What is meant by cross-cultural coaching?
How to define culture in cross-cultural coaching?
In order to comprehend what cross-cultural coaching stands for, it is important to understand the term culturally sensitive. It means that the coaching partner is viewed as an individual who, just like me as a coach, brings their own cultural backpack which is treated mindfully. Culture is not just about the country a person was born in or a language they grew up with. Culture is also formed by the age group someone belongs to, in which surroundings they grew up and went to school, which philosophy of life they have, what professional group they belong to, how they spend their free time, etc., etc. The list goes on and on and is undoubtedly very individual for each of us. Culture is made up of values, habits, ways of thinking and acting, methods and processes that are shared by a certain group of people over the long term. Ultimately, the cultures to which we feel we belong are determined by our very individual backgrounds and the way we live our lives.
What is meant by cross-cultural competence?
Cross-cultural competence refers to the culturally sensitive interaction with people from different cultural backgrounds. In order to apply sensitivity, it is important to first recognize cultural and individual patterns of values, thoughts and behaviour in oneself and in other people. The insights gained are then contextualized with an awareness of the different life backgrounds so that appropriate action and communication strategies are derived for the respective situation. It is also important that cultural differences are taken into account when it comes to identifying resources, and also mental blocks that can impede personal development.
What is the difference between cross-cultural and intercultural communication?
Contrary to intercultural communication, the cross-cultural approach assumes that cultures are not clearly distinguishable, homogeneous entities, but are increasingly cross-linked and mixed. In the cross-cultural perspective, cultures are seen as assimilative and not static.
What is most important for me about the cross-cultural approach?
For me, the term cross-cultural initially is associated with reflection - a consideration of the fact that everyone brings their own individual experience and values which are expressed (or not) in their own way, and that it is generally not possible to draw conclusions about how someone is like based on their geographical origin. As a cross-cultural coach, I try to look behind the façade and to integrate unconscious behaviors effectively during the coaching, too. Derived from such reflection, the second step is to react in an individual manner with each person and to communicate and act accordingly.
In my view, in cross-cultural coaching it is crucial to consider each cultural background at equal value to my own. It is my intention to adapt to each person individually and to realize that we all have more or less preconceived thought patterns and assumptions. Consequently, it is important to learn how to deal with them responsibly. I try to keep my sensitivity for different backgrounds awake by taking the bird's eye view again and again in order to be open to get to know people the way they are (which often is not visible at first glance). Remembering that different perceptions are just one of the many possible perspectives, helps me to keep the reflection alive and allows me to work in a culturally sensitive way.
