Developing Intercultural Training Program for Employees in Multicultural Workplaces

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(1)Developing Intercultural Training Program for Employees in Multicultural Workplaces. by Sandy Yi-Ling Chou. A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Major: International Human Resource Development. Advisor: Dr. Wei-Wen Chang, Ph.D.. National Taiwan Normal University Taipei, Taiwan August 2017.

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(3) ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would first like to thank my thesis advisor Dr. Wei-Wen Chang, associate dean of International Studies and Social Sciences at National Taiwan Normal University. The door to Prof. Chang’s office was always open whenever I ran into a trouble spot or had a question about my research or writing. Her wisdom and great sense of humor inspired me throughout my research for this work.. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. Pai-Po Lee, deputy secretary general of TaiwanICDF, and Dr. Albert Wang, professor of Department of Graphic Arts and Communications at National Taiwan Normal University, for their reading of the manuscript. Without their helpful suggestions and support, this study could not have been successfully completed.. Furthermore, my deepest appreciation goes to Ms. Pauline Ho, division chief of TaiwanICDF’s International Education and Training Department, for her generous support and kindness allowing me to conduct the training program to the managers. Their passionate participation and input achieved this study.. Finally, I must express my very profound gratitude to my mother, friends and classmates in IHRD for providing me with unfailing support and continuous encouragement throughout my years of study and through the process of researching and writing this thesis. This accomplishment would not have been possible without them. Thank you!.

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(5) ABSTRACT The increasing migration and movement of people create more interactions from interpersonal to international as well as the increasing conflicts and prejudices in society. Workplaces are composed by people from different backgrounds and diverse characteristics, how to handle the cultural shock, differences between values and language barriers becomes critical for organizations. Having employees with sufficient skills and intercultural competence to work effectively is a significant challenge. In response to the needs of cultivating talents in global market, intercultural training has been advocated as a mean to facilitate effective intercultural interactions and to equip individuals with intercultural competence in dealing with diverse challenges. Although several types of training programs have been developed, people still argued on the effectiveness of training. This study aims at developing an effective intercultural training program for employees in multicultural workplaces. This study made a hypothesis as participants will demonstrate an improvement on CQ and effectiveness of communication after receiving the designed training program. The training program was evaluated after implementation. Needs assessment and a quasi-experimental design on the training program with pre- & post-survey were included in this study. Experiential learning theory played as an innovative strategy in structuring the training program. The program managers from TaiwanICDF and employees in organizations were the participants in this study because of the similar characteristics of work experiences in multicultural workplaces. The results of this study showed that after taking the designed training program, (1) participants have better ability to carry out appropriate reactions in intercultural settings (behavioral CQ). (2) They perform better on overall intercultural communication and with good approachability, openness, and overall comfort level while conversing during the interactions (Interaction Relaxation). (3) The design of needs assessment helps training program in meeting participants’ needs. (4) Training embedded with experiential learning theory can enhance the efficacy of training. Keywords: intercultural competence, intercultural training program, multicultural workplaces, experiential learning theory (ELT). I.

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(7) TABLE OF CONTENTS. ABSTRACT ............................................................................................ I TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................ II LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................. IV LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................ VI CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION.......................................................... 1. Background of the Study ...................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem ...................................................................................3 Research Purpose ...............................................................................................4 Research Questions ............................................................................................5 Significance of the Study ...................................................................................5 Definition of Terms ............................................................................................6. CHAPTER II. LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................. 9. Intercultural Competence Development ............................................................9 Employees in Multicultural Workplace .............................................................16 Training Program Development.........................................................................18. CHAPTER III. RESEARCH METHODS ............................................ 25. Research Approach ............................................................................................25 Research Framework .........................................................................................26 Research Procedure............................................................................................27 Research Participants and Criteria .....................................................................32 Data Collection ..................................................................................................33 Data Analysis .....................................................................................................35. CHAPTER IV DATA ANALYSIS & RESULTS ................................ 37 Training Needs Assessment and Program Development ...................................39 Descriptive Statistics..........................................................................................47 Correlations Analysis .........................................................................................53 ANCOVA Analysis ............................................................................................56 Paired T-test .......................................................................................................62 Summary and Discussion ...................................................................................67. CHAPTER V CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATION ................. 71 II.

(8) Conclusion .........................................................................................................71 Research Limitations .........................................................................................72 Recommendations for Practitioners ...................................................................73 Suggestions for Future Research .......................................................................74. REFERENCES ....................................................................................... 76 APPENDIX A: NEEDS ASSESSMENT SURVEY ............................... 82 APPENDIX B: PRE- & POST-SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE ............. 84. III.

(9) LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1. Examples of Reported Cultural Incidents ............................................. 28 Table 3.2. Implementation of Pre- & Posttest ........................................................ 32 Table 3.3. Training Schedule of Experimental Group ........................................... 34 Table 4.1. Questions in the Second Training and Examples of Participants’ Responses .............................................................................................. 42 Table 4.2. Instructional Process of Developed Training Program ......................... 44 Table 4.3. Corresponding Design to Four Stage of Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) ..................................................................................................... 46 Table 4.4. Experimental Group: Demographic Information of the Participants of this Study .......................................................................................... 48 Table 4.5. Control Group: Demographic Information of the Participants of this Study ..................................................................................................... 49 Table 4.6. Experimental Group: Minimum, Maximum, Mean, and Standard Deviation of the Data ............................................................................ 50 Table 4.7. Control Group: Minimum, Maximum, Mean, and Standard Deviation of the Data ............................................................................................. 52 Table 4.8. Cronbach Alpha Values of CQ Scale and IE Scale ............................... 54 Table 4.9. Experimental Group: Mean, Standard Deviation, Reliability and Correlation on Gender, Tenure, CQ and IE........................................... 55 Table 4.10. Control Group: Mean, Standard Deviation, Reliability and Correlation on Gender, Tenure, CQ and IE......................................... 55 Table 4.11. Levene's Test of Equality of Error Variances ...................................... 57 Table 4.12. Tests of Between-Subjects Effects_CQ Scale ..................................... 58 Table 4.13. Tests of Between-Subjects Effects_IE Scale ....................................... 58 Table 4.14. Tests of Between-Subjects Effects_Job-related Questions ................. 58 Table 4.15. Estimated Marginal Means on CQ Scale ............................................ 59 Table 4.16. Estimated Marginal Means on IE Scale .............................................. 60 Table 4.17. Estimated Marginal Means on Job-related Questions ......................... 61 Table 4.18. Experimental Group: Quasi- Experiment Result of Pre- and Post-survey on CQ .............................................................................. 62 Table 4.19. Experimental Group: Quasi- Experiment Result of Pre- and Post-survey on IE ................................................................................ 63. IV.

(10) Table 4.20. Experimental Group: Quasi- Experiment Result of Pre- and Post-survey on Job-related Questions ................................................. 64 Table 4.21. Control Group: Quasi- Experiment Result of Pre- and Post-survey on CQ .................................................................................................. 65 Table 4.22. Control Group: Quasi- Experiment Result of Pre- and Post-survey on IE .................................................................................................... 66 Table 4.23. Control Group: Quasi- Experiment Result of Pre- and Post-survey on Job-related Questions 1~3.............................................................. 67. V.

(11) LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1. Theoretical model of the role of trigger events in accelerating crosscultural competence ............................................................................... 14 Figure 2.2. Experimental design of study 2 ............................................................. 15 Figure 2.3. ADDIE model ........................................................................................ 18 Figure 2.4. Experiential learning cycle .................................................................... 22 Figure 3.1. Research framework .............................................................................. 27 Figure 3.2. Composition of the employees in organizations.................................... 33 Figure 4.1. Identified themes from needs assessment.............................................. 39 Figure 4.2. Learning points in response to identified themes .................................. 40 Figure 4.3. Images of U.camdemy and online training............................................ 41. VI.

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(13) CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION. This chapter introduces the background, statement of the problem, research purposes, research questions, significance of this study and definitions of terms. The background describes the characteristics of multicultural workplace. The need of research on intercultural training programs in organization and significance of this study are both addressed. Moreover, the research purposes and questions are depicted. Key terms of this study are defined in the end.. Background of the Study Cross-border investment, transnational marriages and workers in multinational organizations are common features in the modern society under globalization. One of the four aspects identified by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) about globalization is “migration and movement of people” (IMF, 2000). Based on the number provided by Ministry of Labor (2016), the foreign workers in Taiwan are increasing from 338,755 in 2006 to 618,924 in 2016, November. Not only the workforce is composed with diverse groups but also the schools are recruiting more and more international students. International students in Taiwan are reached to 38,622 in 2015 academic year since it is only 24,104 four years ago (Ministry of Education, 2016).. The increasing migration and movement of people create more interactions from interpersonal to international as well as the increasing conflicts and prejudices in society. An interdisciplinary and policy-oriented research project, Definition and Selection of Competencies (DeSeCo), carried out by Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is trying to answer a critical question: What competencies, apart from reading, writing, and computing, are necessary for individuals to lead an overall 1.

(14) successful life and for society to face the challenges of the present and the future (Rychen & Salganik, 2003)? There are three competencies suggested in DeSeCo project: (1) interacting in socially heterogeneous groups, (2) acting autonomously, and (3) using tools interactively. The first competency includes the ability to relate well to others, to cooperate, and to manage and resolve conflicts.. With the tendency that workplaces are composed by people from different backgrounds and diverse characteristics, how to handle the cultural shock, differences between values and language barriers becomes critical for organizations. Having employees with sufficient skills and intercultural competence to work effectively with colleagues, business partners and customers from different cultural backgrounds is a significant challenge. As the definition addressed by Deardorff (2004), intercultural competence is “the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately in intercultural situations based on one’s intercultural knowledge, skills, and attitudes” (p.194).. Lectures, workshops and readings are frequently used in intercultural learning. In response to the needs of cultivating talents in global market, intercultural training has been advocated as a mean to facilitate effective intercultural interactions and to equip individuals with intercultural competence in dealing with diverse and cross-cultural challenges. More and more organizations, governments and schools invest a big amount of resources in providing such trainings. In a report published by Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) in 2009, “conducting ongoing training to promote better understanding among employees with different backgrounds and creating opportunities for employees in minority groups to network with each other” (p.41) is common practice in promoting diversity to organizations in all regions. Thus, training is a common tool for organizations to promote intercultural competence. An effective training became critical for organizations, especially the world economy is blooming 2.

(15) and when lots of resources and investments have been allocated in cultivating talents. Developing an effective intercultural training program for employees in multicultural workplaces is the main purpose of this study. Practical suggestions for organizations when designing intercultural training program in multicultural workplaces are provided as well.. Statement of the Problem “How to develop an effective intercultural training program?” is the question to be answered in this study. People with higher intercultural competence are able to communicate and interact effectively with others. The ability could be improved via trainings including the important elements such as CQ (known as cultural quotient or cultural intelligence) and communication skills. CQ is defined as an individual’s capability to work effectively in diverse cultural settings (Ang & Van, 2008a). With mentioned background in previous section, providing effective trainings to cultivate talents in multicultural workplaces is a challenging assignment for organizations. Intercultural trainings are well discussed in many researches (Batchelder & Warner, 1977; Dolhun, Muñoz, & Grumbach, 2003). However, some researches also indicate the ineffectiveness and obstacles of training programs. Organizations intend to take trainings as a shortcut to change employees’ behaviors in a fast pace, yet, leading to opposite effect or even creating misunderstandings between different groups (Kalev, Dobbin, & Kelly, 2006; Maister, 2006). When it comes to “culture”, Schein (1992) divided it into three levels: artifacts, espoused beliefs & values, and underlying assumptions. Most of the current intercultural training programs are planed with surface knowledge, such as history, customs and taboos of a specific culture; some emphasize on introducing the differences between values, such as power distance, individualism, masculinity, long-term orientation and uncertainty avoidance (Hofstede, 2001); less is 3.

(16) touched to the advanced level of underlying assumptions. It is not enough for individuals only understand the surface behaviors instead of learning the underlying knowledge which usually leads to prejudices (Kalev, Dobbin, & Kelly, 2006) and plays as the root influencing individual’s behaviors.. Besides, present researches on intercultural trainings are more likely to take student as training subjects because of the approachable access (Erez et al., 2013; MacNab, 2012; Ramsey & Lorenz, 2016). Due to the characteristics between students in academic environment and employees in workplaces are different, the workplaces seem to be more stressful, fast-pacing and unpredictable. With above characteristics, the results from previous mentioned researches may not applied effectively in workplace. There is a need to investigate the criteria for developing intercultural trainings in multicultural workplaces. Therefore, the purpose of this study is trying to answer the remaining questions in organizations.. Research Purpose This study aims to develop an effective training program so that to equip employees with intercultural competence and to prevent organizations from wasting resources. Especially for those individuals who work in a multicultural workplace. This study attempts to combine the experiential learning theory (Kolb, 1984) and the identified characteristics of multicultural workplace in structuring the intercultural training program. The effectiveness of training program is evaluated through a quasiexperimental design. And implications to organizations is provided in order to improve current design for intercultural training programs.. 4.

(17) Research Questions Based on experiential learning theory (ELT) developed by Kolb in 1984, this study makes a hypothesis as participants will demonstrate an improvement on CQ dimensions (Ang, Van, & Koh, 2006) and effectiveness of communication after receiving the designed training program.. Question 1: What are the characteristics of a cultural incident in multicultural workplace? Question 2: How to develop an intercultural training program based on identified characteristics of cultural incidents? Question 3: What is the training outcomes of the developed intercultural program?. Significance of the Study Nowadays, keeping a completive edge is one of the priorities for organizations. Thus, retaining and cultivating talents play a critical role in organizational development. Trainings are the common way when organizations are trying to achieve operational objectives. An effective training program can not only help on the talent development but also save a big amount of expenses. This study uses an experiential learning approach in developing intercultural trainings in multicultural workplace. From the developing process, the study elaborate the training elements which need to be take into concerns when doing a customized intercultural training program. By applying the trainings in organization, this study provides an empirical analysis on developing an effective training program for improving individual’s intercultural competence in multicultural workplaces. The outcomes of this study could be a reference for organizational development.. 5.

(18) Definition of Terms Intercultural Competence Lustig & Koester (2010) explain, “culture is a learned set of shared interpretations about beliefs, values, norms and social practices, which affect the behaviors of a relatively large group of people” (p.25). Deardorff (2004) also defined intercultural competence as “the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately in intercultural situations based on one’s intercultural knowledge, skills, and attitudes” (p.194). With regards to the components of intercultural competence, researchers also have tried to explain why people result in different outcomes when communicating across cultural boundaries. Bennett (2004) introduced the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) for “generating greater intercultural sensitivity and the potential for more intercultural competence” (p.75) which supports our standing that intercultural competence can be developed through a developmental training aims at broadening worldview.. Cultural Intelligence (CQ) Cultural intelligence (CQ) is defined as an individual’s capability to work effectively in diverse cultural settings (Ang & Van, 2008a) as is separated from a personality trait, CQ represents adjustments a person can make to be effective across cultures, whereas a personality trait describes what a person will normally do across time and situations (Ang et al., 2007; Costa & McCrae, 1992). Ang, Van, & Koh (2006) stated that CQ is composed by four dimensions which are cognitive CQ, motivational CQ, behavioral CQ and metacognitive CQ. Cognitive CQ represented to the available cultural norms, practice, routines in different cultures. In the study, the 20-item CQ scale (Ang et al., 2007) was used for both pre- and post-survey. 6.

(19) Employees in Multicultural Workplace This study recruits participants who are working in the environment with the addressed characteristics as multicultural workplace. The job content usually includes interactions with diverse cultural groups. Considering the similarity of job content, this study cooperates with the program managers of Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF) and the employees in organizations who are tasked with international affairs, trainings or overseas business in organizations.. Training Program Development This study employs the ADDIE model in developing the training program with a theoretical base. Earley and Peterson (2004) commended the existing intercultural trainings used to assume that the needs of all individuals are similar. In order to better fit individuals’ needs, a needs assessment is conducted to analyze the characteristics of multicultural workplace and obstacles occurred to TaiwanICDF program managers during interactions. According to the result of needs assessment, training program is designed, implemented and evaluated. Furthermore, the work experiences from program managers in multicultural workplaces not only provide great resource of case study but also relate to personal needs in work. The experiential learning theory (ELT) thence is embedded to the training design to better utilize above material. Feedbacks from the program managers are taken as the hands-on information in delivering an effective training program.. 7.

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(21) CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW In this chapter, the study reviews literatures about cultural intelligence, intercultural competence, employs in multicultural workplace, experiential learning theory and intercultural training program. More specifically, each term is defined accordingly and summaries are also addressed at the end of each section.. Intercultural Competence Development In this section, literatures of intercultural competence and cultural intelligence are reviewed for providing fundamental concepts for this study to clarify the definitions. Literatures regard to developing intercultural competence are provided as developmental examples.. Intercultural Competence Lustig & Koester (2010) explain, “culture is a learned set of shared interpretations about beliefs, values, norms and social practices, which affect the behaviors of a relatively large group of people” (p.25). The statement provides an important concept that culture is not only expressing externally via behaviors but also existing internally via our beliefs, values and norms. When communications happen between individuals, the interpretations are shared and culture is formed. According to this address, the interactions between cultures can be refer to intercultural communication and the competence to carry out such activities can be taken as intercultural competence. Similarly, Deardorff (2004) also defined intercultural competence as “the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately in intercultural situations based on one’s intercultural knowledge, skills, and attitudes” (p.194). It refers to proper and suitable behaviors meet the expectations by a given culture and achieve desired outcomes. 9.

(22) Therefore, the knowledge of the given culture, adequate motivations and proper skills are required during the interactions.. Researchers have dedicated on studies of components of intercultural competence. Byram (1997) developed a five-category model of Intercultural Communicative Competence which is composed by attitudes, knowledge, skills of discovery and interaction, skills of interpreting and relating, and critical cultural awareness. In his research, attitudes are critical when achieving a successful communication. Knowledge serves as a tool for communicating effectively between cultures. Skills of discovery and interaction require the ability to observe gaps between culture and language. Skills of interpreting and relating require the ability to identify the cultural contents when doing translation between languages. Critical cultural awareness is related to make critical judgements. With regards to the components of intercultural competence, researchers also have tried to explain why people result in different outcomes when communicating across cultural boundaries. Thus, the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) has been introduced by Bennett (2004) and to explain the pattern of changes in the underlying worldview.. Cultural Intelligence (CQ) Cultural intelligence is defined as an individual’s capability to work effectively in diverse cultural settings (Ang & Van, 2008a) and is composed by four dimensions which are cognitive CQ, motivational CQ, behavioral CQ and metacognitive CQ (Ang et al., 2006). Cognitive CQ represented to the available cultural norms, practice, routines in different cultures. Motivational CQ indicates the willingness to search out and participate intercultural context and to be motivated to learn more. Behavioral CQ is the ability to carry out appropriate reactions in intercultural settings. Metacognitive 10.

(23) CQ refers to the outcomes when individuals experienced the cross-cultural process and internalize the knowledge learned from previous experiences then reacts better and better (Magnusson, Westjohn, Semenov, Randrianasolo, & Zdravkovic, 2013). Furthermore, Ng, Dyne and Ang (2009) developed a model integrated with CQ and experiential learning theory and declared CQ can be improved through training in a multicultural context.. Cultural Intelligence Scale.. In this study, the 20-item CQ scale developed by Ang et al. (2007) is used as a part of the measurement in both pre- and post-survey. This 7-point Likert type scale (1 = strongly disagree; 7 = strongly agree) assesses the total average score of CQ on the previous mentioned 4 dimensions. Sample questions are presented as below:. Metacognitive CQ: I am conscious of the cultural knowledge I apply to cross-cultural interactions.. Cognitive CQ: I know the rules for expressing nonverbal behaviors in other cultures.. Motivational CQ: I enjoy interacting with people from different cultures.. Behavioral CQ: I change my verbal behavior (e.g., accent, tone) when a cross- cultural situation requires it.. Intercultural Effectiveness Scale.. Not only Byram (1997) pointed out intercultural competence playing an important role on communications but also Portalla & Chen (2010) further introduced intercultural communication competence (ICC) with a valid instrument, the. 11.

(24) intercultural effectiveness scale (IES), for measuring the concept. ICC includes three dimensions: intercultural awareness, intercultural sensitivity, and intercultural effectiveness (Chen & Starosta, 1996). Intercultural awareness is the cognitive process to understand cultural conventions that affect the way of individuals think and behave. Intercultural sensitivity is a dynamic concept to develop a positive emotion toward cultural differences and to promote an appropriate behavior when communicating in an intercultural context (Chen & Starosta, 1997). Intercultural effectiveness refers to achieving communication goals in intercultural interactions (Portalla & Chen, 2010).. The 20-item intercultural effectiveness scale generated by Portalla & Chen (2010) is included in a part of the pre- and post-survey in this study. The 5-point Likert type scale (1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree) evaluate ICC with six factors on interaction relaxation, behavioral flexibility, interaction management, message skills, identity maintenance and interactant respect. Sample questions are presented as below:. Interaction relaxation: I find it is easy to talk with people from different cultures.. Behavioral flexibility: I am afraid to express myself when interacting with people from different cultures.. Interaction management: I am able to express my ideas clearly when interacting with people from different cultures.. Message skills: I have problems with grammar when interacting with people from different cultures.. Identity maintenance: I find it is difficult to feel my culturally different counterparts are similar to me.. 12.

(25) Interactant respect: I use appropriate eye contact when interacting with people from different cultures.. Developing Intercultural Competence There are increasing researches focusing on developing intercultural competence. However, most of them are targeting on student groups and language training and education (Ashwill, 2004; Cant, 2004; Devis Arbona & Chireac 2015; Hoskins & Sallah, 2011; Krajewski, 2011). Following are researches as developmental examples in this study. Reichard et al. (2015) conducted a two-stage research, and concluded the training embedded with cross-cultural trigger events has influence on increasing cultural intelligence and decreasing ethnocentrism. Study 1 carried out a thematic analysis of 85 U.S. undergraduate students with international experiences to understand the characteristics (i.e., trigger events) encountered during international living. A theoretical model was developed and shown the interconnection between the emergent themes and the development process of cultural competence impacted by cross-cultural trigger events (Figure 2.1.). This model demonstrates similar developing process of the training program in this study. In the needs assessment, program managers from TaiwanICDF are asked to identify a critical intercultural incident. The researcher then categorizes the characteristics of multicultural workplace from the responses.. 13.

(26) Figure 2.1. Theoretical model of the role of trigger events in accelerating cross-cultural competence. Adapted from “Engagement in cultural trigger events in the development of cultural competence,” by Reichard et al., 2015, Academy of Management Learning & Education, 14(4), p.468. Copyright 2015 by Academy of Management Learning & Education.. Study 2 implemented a pre- & post-survey single group quasi-experimental design on training 130 employees using the emergent definition of a cultural trigger event from Study 1 on the training context. The experimental design is shown in Figure 2.2. The innovative findings support the development of cultural intelligence and provide a useful tool for organizations on the design and implementation of intercultural trainings. However, in this study, the researcher employed double group quasi-experimental design along with pre- & post-survey. This design helps to enhance the internal validity of the results.. 14.

(27) Figure 2.2. Experimental design of study 2 (Adapted from Reichard et al., 2015).. Ramsey & Lorenz (2016) also employed a quasi-experimental design with a pre& posttest on 152 MBA students. Different with Reichard’s study (2015), the experimental design divided students into treatment group who took cross-cultural management (CCM) and CQ education while control group only took an entrepreneurship course without focus on CCM or CQ. The findings indicated that CQ was increased on students who took the CCM course and that CQ was positively related to their commitment to and satisfaction with their course. Moreover, students with high level of CQ presented higher satisfaction at the end of the course than those whose CQ level did not change.. Another research conducted by Rehg, Gundlach, & Grigorian (2012) using pre- & posttest survey on US government contracting trainees indicated that training with a lecture format could improve cognitive CQ, behavioral CQ and specific self-efficacy (SSE). The research also revealed a relationship between CQ and self-efficacy. Although there are some limitations on the sample size, nature of the sample (public sectors) and reliance on self-reports, this research still contributes to the intercultural competence development. In the same year, MacNab (2012) also implemented a study on cultural intelligence education using experiential approach. Two phases of this 15.

(28) research was participated by 743 management education participants in total. MacNab’s study (2012) helps to fill a gap between experiential learning and CQ development.. Summary In this present study, intercultural competence is the ability to develop because it enables individuals to interact effectively under intercultural context and help organizations to achieve goals in this changing society. Therefore, how to develop intercultural competence is the process to be explored in this study.. Employees in Multicultural Workplace Globalization and growing economy create more and more diverse workplace and interactions in organizations. Esty, Griffin and Hirsch (1995) stated “diversity” as acknowledging, understanding, accepting, and valuing differences among people with respect to age, class, race, ethnicity, gender, disabilities, etc. Diversity is a trend for organizational issues and leads to organizational change. How to manage diversity in workplace becomes an important issue for organizations to remain their competitiveness. Therefore, from the inclusive workplace model developed by Barak (2011), multicultural workplace exists when organizations . Value and utilize individuals and intergroup differences within its framework. . Cooperate with, and contributes to, its surrounding community. . Alleviate the needs of disadvantaged groups in its wider environment. . Collaborate with individuals, groups, and organizations across national and cultural boundaries. The multicultural competency checklist developed by Ponterotto, Alexander and. 16.

(29) Grieger (1995) expressed critical elements for the establishment of a multicultural program. There are four criteria on the aspect of minority representation:. 1.. At least 30% of the managerial level represent racial/ethnic minority.. 2.. At least 30% of papulation are bilingual.. 3.. At least 30% of workers’ level represent racial/ethnic minority populations.. 4.. At least 30% of support staff (e.g., secretarial staff, graduate assistant pool). represent racial/ethnic minority populations.. The ability to link different cultures is a critical skill for people who work in a multicultural workplace. More and more studies targeted to this population, such as employees working in overseas locations (Rehg, Gundlach, & Grigorian, 2012), certified substance abuse counselors who receiving patients in a variety of ethnicities (Lassiter & Chang, 2006), student affairs practitioners who involved in multicultural issues (Mueller & Pope, 2001) and a majority of frontline human service providers who have moderated multicultural issues (Caldwell et. al, 2008).. Similar with above cases, the participants of this study are working in the environment with the addressed characters as multicultural workplace. The program managers of TaiwanICDF and the employees in organizations are working in a multicultural workplace where the daily tasks are mostly related with international affairs.. 17.

(30) Training Program Development In this section, literatures of ADDIE Model and experiential learning theory are reviewed for providing fundamental concepts for this study to clarify the definitions.. ADDIE Model The ADDIE model is conducted throughout the research process. ADDIE model of instructional systems design (ISD) was developed by Branson, Rayner, Cox, Furman, & King in 1975 to aid US Army for the armed services to train personnel in a variety of tasks; nowadays, it has been used as a procedure for instructional designers and training developers in establishing effective training programs. The model is defined into five phases and provides a process that actively engaged developers in problem solving: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation (Figure 2.3.).. Figure 2.3. ADDIE model (Adapted from Branson et al., 1975).. 18.

(31) Phase 1: Analysis.. In the first phase, the major concern for developers is the target population. A needs assessment is employed to examine the needs of the population by making a distinction between what your target population already know and what they need to know at the end of the course. From the needs assessment, establish a foundation via examining standards and competencies is important to determine what students need when completing the course. Therefore, review the standards and competencies in advance will be helpful in this process. If the course has already been implemented, information may be accessible from previous evaluation. Meanwhile, the content of the training can be analyzed with the help of course scripts. The instructor determines the portion of instruction that is needed to the needs and task assessment.. Phase 2: Design.. In this process, several key facets are essential. Conducting research and planning are major tasks in this stage. Identifying purposes, determining how the purposes will be met, what the instructional plans will be conducted to succeed the purposes, and what tools will be the most effective when delivering the purposes are important (Seels & Glasgow, 1998). The results from the analysis phase is very critical in this phase. Planning is required in the first two phases and will decrease the need for further research or redesign.. When connecting goals and purposes with assessments, instructors go back to the first phase for data that provides information about the participants' characteristics, previous experiences, and needs. The information assist instructors in the planning of suitable assessment tools or strategies. If goals, purposes, and assessments do not connected, participants may losing interest and further influent the instructional quality. 19.

(32) And it will also affect the long-term retention of participants. With a careful selection of assessment methods and techniques, participants tends to become actively engaged in the training.. Phase 3: Development.. Instructors must pay attentions on the results from the previous two phases and organize a plan for the implementation of the information during this phase. This stage transforms the instructor’s role from research and planning to production. Drafting, production, and evaluation are the main focuses in this phase. Developing or selecting training materials and conducting comprehensive evaluations are the main tasks for instructors (Seels & Glasgow, 1998). Evaluations during this phase focus differently than the final evaluation in the last phase of the ADDIE model. Instructors are the main persons to determine if the participants will learn from the training and how it can be improved before implementation.. Phase 4: Implementation.. Instructors need to be active in the implementation phase. For the effectiveness of the training, instructors must keep analyzing, redesigning, and enriching the training. Conducting evaluations during this phase is essential to conduct an effective training. When the participants and instructors are active involving in the training, modifications can be made immediately to the training to achieve effectiveness.. Phase 5: Evaluation.. The last phase is an important part of the ADDIE model and is multidisciplinary. The structural evaluation conducted in the development phase during the. 20.

(33) implementation phase with the help of participants, and at the end of the implementation in a way as a summary for instructional improvement. During evaluations, the instructors must check if the problem has been solved, if the purposes have been met, and if there is any adjustment for future delivery of the training. Sometimes, the evaluation may be underestimated because of time or economic factors, however it is critical. The evaluation should be an integral part for further analysis and improvement data for future trainings.. Following the introduction of these five phases, this study adapts a similar process for developing the intercultural training program. A needs assessment was conducted via an on-line survey to the ICDF program managers. A qualitative analysis regards to the characters of needs and instructional problems are identified. The objectives and participants existing knowledge and skills are considered into the design of the training. Based on the previous analysis, the assessment instruments and training contents are developed. This study utilize lectures, online materials, case study, role-play, etc. to enrich course content. Feedbacks from participants will be collected through discussion during and after the implementation of the training program. In the last phase, evaluation of the effectiveness of training program will be conducted via the analysis on pre- & post-survey. Implications and limitations will be discussed for future improvement.. Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) According to Kolb (1984), “learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience” (p.38). Experience plays as a fundamental element in the learning process. Since the experiential learning theory (ELT) has been introduced by Kolb in 1984, this one of the best known educational theory presents a 21.

(34) structure for educators in constructing a course using a learning cycle. From Kolb’s learning model (see Figure 2.4.), the knowledge is learned from the mergence of grasping and transforming experience. Concrete experiences are basis for observations and reflections. Then the reflections are processed into abstract concepts as new implications that can be actively tested and serve as guides in creating new experiences.. Figure 2.4. Experiential learning cycle. Adapted from “Experiential learning theory: A dynamic, holistic approach to management learning, education and development,” by A. Kolb, & D. A. Kolb, 2009, The SAGES Handbook of Management Learning, Education and Development, p.44. Copyright 2009 by SAGE Publications Ltd.. Experiential learning theory is embedded into the intercultural training program in this study since the participants are employees in a multicultural workplace. The work experiences play as the concrete experiences and can be easily transformed through the designed instruments (lectures, case studies, experience sharing, etc.) into abstract 22.

(35) concepts. Then converging to the active experimentation such as reflections from the instructor and observations on others during the training, the new experience is created and plays as a cycle for further learning process.. Summary Following the ADDIE model, this study conducts and analyze a needs assessment to ICDF program managers. Design and develop the intercultural training program based on the outcomes from the analysis. Moreover, considering the characteristics of multicultural workplace and the experiences from the participants could be taken as a valuable assets, case studies and experience sharing are structured into the experiential learning process in order to combine both theoretical concepts and practical experiences. The effectiveness of training program is evaluated after implementation.. 23.

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(37) CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODS Research Approach This study adopt mixed approaches, both qualitative and quantitative methods since it utilizes various empirical data from needs assessment survey, designed training program, and pre- & post-survey, in order to interpret the learning needs into the intercultural training program and symmetrically examine the training outcomes. As Given (2008) addressed, when to catch individuals’ thoughts, feelings, or interpretations of meaning and process, qualitative method is usually adopted; as to understand what has happened and while experiments can test particular interventions, the quantitative approaches are suggested.. A needs assessment survey is conducted at the beginning as a qualitative approach which enables the researcher to get an insightful understanding of critical intercultural incidents engaged between research participants and multicultural workplace. Moreover, the qualitative assessment also explores participants’ feedbacks for designing the training program.. On the other hand, a quasi-experimental design is employed as the quantitative approach allows the researcher to do statistical analysis on the data collected from pre& post-survey of the training program. To estimate the effects of a treatment or intervention, the quasi-experimental design is usually implemented with a comparison between what happened after the treatment was implemented and what would have happened if the treatment had not been implemented (Millsap & Maydeu-Olivares, 2009). Such experimental design is frequently used when there are practical and ethical constraints on random assignment. As Campbell and Stanley (1966) stated, although it 25.

(38) is not fully controlled over the scheduling of experimental stimuli, the natural social setting still can be introduced like experimental design during the data collection as a true experiment. And it can be taken as quasi-experimental designs. With the awareness of the limitation of the participant settings, this study conducts the nonequivalent control group design which was mentioned by Campbell and Stanley (1966), involves an experimental group and control group both given a pre-survey and a post- survey. In brief, as Creswell (2013) explained, “mixed methods is chosen because of its strength of drawing on both qualitative and quantitative research and minimizing the limitations of both approaches” (p.266). Therefore, the mixed method is adopted in this study.. Research Framework The research framework of this study is constructed based on research purpose and research questions stated in Chapter 1. This study aims to identify the characters of critical intercultural incidents in a multicultural workplace and to examine the effectiveness of the designed intercultural training program.. To understand learning needs, CIT (critical incident technique) is applied to collect qualitative data from participants. Based on the CIT analysis result, training content is designed and implemented. Quasi-experimental deign is utilized for evaluating training outcomes. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the designed training program, a control group and the experimental group design is performed. Participants are employees in multicultural workplaces and are divided into two groups. One as program managers from TaiwanICDF with the mixed-method intercultural training program; another as employees in multicultural workplaces with online intercultural training program (Figure 3.1). Pre- and post-survey are administrated to collect quantitative data before and after training delivery. 26.

(39) Figure 3.1. Research framework. Research Procedure This study designs, implements, and evaluates the intercultural training programs for full-time employees in multicultural workplaces. The process is divided into six stages.. 1st Stage: Developing a needs assessment survey. In order to better understand the characteristics of multicultural workplace and the critical intercultural incidents occurred during interactions, the needs assessment survey is designed with two sections:. (1) Background information & intercultural experiences check. (2) 6 open-ended questions regard to a critical intercultural incident and difficulties faced in multicultural workplace.. 2nd Stage: Implementing the developed needs assessment. The survey is distributed online to the ICDF program managers who are working in a multicultural 27.

(40) workplace. The purpose of this survey is to collect critical intercultural incidents and difficulties encountered in workplace from employees. The collected data are analyzed for designing the content of intercultural training programs.. 3rd Stage: Analyzing the collected data from needs assessment. 44 surveys were distributed to all ICDF program managers and 35 responses were received with 34 valid. The raw data was reviewed and analyzed. Based on every reported intercultural incident, there are 6 major themes identified: (1) culture knowledge, (2) communication difficulties, (3) characters as a liaison role, (4) public and private boundaries, (5) consultative skills, and (6) international relations. Examples of the cultural incidents are sorted by themes as Table 3.1.. Table 3.1. Examples of Reported Cultural Incidents Identified Theme. Cultural differences. Background. At student’s apartment.. What happened?. I found the international students used to cook rice with a small pot instead of an electric pot which has been considered as a common tool when cooking rice here in Taiwan.. Your reaction. I was wondering maybe they don’t know how to use electric pot, so I asked whether they ever tried to cook with it? Students responded yes, they did, but they felt more accustomed with the small pot.. Result. I expressed my amaze to the students. And we continued sharing more cultural differences during the meal.. What did you learned?. Cultural learning is endless.. Identified Theme. Communication skills. Background. Me and an international student, in my office.. What happened?. The student asked me a favor with an impolite tone. (continued) 28.

(41) Table 3.1. (continued) Identified Theme. Communication skills. Your reaction. I directly expressed my feelings and we had some argues.. Result. The student clarified to me that he didn’t mean it.. What did you learned?. You need to express clearly when communicating with students, or it may cause confusions.. Identified Theme. Characters as a liaison role. Background. An international student applied for a new refrigerator in dormitory but was objected by the office. And the refrigerator at the public area was messy and unable to use.. What happened?. I helped to communicate between student and school officers. However, the student was asked to wait until next semester. He was unpleasant and felt sick due to eating unfamiliar food from markets. The student also contacted to his embassy regarding to this issue.. Your reaction. I reported this issue to higher level of the school.. Result. With the help from the office of general affairs, the student finally got what he want.. What did you learned?. You need to double confirm with different parties when communicating. Confusions may cause distrust and unnecessary conflicts. How to be the liaison role between different parties is an important issue.. Identified Theme. Interaction boundary. Background. In my office.. What happened?. The international students always asked for free food from the office because my colleague used to treat them with snacks sometimes. Moreover, students even asked for free food in their favor.. Your reaction. I explained to students about the situation and suggested them to buy food on their own.. Result. The students left office with unpleasant faces.. What did you learned?. Do not spoiled students, or they will just take it for granted.. Identified Theme Background. Guidance and counseling In a hospital. (continued) 29.

(42) Table 3.1. (continued) Identified Theme. Guidance and counseling. What happened?. An international student was drunk and be sent to a hospital. The student was very sad and crying.. Your reaction. I checked the student’s situation and tried to comfort the student’s emotion. I also provided suggestions to the student regarding to this issue.. Result. The student promised won’t do it again.. What did you learned?. Good communication and consultative skills are very important.. Identified Theme. International relations. Background. Two international students from different countries.. What happened?. Somehow, the students had a serious argument. One of the two reported to family member and resulted with an intervention from the embassy of student’s country.. Your reaction. Immediately contacted with school, TaiwanICDF and the embassy and accessed the follow-up arrangement.. Result. Both sides achieved an agreement and left Taiwan after finishing their studies.. What did you learned?. There are different norms in different countries. It is important learn more about international relations.. 4th Stage: Developing the content of intercultural training program. The characteristics of multicultural workplace identified from the result of needs assessment in the 3rd stage are embedded into the training program. According to the identified themes from previous stage, there are not only cultural factors but also communicative approaches involved and played as key roles in the intercultural incidents. Therefore, the training program aims to enhance participants’ CQ, especially on cognitive awareness and behavioral dimensions, and intercultural communication.. The intercultural training program for experimental group is divided into three times and conducted with mixed methods including classroom lectures, online activities and live interactions & feedbacks between participants. The experiential learning. 30.

(43) theory (ELT) is purposely applied in the training for experimental group in order to better utilize the identified cultural incidents from participants. Besides, the control group is designed to go through the same lecture content which has been edited into videos by the researcher but without embedding ELT. The pre- & post-survey questionnaires at the beginning and the end of the designed training programs are processed to both groups as well.. 5th Stage: Developing the content of the pre- & post-survey questionnaire. Since the training content mainly focus on cultural factors and communicative approaches, the pre- & post-survey questionnaire are set to evaluate the both accordingly. Therefore, the questionnaire combines the 20-item four dimensions cultural intelligence scale (CQS) developed by Ang et al. (2007) with composite reliabilities exceeded 0.70 (metacognitive CQ = 0.71, cognitive CQ = 0.85, motivational CQ = 0.75, and behavioral CQ = 0.83) (Ang & Van, 2008b, p.22) and the 20 item intercultural effectiveness scale (IES) developed by Portalla & Chen (2010) with Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient of this instrument was 0.85 (p.28), and plus 6 questions for evaluating the whether the training meets the participants’ needs in multicultural workplace. The pre-survey (01 & 03) is implemented to both experimental and control groups before the intercultural training programs (Xa & Xb) as well as the post-survey (02 & 04) is accessed after the interventions (Table 3.2.).. 31.

(44) Table 3.2. Implementation of Pre- & Post-survey. Note. Xa= Designed intercultural training program with ELT; Xb= Online intercultural training program without ELT; 01 & 03= Represent the pre-survey (CQS & IES) for both groups; 02 & 04= Represent the post-survey (CQS & IES) for both groups.. 6th Stage: After the training program, the data from pre- & post-survey of two groups are reviewed and analyzed using paired T-test on SPSS. The effectiveness of training program is examined. Implications and limitations on designing intercultural training programs is discussed and provided to organizations as a reference on improving the talents development strategies.. Research Participants and Criteria Patton (2002) mentioned, “The purpose of purposeful sampling is to select information-rich cases whose study will illuminate the questions under study” (p.230). Therefore, the participants of this study are purposefully selected according to Patton’s sampling strategies. “Homogeneous samples” (p.235) is one of the developed strategies by Patton and is adopted in this study. There are two criteria for participants in this study: (1) they are employees in multicultural workplaces and (2) the major job tasks are involved with multicultural characteristics. The participants in this study are the TaiwanICDF program managers (experimental group) and employees in organizations (control group). The program managers from TaiwanICDF are 2 male, 23 female; they frequently interacting with international students, faculties, colleagues from other 32.

(45) departments and embassy officers. Similarly, the employees in organizations are 10 male, 15 female; the job contents are related to international affairs, international customer service & overseas business and international training. Out of 25 samples in the control group, there are 14 (56%) from universities, 8 (32%) from private companies, 2 (8%) from TaiwanICDF and 1 (4%) from public sector (Figure 3.2). Both experimental and control groups share the similar characteristics of work experiences in multicultural workplaces.. Figure 3.2. Composition of the employees in organizations (N=25). Data Collection Before conducting this study, a project proposal were sent to the International Education and Training Department of TaiwanICDF. Then a meeting with the chief of the Education Division regarding to the details of this study was initiated in November, 2016. In the meeting, a cooperation agreement was made and training schedule was set. The training is divided into three times from December, 2016 to April, 2017. On the 33.

(46) other hand, the officers from the Office of International Affairs in universities are the first target participants of the control group in this study. And the contact information about OIA in universities in Taiwan are collected in order to reach the targeted groups. Participants from other organizations are added using snowball sampling later on.. Table 3.3. Training Schedule of Experimental Group Training. Method. Time. Indoor.. 2016/12/16. Tool: lecture, case study, videos, role-play. 1.5 hr. Online platform.. 2017/3/30~4/6. Tool: movie clips, discussion. 1.5~2 hr. Indoor.. 2017/4/7. Tool: lecture, experience sharing, discussion. 1.5 hr. I. II. III. A needs assessment with open-ended questions to the experimental group is employed before implementing the training. It helps to provide in-depth information and individual’s perspectives for developing the content of the intercultural training program. 6 major themes were identified from the critical intercultural incidents and utilized as elements in developing the training program. With the quasi-experimental deign, this study uses a nonequivalent control group design involves full-time employees in multicultural workplaces who are divided into experimental group (ICDF program managers) & control group (employees in organizations) and both given the pre- and post-survey questionnaires.. 34.

(47) Data Analysis This study collects critical intercultural incidents from full-time employees in multicultural workplaces. The open-ended questions are conducted with an open coding method for categorizing the major characteristics occurred in multicultural workplace, thus facilitating the analysis process. As Dey (1993) stated, “coding” is to categorize data and make connection between categories. For analyzing the open-ended questions regarded to the critical intercultural incidents and difficulties encountered in multicultural workplace, this study categorizes and summarizes the results in a condensed table in the findings and discussions chapter.. The statistic software of IBM SPSS 23 is used in this study to analyze the data collected by the pre- and post-survey. The analysis method includes:. Descriptive Statistics For analyzing respondent information and acquiring descriptive data report, the SPSS is applied to the demographics of the sample. The descriptive statistics help to check for errors, outliers and the distribution of the data. Moreover, the means and standard deviation are calculated and examined.. Pearson Correlation Analysis To examine the relationship between variables, the Pearson correlation analysis is conducted as well as to evaluate the strength of the relationship. Specifically, this study uses correlation analysis to understand the relationship between participants’ background (gender and tenure) and intercultural competence.. 35.

(48) ANCOVA Analysis ANCOVA analysis is used to detect a difference in means of independent groups, whilst controlling for scale covariates. Besides, Levene's test and the tests of betweensubjects effects are demonstrated to examine whether the dependent variables are equal across groups and the variances are significantly different or not.. Paired T-test Means and standard deviations of both experimental group and control group are compared using T-test. Intercultural training program is an important factor in this study and is examined by t-test to find out the effectiveness of training program between the two groups.. 36.

(49) CHAPTER IV DATA ANALYSIS & RESULTS This study is divided into two phases: training program development and effectiveness examination. The purpose of this study is to develop an effective intercultural training program which meets the training needs of the participants. This chapter includes five sections, training needs assessment and program development will first be discussed. Then the descriptive statistics, correlation and ANCOVA analysis, and paired T-test are presented in order to show the training outcomes. Lastly, summary of the results is provided and discussed. Besides, three research questions mentioned in chapter one were answered accordingly in the chapter:. Question 1: What are the characteristics of a cultural incident in multicultural workplace?. In response to this question, training needs assessment was employed. The six identified themes emerged from data analysis reflected the characteristics of cultural incidents in multicultural workplace. The cultural incidents provided from TaiwanICDF program managers reported various situations and difficulties when interacting with different stakeholders.. Question 2: How to develop an intercultural training program based on identified characteristics of cultural incidents?. Based on the six identified themes, learning points were developed accordingly in response to participants’ needs and to construct the training program. All six learning points were linked to cultural differences with training methods as lecture, discussion, role-play, videos and experience sharing. The learning points of “what leads to cultural differences,” “intercultural communication,” “supplementary information about other 37.

(50) culture,” “cultural differences” and “communication difficulties” were used to explain the second theme of communication skills. “What leads to cultural differences,” “intercultural communication,” “cultural differences” and “communication difficulties” also responded the third theme of characters as a liaison role. Moreover, the learning points of “intercultural communication,” “cultural differences” and “communication difficulties” provided solutions for interaction boundary and guidance and counseling. Lastly, four learning points (intercultural communication, supplementary information about other culture, cultural differences, and communication difficulties) were developed for the sixth theme of international relations.. In addition, the experimental learning theory was implied into the developed training program since the participants were workers in multicultural workplace. The developed training made a good use of experiences from participants, and not only provided intercultural knowledge but also tried to create learning in workplace.. Question 3: What is the training outcomes of the developed intercultural program?. Overall, the TaiwanICDF program managers had good performance on behavioral CQ and intercultural effectiveness. They performed better in analyzing the causes of difficulties of intercultural communication, using strategies to improve the efficacy of intercultural communication, and managing the situations and strategies of communication with foreign students and embassies. Since behavioral change will directly influent performance of workers (Sadri, 2015), the developed training program brought a good effect on the participants.. 38.

(51) Training Needs Assessment and Program Development The content of training program is developed based on the six identified themes from the needs assessment. The result of assessment shows that all employees had international experiences from schooling, traveling or working. Moreover, cultural differences and communication difficulties are the most challenging issues from their interactions with stakeholders in work. From the responses of the needs assessment, 41% related to cultural differences, 23% related to communication skills, 15% mentioned the characters as a liaison role when communicating between stakeholders, 9% felt the interaction boundary is an important issue, 6% involved with guidance and counseling, and 6% encountered issues about international relations (Figure 4.1). The six themes are linked to several learning points in order to response to the training needs of the participants (Figure 4.2).. Figure 4.1. Identified themes from needs assessment. 39.

(52) Figure 4.2. Learning points in response to identified themes. Both experimental group and control group receive the same content of training program but via different ways. For experimental group, the researcher utilizes various materials in delivering the training in 3 times. Especially, the experiential learning theory is embedded throughout the training process via discussion, sharing, reflection and observation & suggestion from supervisors in universities. The supervisors are the people who frequently interact with the participants in work and they are able to have a close observation on the performance of participants. The pre-survey is conducted at the beginning of the first training. Definitions of culture, cultural iceberg, perception model of communication and Hofstede’s cultural dimension theory (Hofstede, 2001) is included in the lecture of first training. In addition, videos, case studies and role-play are also employed to demonstrate cultural differences, intercultural communication and supplementary information as well. Considering the participants’ workload and 40.

(53) mobility, the second training is conducted via an online educational platform “U.camdemy”, with 6 clips from the movie, “Outsourced” (Figure 4.3).. Figure 4.3. Images of U.camdemy and online training. The story is about an American, Todd who is a manager working in the customer service department in an American company. However, the company decided to outsource the customer service to India. Todd is assigned to India in order to train a group of local people as the new customer service. He was reluctant at the beginning 41.

(54) and encountered many difficulties when first arriving at the foreign country. The cultural differences between America and India make him frustrated. The communication difficulties between the local people and him also make him headache. The movie demonstrates well about the main character (Todd) facing cultural differences and communication difficulties in work. The story describes the changing process about how Todd overcomes the encountered challenges and transforms the mindset. After watching the movie clips, the participants of this study were requested to answer the following questions (Table 4.1.) and their responses were collected for further discussion in the third time training.. Table 4.1. Questions in the Second Training and Examples of Participants’ Responses Question. Responses. Q1. What are the cultural differences the 1. The differences of pronunciation in main character encountered in the English. movie? 2. The differences of workplace culture. 3. The differences of customs about dining and hygiene. Q2. What are the communication difficulties between the main character and his employees?. 1. The superiority from the managerial level. 2. Lack of empathy. 3. The usage of language and slangs.. 1. Cultural differences between staffs and customers. 2. Communication difficulties between staffs and the foreign supervisor. 3. Different expectations.. Q3. What are the reasons contributed to low efficiency of the customer service?. (continued) 42.

(55) Table 4.1. (continued) Question. Responses 4. Using the wrong way as rewards to staffs.. Q4. What did the main character change during the process?. He became aware of the differences and tried to manage his emotions and reactions. He also adjusted his behaviors and improved interactions with staffs.. Q5. Do you encounter cultural differences when interacting with foreign students and other stakeholders in work? What is your strategy?. A foreign student was upset about our staff accidently opened a personal letter. Firstly, I apologized for our mistake and expressed my understanding to the student. Then I asked to the student whether there’s other ways to make things up. I have received complaints about our foreign students from other offices.. Q6. Do you encounter communication difficulties when interacting with foreign students and other stakeholders in work? What is your strategy?. I firstly respected their feelings and tried to calm them down. Then explained things from student’s angle and further discussed about the policy level if necessary. I will communicate with a strategy in order to create the mutual benefits.. The third training is conducted with an opening lecture regarding to the importance of intercultural communication and a summary about this customized intercultural training program. The online responses from the second training are classified using Hall’s cultural iceberg theory (1976) in order to recap the theoretical backgrounds which have been introduced in the first training. Employees were able to distinguish visible and invisible cultural factors, then to develop their own communication strategy. Besides, employees were divided into groups for further discussions on question 5 and 6. In this activity, employees with different tenure and backgrounds were able to share 43.

(56) experiences and provide insights. Later, supervisors are invited to share the observed difficulties or successful interaction cases from the employees so the participants could learn from other angles. In the end, the training concluded with supervisors’ suggestions and two identified insights during the training process. Then the post-survey is employed as well.. On the other hand, two videos with the same contents of the first & second trainings for the experimental group are also put on U.camdemy for the control group. Participants of the control group are invited to take the same pre & post-survey as the experimental group before and after watching two videos. The data of pre & postsurvey collected from both groups are analyzed in following paragraphs.. Table 4.2. presents the instructional process of the developed training program and Table 4.3. explains how the experiential learning theory was employed into training program design.. Table 4.2. Instructional Process of Developed Training Program Training. Learning Point Training. Event. Time. introduction & Pre-. With a short opening, the pre-survey was 1.5 hr conducted before all activities. Then a. survey. briefing about the result of needs assessment was introduced.. I. Definitions of. “What is culture?” was asked at the. Culture. beginning, participants were able to share their views about culture. Lecture about definitions of culture was presented in order to. show. the. diverse. opinions. from. professionals.. (continued). 44.