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 […]
After a few online trainings, I finally got the chance to do a face-to-face training with this management team in Ghana. We 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 each other in the eye. […]
On the 4th of July, we were happy to present our 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, we had a good get together, with wonderful contributions from Teófilo da […]
When a potential partner asks you to sign a contract, does you trust in the person diminish or increase? Or, on another note, do you prefer long meetings where you have the ability to voice your ideas and listen to others, or would you rather attend short meetings with high levels of decisiveness? Recognizing the […]
Together with the colleagues from the Cooperative Cultural Insights, we organized the first Master Class with open enrollment, on June 18th 2025. 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 […]
Cultural experts from across the Globe gathered to exchange knowledge and experience under the umbrella of the Friends of Hofstede.
Are your OD methods culturally adaptable? How does culture influence your change management, the processes, interaction, structure and the instruments you use? How can you be more effective in different contexts? We had great conversations during the IODA World Café Session 5: Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions and OD. We explored how to refine your tools for […]
Exciting news for the new year! Saskia Maarse, Brigitte Opel and I are relaunching Cooperative Cultural Insights, combining our extensive expertise from diverse cultural backgrounds, various sectors, and multiple countries. With a vast network of intercultural professionals worldwide, including entrepreneurs, trainers, analysts, authors, and coaches, we are well-equipped to provide your organization with comprehensive cultural […]
Dr. Michael Eze and top civil servant Christiaan Rebergen in dialogue on the Africa day about the Africa strategy of Foreign Affairs. Ubuntu teaches us that Europe and Africa need each other.
This image, is it allowed? Would you call it cultural appropriation? And is this still the case if the ‘proprietors’ of the figure are actually dressing you and if it’s all done in a cheerful, jolly atmosphere? The latter is exactly the idea, seen from the flyer from the photo-studio. Rather than talking of appropriation […]
