The importance of intercultural competency for people who may never work outside their home country is the theme of “Going Global, Stateside,” an article by Tanya Mohn in the New York Times.

The excerpt below describes RW3 CultureWizard and the experience one of it’s clients, Thomson Reuters, had with its CultureWizard site.

Andrew P. Walker, vice president of global mobility for Thomson Reuters, said online training was easier, quicker and cheaper than in-person training. Thomson Reuters uses CultureWizard, a Web-based tool created by the company RW3, for its employees in 93 countries for what he said was ‘a fraction of the cost’ of formal training.

Mr. Walker said he also used it himself. ‘Without the course, I think I would have made a lot of mistakes,’ said Mr. Walker, who moved back to the United States in July after five years in London. He said his low-key, light-hearted manner was fine on business trips, but when he was working there full time, ‘I wouldn’t be able to get away with it forever.’ He said the program helped speed the transition.

Michael S. Schell, chief executive of RW3, recounted how a mining and exploration company in Britain contacted his firm because the mining company was unsuccessful in winning business from an American company. ‘During the training, we pointed out that the proposal turned off the Americans,’ Mr. Schell said, because it began with 10 pages detailing all the risks of the venture and how much failure would cost.

Americans tend to view failure as a learning experience that inspires creativity, Mr. Schell said, so the American company considered the proposal negative and unenthusiastic. The British tend to be risk-averse culturally, he said, and perceived the Americans as unrealistic. When the British company redid the proposal with a positive spin, they got the deal the next day, he said.

‘Differences got overlooked because we speak English,’ Mr. Schell said. ‘They look like us, wear the same jeans and use the same cellphones.’

The assumption is that we’re all the same, but we’re not all the same.

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Find links to CultureWizard Digest issues 1 through 16 below.

Issue #16: July 29, 2009

* The New Golden Rule in Global Management
* Secretary of State Clinton in India
* “Cuban Days: The Inscrutable Nation”
* A Cultural Test in Exchange for Residency
* CultureLinks
+ Doctor and Patient Culture Gap
+ The Complexities of Chinese Culture
+ J-Berg: Cheapest City for Expats
* CultureTips
+ Israel
+ Honduras

Issue #15: June 30, 2009

* Why Cultural Fluency Now?
* Twitter is Key in News on Elections in Iran
* President Obama’s Speech in Cairo
* Hummer in China
* CultureLinks
+ BBC Eliminates Vulgarities
+ New Media Literacies
+ US Influence on Iraqi Lexicon
* CultureTips
+ Iran
+ Japan
+ Organization: Efficient or Chaotic?

Issue #14: May 28, 2009

* What Makes Fiat Think that it Can Succeed Where Daimler Failed?
* India’s Elections
* Sriracha: Multicultural Hotsauce
* Promoting Mandarin in Singapore
* CultureLinks
+ Russian Firm Invests $200M in Facebook
+ Culture in DNA
+ Learning Beyond Borders
* CultureTips
+ Dominican Republic
+ Slovenia
+ LinkedIn

Issue #13:April 29, 2009

* Surgical Masks as a Cultural Indicator
* Disney Teaches English in China
* Addressing Cultural Diversity
* Bahrain Embraces its Minorities
* CultureLinks
+ First Lady Michelle Obama, Cultural Faux Pas?
+ Decorum in the Emirates
+ Japan’s Fickle Immigration Policies
* CultureTips
+ Brazil
+ France
+ Twitter

Issue #12:March 31, 2009

* Slum Tourism: Would You?
* Bollywood & Hollywood
* Repatriate or Stay Abroad
* Global Mindset M.B.A.
* CultureLinks
+ Crosswalk Culture
+ Erroneous Cartography
+ Cross-Cultural Nursing
* CultureTips
+ Nigeria
+ Relocating to UK
+ Repatriation & Reverse Culture Shock

Issue #11: February 27, 2009

* Working Virtually
* “Cultural Synergetic Intelligence”
* Growing Individualism in Egypt
* Jewish/Arab Education in Israel
* CultureLinks
+ President Sarkozy’s Diversity & Inclusion Plan
+ Dark Knight not Released in China
+ East & West: Culturally Astute Art
* CultureTips
+ Spain
+ Singapore
+ Social Networking Culture: Facebook

Issue #10: January 30, 2009
* A Cultured White House
* Speaking English in Hong Kong’s Schools
* Abu Dhabi’s Controversial Purchase
* The Year of the Ox
* CultureLinks
+ Expatriate Assignments 2009
+ Bargaining and Shopkeeping
+ “Third Culture Kids”
* CultureTips
+ United Arab Emirates
+ Poland
+ Culture Shock

Issue #9: December 19, 2008
* Tokyo’s Tsukiji Fish Market
* “The American Owl” in China
* Shoes in Arab Culture
* Offshoring to Increase
* CultureLinks
+ Decision-Making on Global Teams
+ Expatriate Families
+ A Multicultural USA
* CultureTips
+ Indonesia
+ South Africa
+ Change Tolerance

Issue #8: November 25, 2008
* Global Experience & Leadership
* Culture Clash
* The Eyewitness Vs. The Reader
* Culturally Competent Teaching
* CultureLinks
+ Dubai’s Cultural Divide
+ Burger King in China
+ The First Ecuadorian Chocolate Brand
* CultureTips
+ Kenya
+ The Party in Japan
+ Informal Societies

Issue #7: August 27, 2008
* Globalization’s Ripple Effect
* Harmony and the Dream
* Culture Versus Technology
* Cram Schools in South Korea
* CultureLinks
+ Germany Discounters
+ Pay TV in Africa
+ Japan Both Needs and Fears Chinese Workers
* CultureTips
+ India
+ France
+ Direct Communication

Issue #6: July 30, 2008
* Cultural Incongruity?
* How Controllable is Culture, Anyway?
* Corporate Culture: Key to Innovation Success
* Jelly Belly Extends Its Market
* CultureLinks
+ In India, Magazine Industry Booming
+ Globalization Brings Investment to Mediterranean
+ Entrepreneurial Spirit drives Taiwan
+ Ettiquette When Communicating with Foreigners
* CultureTips
+ Bulgaria
+ New Zealand
+ Indirect Communication

Issue #5: June 24, 2008
* America At Its Best
* Cultural Due Diligence
* New EU Treaty
* Retooling Culture At Chrysler
* CultureLinks
+ Renault Sponsors Culture Lessons to Sell Cars
+ The World Is Upside Down
+ In Parts Of Europe, Workers Head Home
+ Global Attitidues Survey Shows US Ratings Up
* CultureTips
+ Thailand
+ Sweden
+ Email Etiquette

Issue #4: May 29, 2008
* The Cognitive Age
* Moving Towards Diversity
* Kraft Reformats the Oreo
* Virtual Workplace Do’s and Dont’s
* CultureLinks
+ Competition for Experienced Managers in China is Fierce
+ Global Relocation Survey
+ The New Breed of Business Gurus
+ The City of Dalian Partners with SUNY
* CultureTips
+ Russia
+ Mexico
+ Decision-making

Issue #3: April 29, 2008
* Medical Tourism
* Shriking the Carbon Footprint
* Environment in China Affecting FIEs
* A Global Mindset
* CultureLinks
+ Have You Driven A Fjord Lately?
+ Medical Staff Require Training on Inter-Cultural Awareness
+ Mandarin…the Next Global Language
+ Indian Companies in Need of Cross-Cultural Training
* CultureTips
+ Japan
+ Argentina
+ The Leader’s Influence

Issue #2: March 26, 2008
* American Optimism and Sub-Prime Meltdown
* Women in Emerging Economies
* Car Clash
* Pace too slow for French Entrepreneurs
* CultureLinks
+ HP Top Talent to Work abroad
+ Program Trains People to Treat Depression in India
+ HR in Africa: Unique Challenges Abroad
+ Guess Who’s Getting the Most Work Visas
* CultureTips
+ China – Guanxi
+ Ireland
+ Impact of Language on Global Teams

Issue #1: February 20, 2008
* Introducing CultureWizard Digest
* Reflections on Davos
* Kerviel through the cultural lens
* People as a National Resource
* CultureLinks
+ Young and Impatient in India
+ As Sales Go Global, So Do Managers
+ U.S. Universities Rush to Set Up Outposts Abroad
+ Entrepreneurship Takes Off in Ireland
* CultureTips
+ Chile
+ Germany
+ Global/Virtual Teams

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