Air Force participation in counterinsurgency (COIN) and pre-COIN missions requires a new emphasis in preparing the airman. Success in COIN depends upon the ability of the USAF individual to interact effectively with people in other societies. The cross-cultural training required differs markedly from the traditional Air Force stress on the operation and maintenance of hardware. Many USAF training missions abroad are short in duration and depend upon close, intensive interaction between the American advisor and his counterpart. These requirements make it necessary for the American to establish rapport quickly and to communicate efficiently with his counterpart. Up to the present it was assumed if the American were skilled in his job and in the language of the host country that with the correct motivation he could successfully carry out his mission. Such is not the case; skill is also required in the other person's customs, habits, taboos, mannerisms, and gestures. Traditionally, the American is prepared for these by briefings or lectures sometimes called area studies'. Unfortunately, knowledge about behavior does not guarantee skill in carrying out that behavior-knowing what to do is not the same as doing what you know. This report outlines a procedure for collecting in the field those cross-cultural behaviors most critical for the success of the advisory mission. A means of categorizing these behaviors for incorporation into a training program is described. (Author).

A comparative analysis of several approaches to training interaction skills for culture-contact was conducted. In addition, the range of American overseas work by the Air Force and other Government agencies was delineated with discussions of the type of training most required in different areas of involvement. Two major opposing scientific conceptualizations of training for culture-contact are discussed. The objectives of cross-cultural interaction skill training are presented with consideration of self-confrontation as a training technique.

The global market means that many organizations now have offices, affiliates, suppliers, call centres, clients and customers in a wide range of countries and cultures. Employees at a variety of levels are expected to have as good skills in cross-cultural working as in any other key competency. The Cross-Cultural Communication Trainer's Manual provides a complete toolkit for the trainer/facilitator needing to design and deliver cross- or inter-cultural training, for both mono- and multicultural audiences. Volume One: Designing Cross-Cultural Training The first volume in this two-volume set opens with an outline of useful information on cross-cultural training content, design and delivery. This is followed by a series of readings that flesh out many of the concepts important for trainers and learners alike and provide important facts, theory and practical background on an area in question. They can be used as a basis for facilitator presentations or given to learners as reading exercises. The manual concludes with (1) a series of action planning activities to help consolidate what learners have experienced and (2) evaluation forms for assessing and evaluating the effectiveness of any cross-cultural training events. The Appendix offers outline designs for seven half-day, one-day and two-day workshops using activities from Volume Two: Activities for Cross-Cultural Training along with a detailed bibliography. Volume Two: Activities for Cross-Cultural Training With 80 activities (covering skills such as understanding culture and differences, stereotypes, cultural self-awareness, cultural influences, barriers to communication) this varied and imaginative collection is a must-have resource for anyone involved in cross- or inter-cultural training. The collection concludes with a detailed bibliography of further reading and references.

This unique handbook provides an organizational framework for planning and establishing intercultural communication training programs. Drawing from intercultural communication and cross-cultural training, this guide emphasizes those aspects of training that explicitly involve face-to-face communication. The approaches covered apply to any situation where good personal relations and effective communication need to be established with people from different cultural backgrounds.

Research Paper (undergraduate) from the year 2003 in the subject Leadership and Human Resources - Miscellaneous, grade: 1,6 (A), University of Cooperative Education Mannheim (BWL/International Business Administration), language: English, abstract: Businesses in the 21st century are faced with many challenges. The most significant is the increasing globalization of economic transactions. Due to advances of information technology and traveling, as well as trade agreements, this process was promoted tremendously. The result is a very complex, worldwide business environment influenced by economic, legal, political, and cultural elements (Thomas 2002:4). All business units are affected by globalization. Some examples are that the supply and demand sides enclose suppliers and customers originating from all parts of the globe, research and development departments have to reflect on international principles, and bookkeeping is forced to apply international accounting standards (Blom 2002:2). Consequently it is essential to be aware of the arising problems. Especially the cultural aspect has to be taken seriously as it affects all the other elements of one global world. Company employees have to deal with dissimilar behaviors resulting from a diverse programming of the mind of specific groups (Hofstede 1991) every day. Contact with cultural multiplicity does not imply traveling. Even "out-of-the-office" it is common to get in touch with partners belonging to another cultural group (Thomas 2002:3). Furthermore, the structure of the workforce in home countries nowadays consists of people belonging to different cultural backgrounds. Inter-cultural-contacts often lead to misunderstandings based on different values, attitudes and beliefs (Daniels 2001:46), which can even lead to business failure. Some differences that might cause misunderstandings are e.g. the way names are used and persons are addressed, variations in working, business and communication styles, and an unequal handing of criticism (Blom 2002:196). To be successful in an international working surrounding cultural conflicts have to be avoided. To manage variety, new skills are required - the skill of intercultural competence. Although some business students already absolve intercultural training during their studies, the need for further education has risen in the last decades. Especially when regarding the share of the elderly workforce or those without a university degree who have never been educated in culture, but who have to manage the effects daily. Another indicator reflecting the need for an increase in intercultural training is an expatriate failure rate of 30 - 70% (Kühlmann 1995:10-19)...

This handbook deals with the question of how people can best live and work with others who come from very different cultural backgrounds. Handbook of Intercultural Training provides an overview of current trends and issues in the field of intercultural training. Contributors represent a wide range of disciplines including psychology, interpersonal communication, human resource management, international management, anthropology, social work, and education. Twenty-four chapters, all new to this edition, cover an array of topics including training for specific contexts, instrumentation and methods, and training design.