Empowering Individuals for Global Leadership Excellence
KnowledgeWorkx's Cultural Mapping & Navigation (CMN) Certification Workshop was held from the 31st of March to the 4th of April, 2013. Sixteen participants from the education, corporate, non-profit and government sectors gathered at the HCT- Dubai Women's Campus from different parts of the world for the week-long program.
The train-the-trainers workshop was facilitated by the International Director of KnowledgeWorkx, Mr. Marco Blankenburgh. Who kicked off the program by walking the participants through the increasing reality of a globalized workplace and the complexities it presents. During the daily 8-hour sessions, participants took part in activities that helped them discover how different culturally acceptable ways of behavior caused most of the conflicts intercultural team members encounter in the work place. And helped them to see the different ways individuals respond to different cultures. This he categorized as Culture Learner and Culture Critics.
Fascinating discussions and eager anticipation filled the room as participants were empowered to discover their individual cultures using the Three Colors of Worldview. By the end of the day's discussion, almost all the participants became really curious to know what the next "aha moment" would be as Marco Blankenburgh unpacked the dynamics of the Three Colors of Worldview. Leading participants on a journey to discover how the Three Colors namely; Guilt/Innocence, Power/Fear, & Honor/Shame motivated and colored the way they approached life and people, the facilitator triggered fascinating paradigm shifts among them.
Fortunately, the room had a balanced distribution of Worldviews. With such a mix, participants laughed heartily at themselves as the workshop mirrored them completely.
Explaining these Worldviews, the facilitator pointed out how our perceptions are affected by them. Marco told the participants that a good thing to take out from the session would be how to use an understanding of the Three Colors of Worldview and the 12 Dimensions of Culture to create a Third Culture Workspace.
The facilitator patiently guided the participants through a discovery path on the 12 Dimensions of Culture is just an individual's formulated and perfected Rules of Success. Explaining these with their individual Cultural Mapping Inventory (CMI), those light-bulb moments returned in the group. Lots of exercises and activities were facilitated by Marco to help participants understand how individuals with different Rules for Success preferred to look, approach and respond to different situations.
Participants were given the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the theories and gain mastery of the course material and the ICI Suite of Solution through coaching, case studies analysis, role-play, and questions and answer sessions.
As part of his value added, Marco told the team about some of the major competences every coach should make such they develop and ended the day with an assignment on practical use of the Three Colors of Worldview and 12 Dimensions of Culture in consulting and coaching solutions.
Participants had this to say about the facilitator;
Marco has a wealth of experience on the product. His examples were from depth of insight from use of the Inter-Cultural Intelligence Suite of Product.
Marco is an expert in creating a third Culture space of trust. He created a safe environment where I felt safe and free to ask any question.
Marco knows his stuff and was very patient to answer and clear all our doubts.
I have known Marco for more than five years and I know that Inter-Cultural Intelligence is his passion. And his gentleness and patience is facilitating learning is one of his greatest assets.
Participants had this to say about the Accreditation;
The workshop had a very good mix in terms of participants. The materials are so unique and is one of those experiences everyone that is working inter-culturally should endeavor to have. I am excited about this and want all my friends to be part of this.
This workshop has given me the language to describe my experiences. I feel well equipped now to help our key clients to create a third cultural space. I will recommend this to anyone I know.
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