Using Collaborative Project for Learning Effective Ways of Working Harmoniously with People from Different Cultures

Abstract

The paper discussed an original collaborative project in the area of intercultural business communication and cross-cultural understanding. Persuasive digital technologies were used to enable intercultural competencies among students across two different courtiers in teams and helped them find ways to work harmoniously with the people having different cultural backgrounds. Methodology - The task involved selection of commercial ads (preferably national ones), in which students were expected to find cultural differences in the interpretation between the two countries, India and Austria. Findings were presented in a form of short reports. Finding - The paper concluded that collaborative projects can be used as an effective tool for developing cross-cultural competencies among students. Implications - This article provides the rationale for using collaborative projects for better understanding of the cultural diversity in classrooms. Future Research - The present research may initiate more researches in the area of developing structured exercises like the one mentioned for practical understanding of cultural diversity, better methods for providing interfaces among different cultural groups, selecting standard software packages, etc.

Keywords: Communication, Cross-Cultural Relations, Global Collaboration, Global Teams, International Business, International Management, Leading Teams

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