Thunderbird World Cafe Podcasts

Understanding the roots of conflict with the Cultural Orientation Indicator

jamesd — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 23:40:49 +0000

Early in her career before she became an academic, Thunderbird Professor Karen S. Walch, Ph.D., worked as an investment consultant in Puerto Rico. One client was a U.S. millionaire who wanted to locate his business in Puerto Rico. Walch says the man failed to appreciate the cultural differences in the territory and quickly became disappointed with the rate of progress. Before long, his disappointment grew into frustration, judgment, paranoia and finally aggression. Walch wishes she knew back then about the Cultural Orientation Indicator, a self-assessment tool that Thunderbird uses in its cross-cultural communication and negotiation classes. Among other things, Walch describes the COI as a conflict management tool that can help prevent situations like the one she encountered in Puerto Rico. “If we can manage our disappointments before they get to aggression, we can actually get business done,” Walch says. “And we can actually be successful, create value and have really good relationships.” Learn more in this podcast, recorded July 16, 2009. Audio: Understanding the roots of conflict using the Cultural Orientation Indicator (3:16)

Making discoveries with the Cultural Orientation Indicator

jamesd — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:58:01 +0000

Thunderbird Professor Denis Leclerc, Ph.D., enjoys watching students in his cross-cultural communication classes make discoveries about thriving in global business environments. “The students realize that sometimes the issues they have in teams are not due to personalities but actually due to misunderstandings and miscommunication,” Leclerc says. Students who fail to make these discoveries rarely succeed in complex global environments, which is why Leclerc describes cross-cultural communication as a core competency at Thunderbird. “The cross-cultural communication class is the DNA of what the school is all about,” he says. In this podcast, recorded July 16, 2009, he talks about the Cultural Orientation Indicator (COI), a self-assessment tool Thunderbird uses to help its students and corporate clients make these key discoveries. Audio: Making discoveries with the Cultural Orientation Indicator (1:39)

Adventures in cross-cultural communication: Alessandro Nobili

jamesd — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:47:19 +0000

Studying cross-cultural communication at Thunderbird has taught Allesandro Nobili to value soft skills. “Anybody can open a book and learn about finance and marketing,” says the full-time MBA student from Italy. “But what makes a difference is how you deal with people.” Nobili, who has lived and worked in three European countries, says one key for success in cross-cultural communication is learning to focus on similarities instead of differences. In this podcast, recorded July 16, 2009, he talks about the Cultural Orientation Indicator (COI), a self-assessment tool that Thunderbird uses to help students thrive in diverse environments. Audio: Alessandro Nobili discusses cross-cultural communication (2:12)

Adventures in cross-cultural communication: Ajay Gundu

jamesd — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:11:15 +0000

Full-time MBA student Ajay Gundu never would have thought about working outside India before arriving at Thunderbird. Now the investment manager from Bangalore craves international adventure after his graduation on Aug. 21. “I want to go to every other place possible to learn more and more,” he says. The change in attitude came during a cross-cultural communication class at Thunderbird that uses a self-assessment tool called the Cultural Orientation Indicator. Ajay talks about the COI and its immediate impact on his career in this podcast, recorded July 16, 2009. Audio: Ajay Gundu discusses cross-cultural communication (1:57)

Adventures in cross-cultural communication: Suguna Nagarajan

jamesd — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:10:22 +0000

Suguna Nagarajan saw plenty of cross-cultural misunderstandings when she worked as a software engineer for a U.S. company in her native India. So she took an interest in the Cultural Orienation Indicator when she came to Thunderbird as a full-time MBA student. The self-assessment tool, which Thunderbird uses in its cross-cultural communication and negotiation classes, is designed to help global managers understand their own cultural preferences and the preferences of others. In this podcast, recorded July 16, 2009, Nagarajan talks about ways the COI helped her succeed during a recent internship in Austria. Audio: Suguna Nagarajan discusses cross-cultural communication (2:18)

Adventures in cross-cultural communication: Shilpa Desawale

jamesd — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:00:50 +0000

Thunderbird student Shilpa Desawale wasn’t sure what to think when her boss asked for her opinions during a U.S. internship. “In India where I am from,” she says, “the corporate culture is very hierarchical, and people don’t interact very openly with the boss.” Desawale says the Cultural Orientation Indicator, a self-assessment tool at Thunderbird, has helped her make adjustments and understand the different ways of doing business in different parts fo the world. Desawale discusses the COI in this podcast, recorded July 16, 2009. Audio: Shilpa Desawale discusses cross-cultural communication (1:27)

Adventures in cross-cultural communication: Aayush Mahajan

jamesd — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:53:02 +0000

Thunderbird student Aayush Mahajan got a crash course in cross-cultural communication when Indian automaker Mahindra announced a joint venture with French automaker Renault. Mahajan, an Indian engineer with Mahindra, found himself negotiating budgets, pricing and other things with expatriates from France. He says he didn’t always understand the cross-cultural dynamics at play, but the Cultural Orientation Indicator at Thunderbird has helped him put events into perspective. The self-assessment tool, which Thunderbird uses in its cross-cultural communication and negotiation classes, is designed to help global managers understand their own cultural preferences and the preferences of others. In this podcast, recorded July 16, 2009, Mahajan talks about the tool’s benefits. Audio: Aayush Mahajan discusses cross-cultural communication (2:31)