Students shall be able to do the following:

Knowledge

• Conceptualize cultural dimensions as helpful guidance for intercultural interaction
• Interpret conflict management as personal skills that can be enhanced
• Describe various traits, cultural codes and preferences of oneself and others and respect these when giving feedback
• Name criteria to describe ego-states and communication styles
• Name current organizational, economical, or political challenges in applying these contents

Skills

• Discuss individual cultural upbringing and preferences and their impact on work and communication
• Recognize personal and intercultural sources for conflicts
• Give and receive constructive feedback
• Reflect and use theoretical understanding in decision making

Competencies

• Distinguish between unfiltered authentic behaviour, selective authenticity, and manipulation
• Use awareness of cultural dimensions in social interaction and work
• Work towards sustainable conflict solutions and reach out to others

Management skills are to a great extent personal social skills. Conceptualizing and comparing personal experience with typical patterns becomes a rich source for managerial practice and conflict competence. These patterns can be cultural, they can relate to gender or to group dynamics or the typical stages in groups, or social systems. Special tools help to recognize, analyze and shape communication in a goal-oriented way, starting with personal feedback to an employee or colleague (or receiving such feedback) up to giving directions to a group member. Leadership behaviour mostly consists in verbal communication, such as managing tasks, giving praise or encouraging someone. Open and critical awareness of one’s own experience is necessary to acquire knowledge.

Daniel Kahnemann: Thinking, fast and slow. - Penguin Books, Great Britain, 2012

Geert Hofstede et al.: Cultures and Organizations. Software of the mind. Intercultural Cooperation and its Importance for Survival. – McGraw-Hill 2010

Harry C. Triandis: Culture and sovial behavior. – McGraw-Hill Inc., 1994

Eric Berne: Games People Play: The Psychology of Human Relations. Originally 1964, many later editions, e. g. Grove Press 1978

Additional excerpts of current books will be provided to students according to economical and political news and new literature