Intercultural Innovation Programme for SMEs

Intercultural Innovation Programme for SMEs:

Cultural understanding and awareness are becoming essential skills for SMEs operating in a global environment. Whether you work with international colleagues as part of a home-based or international team, buy, sell or market internationally now or in the future, intercultural awareness enables you to interact more effectively.

Conversely, cultural ignorance or insensitivity in today’s digital world is almost certainly guaranteed to lose customers and brand reputation very quickly.

Intercultural innovation enables you to develop a global mindset through cultural self-awareness, openness and understanding of other cultures, and the ability to integrate different values and practices in the workplace.

The Sheffield Business School at Sheffield Hallam University will be running a series of practitioner workshops that will be delivered through 3 four-hour interactive sessions. The workshops are aimed at those in operational or management roles who wish to boost their personal effectiveness and impact in international business ventures.

 

Aims and objectives:

• To discover how cultural intelligence influences your ability to work effectively in culturally diverse situations through building trust and developing relationships.
• To develop your intercultural competence and awareness to gain new opportunities in today’s diverse world.
• To learn practical strategies for immediate application to intercultural challenges of staff, teams and/or managers.
• To understand how cultural insensitivity and stereotypes can undermine the development of relationships which can have a negative effect on the bottom line.

 

Please note: This programme is a series of half day workshops. The workshops will be taking place on the 11th, 18th & 25th May from 9:00am - 1:00pm with complementary agendas across the 3 sessions. We strongly recommend attending all 3 sessions to ensure you receive the full benefits of the programme.

 

Workshop 1: Introduction to cultural intelligence

Thursday 11th May 2023, 9:00am - 1:00pm

This introductory workshop will provide you with the necessary understanding and practical skills to become more effective at intercultural interactions. You will be encouraged to analyse your own intercultural experiences so that you can develop your cultural sensitivity and self-confidence when engaging in cross-cultural discussions.

Whether you work with international colleagues as part of a home-based or international team, buying, selling or marketing internationally, intercultural awareness enables you to interact more effectively and meet your targets more easily.

 

Workshop 2: How to build relationships across cultures

Thursday 18th May 2023, 9:00am - 1:00pm

This second workshop builds on workshop 1 and will equip you with the tools needed to respond to challenges in the workplace. It practices the use of cultural intelligence in real-life case studies, how to respond to differences, avoids stereotyping and uses cultural diversity as leverage. We will look at issues such as communication patterns (styles, tone, body language), time management and organisational arrangements.

Intercultural development increases your awareness of cultural factors such as national characteristics, national values and norms, different perceptions/worldviews and different styles of interacting.

Whether you work with international colleagues as part of a home-based or international team, buying, selling or marketing internationally now or in the future, intercultural awareness enables you to interact more effectively and meet your targets more easily.

 

 

Workshop 3: How to manage multicultural teams

Thursday 25th May 2023, 9:00am - 1:00pm

Building on the previous workshops, this session introduces you to the benefits and challenges of multicultural teams. We will explore how group dynamics play out in culturally diverse teams, and how different values, ways of thinking, and behavioural patterns of team members can help or hinder the success of a team.

We will explore the benefits of creativity and productivity, while also finding solutions to challenges such as conflicting workstyles and professional etiquette. Whether you work with multicultural teams at home, virtually or across continents, this workshop will show you how to overcome challenges around talent management, fair treatment, and group dynamics.

 

Who should attend?

This programme should be of particular interest to: People Managers, HR Managers, Consultants, Line Managers, Business Development Managers, Client Relationship Managers, MDs and CEOs working within SMEs.

 

When?

9:00am - 1:00pm on:

• Thursday 11th May 2023
• Thursday 18th May 2023
• Thursday 25th May 2023

 

Where?

The Workstation,15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield, S1 2BX

 

Additional Information:

Refreshments & lunch will be provided at the workshops. If you have any dietary requirements, please either let us know upon registration or email: innovation@shu.ac.uk.

Places are limited. Maximum of 2 tickets per company.

Should you have any questions prior to the event, please do not hesitate to email us at: innovation@shu.ac.uk.