From a static to a dynamic generative approach to Culture and Intercultural Education. Conventional approaches are based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the concept of culture. Here, I suggest an alternative which takes into account what "culture" really is.

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Eric Lynn ● www.cultureQs.com
Eric Lynn
BUSINET: Global Business Education Network
Annual Conference. Malta. 12 November 2015
Accelerating Value Creation
Re-Framing
Intercultural Education
from
Convention to Discovery
in our
Dynamic Ever-Changing World

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Eric Lynn ● www.cultureQs.com
Accelerating Value Creation
Intercultural Education today focuses primarily on teaching
others about behaviours, values, customs of different groups
in order to enable interaction without causing offence.
Underlying assumptions include the significance of
difference, static notions of culture, the measurability of both
intercultural education as well as group cultures.
I have learned that these conventional approaches are
fundamentally flawed.
I'm going to challenge these fundamental assumptions,
and suggest an alternative approach.

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Eric Lynn ● www.cultureQs.com
Accelerating Value Creation
Conventional Definitions of Education
The process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or
university. (Oxford Dictionary)
The action or process of teaching someone especially in a school, college, or university.
The knowledge, skill, and understanding that you get from attending a school, college,
or university. (Miriam Webster)
Conventional Definitions of Intercultural
Taking place between different cultures or derived from different cultures. (Oxford
Dictionary)
Intercultural communication is a form of communication that aims to share
information across different cultures and social groups. (Wikipedia)
Conventional Definitions of Intercultural Education
Intercultural education is about improving understanding between different societies
and different majority or minority groups in the same society. (European Commission)
Conventional Definitions

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Eric Lynn ● www.cultureQs.com
Accelerating Value Creation
Conventional Definitions
They encourage us to see the world in terms of separation and differences.
They encourage us to see culture as a static notion.
They encourage us to think in terms of fixed permanent definable entities.
Furthermore, they do not enable us to distinguish between what I refer to as "outward
observable behaviour" that explicitly recognises society norms, and "genuine expression
of self" - behaviour unseen and inaccessible to the outside world … living life in a manner
that reflects the deeper feelings of the individuals.
Above all, at their core, are categories that in fact, are nothing more than concepts –
artificially constructed concepts: … countries, religion, ethnicity.
These definitions of "Education" are far too limited.
This is not "Education". It defines Instruction.
Learning, curiosity, discovery are not part of these models.
These definitions of "Culture" and "Intercultural" are not
only far too limited, they are misconceptions of the true
meaning of these notions.

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Eric Lynn ● www.cultureQs.com
Accelerating Value Creation
Borders, Countries, Religion, Ethnicity, Culture
What are COUNTRIES?
… Constructs of our minds that result in lines
drawn on maps (borders), that we then call
countries. Many of today's European
"countries" did not exist as such 26 years ago.
Borders change. People migrate, intermarry,
have families. They travel and return,
influencing life with new perspectives.
We cannot look at culture in terms of
countries.
RELIGION as we generally understand it, is another construct.
Popular "religions" define belief systems defined by human beings. Two of these, with a
major influence in today's world (Christianity and Islam) are less than 2000 years old. People
migrate. People with different beliefs intermarry and have families. Some people even
"convert". We cannot look at culture in terms of religion.
ETHNICITY is another construct. Skin colour is real, as is background, customs, feelings. Yet,
when people migrate, intermarry, have families, their offspring can no longer be defined in
"ethnic" terms. Again, we reach the limit of definitions.
We cannot look at culture in terms of ethnicity.
We need a broader approach, and, to revisit our understanding of the notion of CULTURE'.

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Eric Lynn ● www.cultureQs.com
Education … Enabling Learning by Facilitating Discovery.
Accelerating Value Creation
Intercultural … refers to interactions between PEOPLE:
INDIVIDUALS, with different backgrounds and world views.
Societies don't interact. Cultures don't interact.
People interact!
Intercultural Education …
Facilitating Discovery between
individuals who need to live, work,
or study together.
Encouraging curiosity and exchange among
these individuals is the essential first step.
A Generative Perspective of …
"Intercultural Education"

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Eric Lynn ● www.cultureQs.com
The continuously evolving
dynamic interaction of
mindsets and gutsets of
actors in the system(s).
Culture
It's dynamic, ever-changing. It's what we feel. Accelerating Value Creation

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Eric Lynn ● www.cultureQs.com
Accelerating Value Creation
… the Soul of the … Organisation
… Community
… Society
… the core identity of the individual
(often undefinable)
Culture … is the Soul

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Eric Lynn ● www.cultureQs.com
Accelerating Value Creation
A
Human Being
national
culture
ethnic
culture
organisation
culture
age /
generation
gender
belief
professional
culture
We do not encounter
and engage with each
other as representatives
of a specific cultural
group.
We engage as individual
human beings with our
personal history,
experience, influencers,
intrinsic motivators.
Seven Core Layers of Culture
Influencers of our Interactions in an Organisational Context

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Eric Lynn ● www.cultureQs.com
Accelerating Value CreationHuman Interaction Dynamics

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Eric Lynn ● www.cultureQs.com
Accelerating Value CreationHuman Interaction
Cultures don't interact, they can't … they are mere notions. … People interact!!!
In Life …
We need to encourage, inspire and promote interaction among people.
We need to talk WITH each other.
We need to stop talking ABOUT each other.
We need to learn to LISTEN to others, to enable us to expand our world view.
We need to learn to ASK QUESTIONS, rather than presenting answers.
And in the education sector, we need to STOP testing, assessing and measuring any work
connected with culture, because …
(i) firstly … tests, assessments and resulting measurements all involve value
judgements, which itself is a contradiction to real positive intercultural interaction;
(ii) secondly, … culture is the soul: it is felt, deep inside, … and you cannot teach and
certainly not measure … feelings …
We need to generate genuine conversations that facilitate genuine
discovery - The only way to achieve genuine understanding.

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Eric Lynn ● www.cultureQs.com
Accelerating Value Creation
Foundations of cultureQs
AppreciativeInquiry
(FocusonPositivePotential)
Dialogue
(BohmianDialogue)
Story-Telling
Deep Meaningful Conversations that Connect … Quickly

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Eric Lynn ● www.cultureQs.com
Accelerating Value Creation
Conventional Approaches Re-Framed Approach
Constructed Categories/Borders
Constructed Models
Talking ABOUT others
Separation/Differences
Definitions
Ideas & Ideals
Static World-View
Teach
Life = Nature = Change
Purpose and Connection
QUESTIONS
CONVERSATIONS
Stories
Talking WITH others
Dynamic World-View
Borderless
Discovery
Re-Framing Intercultural Education
Measurement / Judgement Accepting Ambiguity
From Static & Defined to Dynamic & Connected

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Eric Lynn ● www.cultureQs.com
Accelerating Value Creation
• We cannot achieve behaviour change by
focusing on behaviour.
Behaviour change occurs when we (see the need
to) broaden our perspective and change our
mindset.
• Successful change does not focus on the change.
Successful change focuses on the business
through the people.
• Culture is merely a notion.
The impact of Culture is inescapable.
Apparent Paradoxes

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Eric Lynn ● www.cultureQs.com
Accelerating Value Creation
"Those who have no fence around their land
have no enemies." (Burundi Proverb)
Imagine …

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Eric Lynn ● www.cultureQs.com
Accelerating Value Creation
Relationship …
… is a process of self-revelation, and without
knowing oneself, the ways of one's own mind and
heart, merely to establish an outward order, a
system, has very little meaning.
So what is important is to understand oneself in
relationship with one another.
(J. Krishnamurti)

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Eric Lynn ● www.cultureQs.com
cultureQs is a Change and Integration Accelerator that uses powerful questions to
inspire participants to reflect on the foundations of their beliefs, attitudes and
behaviours.
While engaging in deep meaningful conversations, people connect quickly, enabling
the invisible borders that hinder collaboration to fall away.
Wasteful conflict is reduced; people (re-)focus on the personal and professional
questions that matter; innovative potential is released and performance is enhanced.
cultureQs
The Questions, Framework and Conversations that
Promote Group Discovery by Broadening Perspectives
Accelerating Value Creation
370 Questions
fundamental
drivers & beliefs
behaviour
patterns
challenges in
organisational life
personal
preferences
thought-provoking
quotes
Impulses: reflections
on everyday life

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Eric Lynn ● www.cultureQs.com
Eric Lynn
Berlin, Germany
eric@cultureQs.com
Tel: +49 176 67889006
www.cultureQs.com
Twitter: @cultureQs
Accelerating Value Creation