Communication Currents

Look up the National Communication Association website and e-zine called “Communication Currents.”  Check the archives for the article “Culture and Deception: Moral Transgression or Social Necessity?” (Vol. 3, Issue 1).  Consider these questions:

• What is a cultural self-identity?
• How do collectivist and individualist cultures differ:

• On motivation for truth-telling?
• On willingness to use deception?
• On rating the deceptiveness of others’ messages?
• On the meaning of morality?

• How do these general cultural norms apply to leaders? 
• The article describes a two-step process to becoming more culturally competent:  (a) Awareness can lead to greater cultural sensitivity; and (b) Greater cultural sensitivity can lead to a greater ability to adapt one’s communication style to the other.  How can leaders adapt their communication styles to another culture without compromising their authenticity? 
• For international students:

• Have you experienced any cross-cultural misunderstandings such as those described in the article?
• How would an American leader need to adapt to your culture in order to avoid misunderstandings and be effective?

Web Search

Check out your university’s calendar or events schedule online.  List the different ethnic and cultural groups represented and the activities they are sponsoring.

• Option 1: Write a paragraph or two about what the calendar reveals about the university’s efforts to be inclusive.
• Option 2:  Attend one of the cross-cultural events and report on what you learned.

International News

Find an international news forum online, such as www.inkdrop.net/dave/news.html.  Select a country you are interested in and read several articles from that nation’s press about world leaders. How are these leaders understood and critiqued from this culture’s unique perspective?  What leader behaviors are praised?  Are any of GLOBE’s global leadership behaviors addressed in these articles? 

Ethnocentrism Scale

Go online and take the Ethnocentrism Scale Test developed by Neuliep and McCrosky (http://www2.fiu.edu/~brownj/com3461/Ethnocentrism.pdf). Based on your results, what strengths or growth areas can you identify in terms of your leadership ability? How did you come to appreciate differences and value the myriad contributions of other groups?

Tweeting like a Leader

If you are following a thought leader on Twitter throughout the term, consider how the leader expresses the values of his/her culture on Twitter. Compare the leader to a person of similar stature in another culture (e.g., a US politician and a Spanish politician; a Ugandan minister and a US minister). Do both professionals tweet the same way?  In other words, does the medium influence the kind of message that is sent? Or can unique cultural values and meanings be expressed in this format?