Training Industry Magazine - January/February 2018 - 41

ulture is tangible and intangible.
It is in what is seen, but more
importantly it is in what is experienced
in nearly every interaction that occurs.
Even in a seemingly mono-cultural
group of people, cultural considerations
must be taken into account when an
instructional designer sits down at
the computer, when a trainer enters
the learning environment, when a
coach or mentor interacts with others,
and when a chief learning officer
executes a strategy.
It has been ascertained that when
cultural consideration is not given,
diverse teams are not as likely to
innovate as homogeneous teams are due
to perceived or real cultural incongruity.
There are few homogeneous groups
within organizations, even for those
operating at local levels. Intentionally
considering cultural differences and
accentuating the strengths will increase
innovation and engagement, ultimately
making for a stronger learning culture
and greater business returns.
What is really meant by cultural
consideration, and for that matter,
intercultural interactions? A large part
of each person, especially as it relates
to behaviors in the workplace, is
cultural and related to worldviews and
cultural drivers. As much as segments
of society may try to categorize and
separate people, cultures are not
uniform and differences within cultures
are sometimes profound.
In the standard sense of the definition,
cultural contexts include national,
ethnic, generational, organizational,
gender and sexual orientation-based,
institutional, and a variety of other
contexts and sub-contexts. National
cultures exert a powerful influence, but
so do generational, disciplinary and
institutional cultures, and their effects
are difficult to discern, analyze and
disentangle. Embedded in the larger
cultural contexts are micro-cultures
that form based on commonalities
and similarities, yet may be divisive
across the spectrum. Individuals within
cultures differ and bring different

personality traits that bear on any
cross-cultural interaction.
Attributes of the diversity found
within society include values placed
on education, religion, individuality
and status, just to name a few. People
bring backgrounds grounded in their
cultural upbringing. Things like goals,
aspirations and ways of interacting
that individuals feel are positive, may
conflict with others' goals and ways of
interacting. Personal motivations are
deeply influenced by, if not caused by,

People bring
backgrounds
grounded in
their cultural
upbringing.
cultural factors and nuances. No wonder
even within a non-global workforce
culture needs to be considered!

OPPORTUNITIES TO
ACCENTUATE VARIOUS VIEWS
IN THE LEARNING CULTURE
Interestingly,
cultural
values,
characteristics and preferences that
develop with ethnic or national
upbringing tend to merge, adapt,
or alter according to predominate
organizational or local cultural values,
but they do not disappear. They
remain underlying and are impactful.
Learning professionals must accept
and acknowledge these and find ways
to utilize, and in the best situations,
accentuate them for the positive.
Learning professionals must listen
and observe when walking through
the hallways, sitting in their cubicles
or workspace, eating in the common

area. Most importantly, observing
others must take place in the learning
environment, whether live or virtual.
Professionals must check for accuracy
of their own interpretations of the
observations. Resources abound on
predominate cultural traits, values and
attributes. Even asking questions of the
learners directly is an invaluable tool in
assessing cultural influences.
The development of trust can bridge
differences. People tend to trust the
familiar, so leverage the power of ingroup bias. The tendency for people
to categorize others into "in-groups,"
according to social categorization
theory, lends itself to activities that seek
out commonalities creating positive
bias. When facilitating a learning session,
create an environment of inclusiveness
where commonalities are identified,
and differences are perceived as an
asset rather than a liability. This can be
accomplished through case studies, if/
then scenarios, and other relational
learning.
Learning
professionals
must always conduct these with the
consideration of individualistic and
collective learning values.
Being
culturally
intelligent
and
considerate requires that learning
professionals develop a flexible set of
skills, including the ability to listen and
pay attention, reflect on the meaning
of underlying behavior, seek out
relevant information and advice, and
adapt resourcefully. It requires being
aware of, and willing to challenge,
one's own cultural assumptions. If a
learning professional has the focus of
aspects in the learning environment
being planned and reliable, yet the
learners respond more to flexibility
and less structure, the professional
must consider how the impact may
affect the intended outcomes. If the
organizational culture is competitive,
should the learning opportunities
confirm or encourage competitiveness,
or should they place higher value on
cooperative growth? Only the learning
professional who observes interactions,
is aware of their own assumptions
and values, and has knowledge of the

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