DISCUSSION ON CULTURE AND THE INTERNET/VIRTUAL WORLD An informal continuation of the Krakow conversation Milan 4th-6th May 2012 (Note changes in red) Purpose To expand on ideas discussed in Krakow and see if there is opportunity to build some new elements into our training. To look into possible areas of study or research To find out things we didn’t know we didn’t know and to stimulate ideas To explore opportunities for collaboration To have an enjoyable week-end in one of Europe’s most beautiful cities Outcomes 1. A set of ideas we believe we can build into our training or even new training opportunities 2. A list of research opportunities that we can either propose to academic bodies or action ourselves 3. Possible new business opportunities 4. A plan to continue working together, and with others, if that seems appropriate. Themes – (may be added to and amended) • The corporate world - working in teams across cultures in a virtual environment. What should be taken into account in order to make teams effective? How do different cultures adapt, thrive or struggle with the challenge of remote working and management? How should companies refine the remote work model to suit culture. • Influence on culture. Does internet ‘life’ influence cultural values, norms and behaviours? Will we see the rise of an ‘Internet culture’? Will that damage, enhance, destroy existing cultures? What is the relevance of different age group’s use of technologies? • Technology design and functionality. Should the design of technology take into account cultural difference? Does culture shape the success or failure of Internet tools in different markets? • Cultural experiences. How is cultural experience aided or constrained by the capabilities of the virtual environment? For example do students living abroad fail to get a complete cultural experience when they are immersed in their online lives? Do the tools enhance the experience in some ways? • Social activism. With the influence of tools like Twitter in social upheaval and activism is there a cultural element that needs to be looked at? Does the culture in which the tool is used have a bearing? Do the tools themselves cause people to question cultural values like respect for authority? Can the underdog or downtrodden use the tools to their benefit? For more on the people who might lead some of the topics see the end of this document. Who’s attending - Currently we have 15 confirmed attendees with a maximum of 20. Most attendees are from an Intercultural background but we have some business mangers also attending. List of participants to be published shortly. Venue - Hotel Domenichino Milan, Italy Schedule (to be confirmed) Friday 4 May 2012 13:00 Lunchtime get-together for early arrivals 17:30 Presentation from Cisco Systems Engineer Nicky Kearns in Vancouver – Video Communication Richness and Challenges (Note that this may take place at the Cisco office near Milan – transport arrangements to be worked out. Click here for details) 20:00 Dinner Saturday 5 May 2012 09:30 Presentation and Discussion 1 - – The tools – Facebook, Germany vs. US. (Jacquelyn Reeves) 11:00 Break for tea/coffee 11:30 Presentation and Discussion 3 – Virtual teams (Joe Kearns) 13:00 Lunch (not free!) - but with wine sponsored by SIETAR UK! 14:30 Presentation and Discussion 5 – Social justice (Matthew Hill) 15:00 Break for tea/coffee 16:30 Slot available for Skype connections to virtual attendees. 17:00 Review of the day, what's been learned. Review of program for Sunday 19:30 Dinner together at a nice Milanese restaurant. Sunday 6 May 2012 09:30 Presentation and Discussion 2 – The effect of Internet ‘life’ on culture (Elio Vera and Sara DeAngelis) 10:30 Break for tea/coffee 11:00 What do we do from here? What are the opportunities – Lead by Joe Kearns 13:00 Lunch 14:00-18:00 Free format for those who wish to stay and chat Format Ideas for session formats 1. Each session will have a theme and a leader. The leader will not necessarily be an ‘expert’ but will have some pre-knowledge of the topic maybe through research between now and the event. The theme should act as a stimulus to conversation 2. During each session we will try to capture areas which we believe are worthy of further research either by ourselves or a third party such as a university or similar. 3. During each session we will try to capture ideas which might be considered useful in a training context. 4. While each session will be centered on a theme we should allow for a certain amount of ‘off-piste’ discussion – we don’ want to constrain ourselves too much. 5. For each session we will need a number of roles to be filled – e.g facilitation, documentation etc. As usual many interesting conversations will probably take place in the evenings over wine or beer! Matthew Hill has suggested we create a Twitter feed from the sessions and we might also look at some virtual participation if it does not interfere with the energy locally. Presentation topics Provisional – names and topics might change! 1. Jo Bastiaens - Academic liaison at Lessius Mechelen Please note that due to family commmitments Jo Bastiaens cannot now travel to Milan. We hope however to have him join us over Skype on Sat afternoon. International Mobility I am very much interested to participate in such a group from the perspective of research into the (intercultural) effectiveness of international mobility. Currently we do not know much about the impact of extended use of modern social media in international mobility programs. Does it help or hinder 'intercultural presence and dialogue' at the place of destination, and which factors help explain positive or negative effects? We are interested in this subject as we are now running a project on (intercultural) effectiveness of international mobility programs for students in Belgium (Flemish part). For the topic of social media and intercultural relations, I think it would be good indeed to have people at the table from different backgrounds. My own interest now relates to the possible effects of the use of social media (intensity, type,...) on the intercultural learning in international mobility of students. But I am open to reflect on other topics related to social media. As you mention, the Krakow convention only scratched the surface, and even then... 2. Elio Ver – Owner CESMA Centre for Executive Studies in Management and Sara DeAngelis The effect of Internet ‘life’ on culture How will the use of Internet apps change cultures? How might people be developing what we might call an 'Internet culture' and how much that might influence or even dominate the 'local' or 'real world' culture? How would that influence be age group dependant i.e. younger people growing up with Internet communications. (A summary of Elio’s idea from Krakow) 3. Joe Kearns – Owner Carmine Training Virtual teams The corporate world - working in teams across cultures in a virtual environment. What should be taken into account in order to make teams effective? How do different cultures adapt, thrive or struggle with the challenge of remote working and management? How should companies refine the remote work model to suit culture? For teams working across cultures in a virtual environment are there specific challenges for different cultures? Are some cultures at a ‘competitive advantage’ in the virtual world? Do companies do enough to take into account the cultural issues? Do the tools help or hinder effective working together? 4. Jacquelyn Reeves – Owner Reeves.ic The tools – Facebook etc. How the tools or Apps themselves shape cultural values and constrain or aid communication. In other words does the way a particular application e.g. Facebook or Twitter reflect a cultural bias (US) and how does that constrain others. 5. Matthew Hill – Owner Hill Networks, President SIETAR UK Social justice and the support of the marginalized. With the influence of tools like Twitter in social upheaval and activism is there a cultural element that needs to be looked at? Does the culture in which the tool is used have a bearing? Do the tools themselves cause people to question cultural values like respect for authority? Can the underdog or downtrodden use the tools to their benefit? Milan_Cisco.htmlshapeimage_1_link_0

The Milan Conversation