying aspects of Chinese culture that may be present in workplace interactions.
Effective Cultural Adaptation Strategies
Through research, we can now describe the profile of the person who adapts inter-culturally (both to culture and to workplace) most effectively. In this session we will focus on: exploring the adaptation process and the strategies that make it successful; a self-assessment tool (used by both new Canadians and multicultural workplaces) that not only identifies one’s personal areas of strength and challenge in adaptation but also provides action plans for addressing areas of challenge; and identifying aspects of African and Arab culture that may appear in the workplace.
Performance Management and Feedback
In this interactive session, we will explore effective communication techniques for providing internationally educated professionals with day-to-day as well as performance evaluation feedback; use information on perceptual differences, communication styles and cultural conditioning to explore the effectiveness of current feedback styles and address potential adjustments to those styles; and use a problem-solving paradigm to analyse and practise case studies that address feedback situations.
Creating the Workplace that Accommodates Effectively
In this interactive session, we will explore keys to successful accommodation strategies, focusing on: the relationship between cultural integration and accommodation; accommodating different cultural norms and reasonable practices in accommodation; systemic inclusion and accommodation; conversation with a new Canadian regarding their perspective on accommodation; and using a problem-solving paradigm to analyze case studies.
Dimensions of Inclusiveness
Our facilitator will be joined by a panel of New Canadians in this interactive session focused on creating dialogue among new internationally trained individuals (ITIs) and current teams in your workplace. We will explore and learn to create four key inclusiveness dimensions of multicultural workplaces: Entering your work culture: Workplace Orientation topics for ITIs; Clarifying unwritten rules; Mentoring made Easy; and Inclusiveness strategy: How to create a learning session for current staff to learn more about their ITI counterparts.