Session I: July 14-16, 2010

14. Creating a Workplace That Works: When Is Something Cultural Going On? Thomas Kochman and Jean Mavrelis As the U.S. workplace becomes significantly more diverse, corporations need new and better ways to accommodate their changing workforce. Addressing these needs requires understanding the different ethnic groups that comprise corporate America. This course offers a tool kit for leaders, managers, and employees to understand and communicate better with people different from themselves. The application of these skills can help an organization achieve the flexibility necessary to stay vital and competitive in the local, national, and global marketplace during periods of social complexity, uncertainty, and change. Most problems start when we don’t understand one another. Our communication styles, expectations, and miscues get in the way of productivity. Our goal is to prepare organizations to deal with social and cultural diversity in ways that value and respect differences using proven science and progressive conceptual frameworks. We can change the conversations in our organizations from “S/he’s so difficult to work with” to “I wonder if something cultural is going on here.”

Designed for Objectives Learning Activities Thomas Kochman Jean Mavrelis Intercultural consultants, diversity coordinators, diversity council members, human resource professionals, managers, leaders, university administrators, as well as anyone who has responsibility for, or interest in, diversity training or intercultural competence within an organization. Participants will have the opportunity to: Raise awareness of ethnic cultures and patterns of difference Look at conversations, situations, and impressions from a broader perspective Provide relevant tools for understanding and shared responsibility Open the door to new conversations Minimize cultural misunderstandings Explore significant research on culturally based communication styles The faculty will lead participants through a unique process using: Multimedia Group facilitation Discussion   Dr. Thomas Kochman is the chief operating officer of Kochman Mavrelis Associates, Professor Emeritus of Communication, University of Illinois at Chicago, and co-author, with Jean Mavrelis, of Corporate Tribalism: White Men, White Women and Cultural Diversity at Work. He is also author of Black and White Styles in Conflict and editor of Rappin and Stylin’ Out: Communication in Urban Black America. Tom’s fields of expertise include cultural diversity training and research as well as conflict, race, and culture. His special focus is on the impact of cultural differences on interpersonal communication and organizational culture.   Jean Mavrelis is the chief executive officer of Kochman Mavrelis Associates and co-author, with Thomas Kochman, of Corporate Tribalism: White Men, White Women and Cultural Diversity at Work. She has served on the Illinois Sex Equity Task Force and her work focuses on cultural diversity training, research, and management with a special interest in the area of gender and culture. Jean also developed a program called Managing Social and Cultural Diversity in the Schools, which she has delivered to the school systems of Boston, Englewood, Denver, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Rockford, Illinois. She presently acts as a consultant internationally (Pacific Rim) and with clients doing business in Mexico, and she served on the Board of Mujeres Latinas en Acción, an organization whose mission is to empower Latina women.