Ubuntu Management
During her opening speech of the Olympic Winter Games in Milano, Kirsty Coventry mentioned the word: ubuntu. The president of the International Olympic Committee, coming from Zimbabwe, said the following: “The Olympic Games is about so much more than sport. It is about us – and what makes us human. In Africa, where I’m from, […]
Shake hands or not?
Do you ever have those moments when you wonder, ‘Should I shake hands with the other person or not?’ Greetings are more than a formality; they say something about a person’s culture. Although the ways of greeting vary greatly, they often have the same purpose: to show connection, respect and trust. So let’s take a […]
Doing Business with Japan
Japan is a market full of opportunities — but also full of subtleties. If you want to do business successfully with Japanese partners you’ll soon discover that trust, respect, and timing are at least as important as the product itself. In this newsletter, we take you into the unique dynamics of doing business in Japan: […]
Pilotage Service
Cultural Insights will train the Dutch Pilotage Service in intercultural communication. To learn more about their work, all three of us were allowed to spend a day sailing with a pilot. What an experience that was! With over 460 pilots, spread across three partnerships and four ports (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Vlissingen, and Delfzijl), the Pilotage Service […]
Soft stuff or hard cash?
Cultural competence is classified as a soft skill. Soft skills are personal and social characteristics that you need to be successful, which describe how you tackle challenges, interact with people and organize your work. In a multicultural context, there is an extra layer of complexity. Your colleague sees the world differently, gives feedback that is […]
“Wonderful experience”
After one of our consultants did a few online trainings, she finally got the chance to do a face-to-face training with this management team in Ghana. They had covered quite some ground online, yet they all felt the incredible difference with this one. Being in the room, being able to laugh, touch, discuss and look […]
Book presentation in Portugal
On the 4th of July one of the members of the Cooperative was happy to present her book once more. This time for a room full of Portuguese businessmen, academia and (former) colleagues ánd former professors of Vasco Freitas Silva (co-author). In a pretty Casa do Corim, in Porto, the book was received with enthusiasm, […]
Masterclass Intercultural Competences
On June 18, we organized the first Master Class with open enrollment, of our Cooperative. Great fun to join forces and complement each other, and exciting to co-facilitate well. The result was a good training with enthusiastic participants from five different companies and organizations, at a beautiful location in Amersfoort. Together we covered insights about […]
Conference Friends of Hofstede
Last week, just before a soccer cup win set Deventer in the Netherlands ablaze, an international group of cultural experts came to this city. Two members of our Cooperative Cultural Insights joined in as well and we are happy to tell you about it! The event was organized for “the Friends of Hofstede,” an international […]
Interview Dutch ‘coziness’
Saskia was invited to the Dutch Broadcasting (NPO) Listen Podcast Festival, to join the conversation on the origins of the Dutch word and phenomenon ‘gezelligheid’. It’s one of those words that is impossible to translate yet used very frequently and therefore, it has a story to tell about Dutch culture. It is a combination of […]
