In a Doctor
of Ministry seminar recently, I addressed one particular topic for the first
time—coaching across cultures. With the
increasing interest in multi-culturalism, cross-cultural communication, and globalization,
professional life coaches are asking if their processes translate well into
other cultures. One reason that I raised
the issue was that the majority of the class members were Korean-speaking
listening through simultaneous translation!
Our culture
molds us in significant but often subtle ways.
As we coach people from another culture or teach coaching principles to
individuals from a non-Western cultural background, we must be sensitive to varying
concepts such as time, authority, and communication styles.
- Sense of Power and Responsibility
- Time Management Approaches.
- Definitions of Identity and Purpose
- Organizational Arrangements
- Notions of Territory and Boundaries
- Communication Patterns
- Modes of Thinking
Although I
continue to wrestle with Rosinski’s work and its implications, I am reminded of
a comment from my friend Bryan Pettet that all coaching is really cross-cultural. If you are African-American from inner city
Philadelphia and I am a white male from the rural South, we are coming from
different cultures. We don’t necessarily
speak the same language.
We must
always listen carefully to the person being coached, ask for clarification when
necessary, and deal with what is important to that person. The work of Rosinski and others can help us
in that process.
Comments