Intercultural leadership and business (IEEL043)

This module aims to provide students with insight and understanding for the notion of culture and navigating difference within organisations. The students will study approaches to working in intercultural environments.

Sessions will comprise of seminars in which current intercultural issues and organisational ideology are introduced and evaluated via structured group discussion and debate. We will focus on current intercultural issues and their implications for leadership and the working environment. The content will vary each year, reflecting diverse areas that are the focus of research at the University of Liverpool.

Module leader: Malika Ben Kahla

Malika is a Graduate Teaching Fellow and PhD candidate at the University of Liverpool. Her research explores how the maternal body navigates careers in Universities and the (in)equity of women working in Academia. Malika is an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA).

Aims

To develop confidence in understanding and communicating complex ideas in written and/or spoken language
To develop skills in research and collaborative learning
To provide students with a critical introduction to intercultural issues.

Content

The following topics will be considered on the module:

The notion of culture
The notion of leadership and their role in the organisation
Interculturalism.

Structure

The module will be delivered over a three-week period in six two hour sessions (four hours per week, total 12 hours contact time). The final block will be an assessment session.

It is expected that students will also spend 34-38 study hours outside of the classroom contact hours on activities including assigned reading, optional reading of areas of personal interest, homework tasks, web research, and preparation for assessment.

Each session will consist of lecture style sessions interspersed with activities such as case studies and group discussions. Students will be expected to participate fully and actively throughout the sessions. In addition, it is expected that students will spend time outside of the classroom contact hours on activities including assigned reading, optional reading of areas of personal interest, homework tasks, web research and preparation for assessment.

The ‘flipped classroom’ approach will be used, requiring students to prepare in advance for the sessions. Students should be aware that in order to fully benefit from the face-to-face classroom sessions, the preparation work assigned should have been done prior to the lecture.

The indicative schedule is as follows:

Session one: Introduction to interculturalism and organisations

The course will begin with general information about the module, and its aims and assessment. What to expect of the sessions and the approach to the topic of intercultural leadership. In this first session will include a workshop mapping the potential cultures represented in our own classroom. In the second part of the session, will look more closely at culture, how it informs our values, social norms, beliefs, and how they can differ betweencultures. Starting with definitions, we move on to mapping differences and considering the nature of culture clash. Using case studies to examine the issues.

Session two: Bias and intercultural theory

This session will go further into bias considering the blind spots uncovered in the previous session. We will introduce different types of bias, exploring this in cultural contexts and how it may impact organisations. In addition to this, we will study definitions of interculturalism, what it is and theoretical understandings of this as a phenomenon. We will discuss the potential limitations of the definitions and its relevance for the practical implications for intercultural issues.

Session three: Ethics and intercultural interaction

In this session we will introduce ethical frameworks from around the world and ask how these impact intercultural working environments. Students will explore their own understandings of ethics through discussion and case studies. We will consider processes of intercultural interaction, tenology, definitions and rapport. Included will be a workshop on non-verbal behaviour.

Session four: Adapting to a different culture: What are the experiences of a new world with new signals?

For this session we aim to create group discussion based on issues presented. Students will consider their own experience in adapting to different cultures, including within the classroom itself.

Session five: Understanding leadership

To help us frame intercultural theory, this two-hour classroom-based session we will introduce the basics of leadership theory, what leadership is considered to be and how it manifests. We will look at some of the more well-known definitions and discuss their relevance and limitation. Included in this session is group discussion and a workshop on leadership skills. We will consider what is required to lead in an intercultural context, what are the specific challenges for the leader in this environment and how leadership may be in culturally informed. We will consider approaches and frameworks for leading in a culturally diverse environment and discuss these in groups.

Session six: Organisational culture

This two-hour classroom-based session will be examining how organisations create their own cultures, and how these interact with their external cultural environments. Students will discuss building intercultural competence when conducting business across cultures. We will use some case studies and generate a critical debate around the topic.

Teaching methods

Each week students will attend two two-hour sessions per week. These will consist of short lecture style sessions interspersed with practical activities and group discussion.

Assessment

Written essay of 1000-1200 words, worth 100% of the overall mark.

Standard University policies apply with regard to late submission of assessments.

Learning outcomes

On completion of this module, students will be able to:

Better understand and communicate complex ideas in written and spoken language
Research a topic and work to present their ideas in academic suitable style, including the appropriate use of reference and source material
Demonstrate a general understanding of intercultural issues, with focus on approaches to leadership in that context.

Skills

Key skills that will be developed

Collaboration and teamwork, through group discussions, activities and case studies in class, preparing and delivering oral presentation
Communication, developed through writing an essay, and preparing and delivering an oral presentation, will aid students to develop their academic and professional vocabulary enabling them to present their argument clearly and effectively
Problem solving - students will be given an opportunity to identify the problems and propose solutions through case studies and brainstorming. Similarly, their argumentation within the written essay will require analytical and topical problem solving
Critical analysis and evaluation - students will be provided with a spectrum of cultural perspectives for discussion in groups. Critical analysis skills are also applied in written assignment.

Books, ebooks and websites

The University Library website provides access to many relevant books and electronic books, as well as academic journals and databases.