exercise · all tools

Cultural Dimensions Reflection

Depth · what it can open●●○○2 — reflective
Holding · facilitation2 — facilitator
Trust · group readiness★★some
Disclosure · what is sharedoptional

A structured group reflection for interculturally mixed teams: learn the main dimensions along which working cultures differ (power distance, individualism/collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, communication directness — Hofstede, Trompenaars, Meyer), then map recent misunderstandings and frictions in your own collaboration against them, and agree what each side will read differently from now on.

Hold with care
  • The report's own warning: dimension frameworks invite stereotyping — teach them as lenses on situations, never as boxes for colleagues
  • Whoever holds least structural power in the room risks becoming the exhibit; work on episodes, not on persons

Practical

Time
60-120 min
Group
324 · small-group
Settings
in-person, online
Materials
Short input on the dimensions (reading or mini-lecture); real collaboration episodes
Mechanisms
cognitive-reframing, perspective-taking, dialogic-encounter
Change scope
state → skill · repeatable

Origin & where it lives

Codified in the Phase 2 Toolkit (Thomas Jordan); frameworks by Hofstede, Trompenaars, Meyer — Intercultural competence training

Instructions: open online

In this directory via IDG Phase 2 Research Report & Toolkit (2022)

The Phase 2 family also names group simulations and communication exercises; those exist in many named variants (e.g., simulation games) and are left for a later extraction pass rather than recorded generically.

status: checked · added 2026-08-25