DIY

Colleagues

You’re Americans and Germans collaborating. And you want to get it right. Ok. Do it yourself. No need for anyone else. How? See below. But first recognize that you need each other. Colleagues

Audit

You want to address cultural differences. Before you jump in you might want to assess the situation. Via an audit. It tells you which topics on Contrasting Cultures are immediately helpful. It tells us at Contrasting Cultures about which topics we should create new content. Audit

Step 1 – Learn

Contrasting Cultures addresses three fundamental questions: Where do we differ in how we think, therefore work? What influence do the differences have on our collaboration? How can we get them to help instead of hinder collaboration? Learning about cultural differences is the starting point for discussion. Learn

Step 2 – Discuss

As colleagues you want to understand each other. You will enter into an on-going discussion about how you think and how you work. And you will continually go deeper and broader. Discussing cultural differences is the bridge from learning to application. Discuss

Step 3 – Apply

You as colleagues will then apply that deep understanding to your work. This is about what you do and how you do it. Concretely. Specifically. Day in and day out. Applying your understanding of cultural differences to your work strengthens collaboration. Apply

Research

As your collaboration both deepens and broadens you will continue to experience cultural differences. In order to provide on-going support, we need to know what those topics are. How? You do Audit Steps 2 and 3. We do the research, then upload the new content. Research