Essentials for Successful Cross-Cultural Business

A Series of Workshops and Webinars for Professional Development

Participants can join online or in person at the Kenan-Flagler Business School, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Schedule | Cost

The Program and Target Audience

Working with constituents around globe has long been a reality for many businesses, but managing and leading across cultures remain challenging.

The Essentials for Successful Cross-Cultural Business program provides participants with an opportunity to refine their unique cross-cultural communication skills to successfully do business across borders, whether as a team member or organizational leader. Three experienced cross-cultural trainers lead a series of four workshops (can be attended online or in person) and four webinars (online attendance only).

The program is ideal for business professionals across industries and MBA students who seek to refine their cross-cultural competence beyond the list of do’s and don’ts.

Participants who complete the entire series of four workshops and four webinars will receive the Certificate in Cross-Cultural Business Communication awarded by the UNC Center for International Business Education and Research.

 

The Workshops/Webinars and Schedule

Workshop I
Navigating Global Business Communication
October 26, 2012, 9.00 am - noon EST
UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, McColl Building, Room 2000 (also available online)

Workshop I will establish the fundamental obstacles (language, culture, communication styles, best business practices) associated with operating cross-culturally. Participants will begin to explore pathways through those obstacles toward effective understanding, relationship building and success. The workshop leader and participants will identify and discuss important theories in the field of cross-cultural business communication and draw on current examples from business, sports, media and politics to establish a foundation for the subsequent workshop and webinar series.

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Workshop II
Assessing and Understanding Communication Effectiveness Across Cultures
November 16, 2012, 9.00 am – noon EST
UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, McColl Building, Room 3050 (also available online)

Workshop II dives deep into specific approaches that we take, and which vary widely across cultures, in both, our day-to-day as well as our business communication. Previous to this workshop, all participants will complete an individual cross-cultural communication assessment. The workshop leader will unpack the assessment results and apply them to outcomes from around the world. Participants will explore, by region and countries, specific pitfalls and potential problems when negotiating or managing in other cultures. This will help to identify essential strategies toward smoothing cross-cultural business interactions, developing and maintaining relationships, fostering productivity and, ultimately, getting the deal done.

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Country Focus
Working Effectively with China
November 27, 2012, 4:00 – 5:15 pm EST
(webinar, online participation only)

The Country Focus webinars provide a platform to examine a specific culture and business communication styles and reflect upon the essentials of business communication across cultures covered in the previous workshops.

Working with China presents unique challenges. How well you understand China determines how successful you will be working in this country. Webinar participants will gain insights into the diversity of China and key Chinese cultural values such as hierarchy, group-orientation, relationship, tolerance of ambiguity and indirect communication styles. The presenter will discuss how these values have evolved over time but continue to influence business practices today, as well as strategies and tactics you can employ to proactively manage working relationship with China. 

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Country Focus
This Week in Brazil: A Cultural Foundation to Understand Current Events in Brazil
Tuesday, January 15, 2013, 4.00 – 5.15 pm EST
(webinar, online participation only)

This webinar reviews a number of events and stories that are currently in the news about Brazil and provide background explanation about the cultural, economic, historical, or business factors that are necessary to understand the significance of these events, both for Brazilians as well as for international communication.

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Workshop III
Requisite Skill Sets to Manage Successfully Across Cultures
January 25, 2013, 9.00 am – noon EST
(in-person or online participation possible; McColl 3050)

Workshop III takes participants into very tactical and day-to-day applicable considerations and skill sets associated with doing business cross-culturally. The workshop leader will address key approaches to language use, distance/virtual communication practices, benchmarking, team dynamics and leadership, problem solving, empowerment, interpersonal rapport building, task supervision and effective best-practices for managing the human capital at the core of all business.  This workshop draws directly on information and ideas from the previous workshops and webinars and will bring the knowledge down to specific approaches that serves participants on the ground immediately.  

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Workshop IV
Maximizing Cross-Cultural Fluency in Business Contexts
February 15, 2013 9.00 am – noon EST
UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, McColl Building, Room 3050 (also available online)

In workshop IV, participants will look closely at contemporary and actionable case-studies and business scenarios which relate to how businesses operate cross-culturally. Participants will assess the specific outcomes within the cases and discuss the efficacy and alternative approaches to these scenarios. 

 

This session will bring the entire workshop series together from the initial emphasis on concept and culture to the ultimate focus on people, pragmatics and business best practices.

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Successfully Managing China Supplier and Partner Relations
March 12, 2013, 4:00 – 5:15pm EST
(webinar, online participation only)

Building on the previous workshops and webinars, this session will address a specific example of communication with China in a business setting.

Getting the results you need from Chinese suppliers and partners requires more than a good match of supply and demand.  From contract negotiations, quality assurance to virtual teamwork, the experience can be vastly different from and unexpected to western-minded businesses. Participants will gain valuable insights on what to expect working with China, top challenges managers face including resource planning, communications, quality assurance, negotiations, IP protection and virtual teamwork, and what best practices you can employ to proactively manage them.

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Country Focus
Current Challenges that Multinational Companies Are Facing in Brazil: Brief Case Studies
Tuesday, April 16, 2013, 4.00 – 5.15 pm EST
(webinar, online participation only) 

 

This last webinar in the certificate program will examine some of the challenges that multinational companies are facing as they adjust to operations in Brazil. Brief case studies include:  Google, Chevron, FMC, ESPN.

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The Cost

$440 early bird (ends October 8); per person, incl. 4 workshops and 4 webinars

$540 regular; per person; incl. 4 workshops and 4 webinars (registration closes October 19)

Free for current KFBS students, faculty, and staff.

For questions, contact CIBER Executive Director Julia Kruse at 919.962.4929 or .