A recent LinkedIn post, by someone working in Global DEI, was titled “Knowledge is insufficient to change behaviour”[1]. When I saw this, my initial reaction was ‘of course’. Yet this is actually what we often do – we give information to the people we are teaching or training. This can be important and useful, but we all know it is insufficient. When Peter Franklin, Domna Lazidou and I set out to write our latest book, [globalpeopleconsulting.com/books]Global Fitness for Global People: How to Manage and Leverage Cultural Diversity at Work (2022, Castledown), we grappled with this question: how can we write a book that isn’t just ‘knowledge transfer’?
In this webinar, I’ll introduce you to the design that we decided on, both the big picture framework, as well as the more detailed elements, such as case studies, tools, and reflection activities. I’ll explain and illustrate how all of them are useful and necessary for helping bring about change – both attitudinal and behavioural. And I’ll suggest how you can transfer these techniques to you own training sessions.
Helen Spencer-Oatey is Managing Director of GlobalPeople Consulting Ltd. (GPC) and Emeritus Professor of Intercultural Communication at the University of Warwick, UK. Working at the interface of psychology and communication, she is internationally renowned for her writings on intercultural rapport, relationships and communication. She has developed a wide range of popular diagnostic tools and professional development resources for organisations, teams and individuals – now available via GlobalPeople Consulting Ltd.
[1] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/knowledge-insufficient-change-behaviour-hanlie-van-wyk/
Click here to view the slides. To watch the full talk, please go to our Youtube channel.