Author: debbie

This acceptance of “othering” has become a subconscious and conscious attempt by some to distinguish themselves from another group

Do Cultural Values Effect How We Battle Covid-19? Early on, researchers have been studying the response efforts of countries all over the world to the Covid-19 pandemic. What seems to be emerging are the differences among nations and their societies’ attitude towards the response. Why does attitude matter? Because the nature of this pandemic requires us to be mindful of others safety as well as our own. Countries whose first response was fear of the outgroup, (the group that was first infected by Covid-19) have, in large part influenced their leadership decisions and community response. For example, the United States’ first reaction to the virus was to blame China, stop… Read More

Cultural Intelligence is the capability to work effectively in diverse cultural situations. Sounds like a must-have skill, right? Ok, let’s say you agree and decided that you need this skill in your workplace environment, as an international student or teacher, in your diverse community or for travel to an unfamiliar country and culture. How does one acquire these skills? The first step is to examine what motivates and drives behavior.  For any individual or society, this would be determined by many factors including some general considerations like your place of birth, your family’s discipline style, your education, religious affiliation and your social encounters. Have you ever wondered why you chose… Read More

Matching the right employee to the right assignment is just one of the elements of a successful optimization of your global mobility scheme.

Get Ready for the Slow down, It’s Ramadan? There’s been a plethora of emails in my inbox asking if our company will be “business as usual” in Ramadan.   While most of our staff will be fasting, Ramadan is usually a productive month, with staff continuing to work on projects, develop content and deliver first class cultural awareness and team building workshops.  And if any month is about team building, its Ramadan.  If your living and working in the GCC, you already know that businesses adjust during the next 29 or 30 days.  But, some businesses are actually busier during this month (including the Arab Culturalist). What these companies have done… Read More