Portland Program
April 9, 2004

Working Across Cultures:
The Critical Competencies You Need to Stay Relevant and Effective in a Global Economy
Panel Moderated by David Drake, PhD

Overview

Training and development professionals often find themselves in the middle of the massive changes brought on by globalization: the rapid rise of the Internet as a learning tool, the far-reaching shift to large-scale outsourcing and the emergence of China and India as major economic players, and the increasing diversity within our own region and country. 

What are the skills and competencies you will need to stay competitive and effective in your work as a training and development professional? We invite you to join us for an exciting panel of regional experts who will lead a discussion on these important issues. Panelists will cover topics such as: a narrative framework for understanding differences, the current and emerging cultural competencies your organization will need, an overview of key factors in intercultural communication and development, and guidelines for intercultural training and coaching in the workplace. The session will include presentations by the panelists, time for Q&A , small groups discussions, and some personal reflection and action-planning.

You will walk away with:

• Some tools to use in unpacking your assumptions and view points about culture, learning and development
• An understanding of the core intercultural competencies for you as a professional and your organization / clients
• Some proven tips on working across cultures as a trainer or coach

Our featured panelists are:

• Janet Bennett, PhD, Executive Director, Intercultural Communication Institute
• Baruti Atharee, Regional Director, Diversity Initiatives, Providence Health System
• T. Glen Sebera, MA, Principal, Renaissance Consulting Group
• David Drake, PhD, President, Catalyst Communication (moderator)

Speakers

Janet Bennett, PhD
Executive Director, Intercultural Communication Institute
Portland, OR
jbennett@intercultural.org
www.intercultural.org

Janet is executive director of the Intercultural Communication Institute, sponsor of the Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication, and director of the Master of Arts Degree in Intercultural Relations jointly sponsored by ICI and the University of the Pacific. She specializes in developing theory and training methods for individuals who teach, train or manage across cultures. As an educator and consultant, she designs and conducts intercultural training for colleges and universities, corporations, social service agencies, and professional associations. She teaches in the training and development program at Portland State University, and publishes on intercultural training and adjustment.

Baruti Atharee
Regional Director, Diversity Initiatives, Providence Health System

In his current role with Providence, Baruti is responsible for the development and enhancement of organizational diversity throughout the Providence Health System. He has developed an expertise in cultural and diversity issues through an extensive career as an executive with both private and public organizations such as Portland Development Commission and the Oregon Housing Department as well as being President at one of Oregon’s largest minority owned firms, Coast Industries. Mr. Atharee also brings his business and diversity expertise to the many board of high profile state and national organizations as well as being an active volunteer with many diversity focused organizations.

T. Glen Sebera, MA
Principal, Renaissance Consulting Group
glen@recongroup.com

As a principal in Renaissance Consulting Group, Glen consults to managers, trainers, large-scale facilitators and coaches on creating and fine-tuning designs, processes, and approaches in order to have more impact in achieving outcomes when working with clients and colleagues from different cultures. Through customized training programs and follow-up coaching with teams whose members come from a variety of cultures, including the U.S., Glen helps his clients explore the assumptions that individuals hold about themselves and about others while conducting business in global environments. He has trained and coached individuals and teams from over 30 countries at organizations such as Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi, Harvard University as well as delivering a pre-conference workshop at the 2003 SIETAR conference. Glen’s experiences of living and working in different cultures give him a deep understanding of the complex challenges that global employees encounter each day.

The panel will be moderated by David Drake, PhD, President of Catalyst Communications, Portland, OR (ddrake@catalst.com, www.catalst.com). As President of Catalyst Communications, David is a nationally recognized trainer and leader in the fields of coaching, change, and stories. He has pioneered work on the use of individual and organizational stories to foster transformative change and communication. David has taught his coaching skills program to over 1,000 managers and professionals over the past 5 years - primarily in heath care, education and the public sector. His intercultural work has included facilitating dialogues and storytelling across cultures and subcultures in support of learning and collaboration. Utilizing expertise gained from work with global clients and his own research, David has led the development of the curriculum for an intercultural coaching institute he co-founded and services as its co-director. In addition, David has a Ph.D. in Human and Organizational Development from Fielding Graduate Institute and is a Past President of the ASTD-Cascadia Chapter.

Details

Date	Friday, April 9, 2004
Time	7:45 am	Registration, Check In and Networking
	8:15 - 10:45 am	Presentation
Location	Portland State University (PSU) Smith Memorial Union, Rm 328 1825 SW Broadway Portland, OR  97201 For directions, use www.mapquest.com.
Parking	Limited street parking for cost. Limited parking in PSU facilities. Click here for more information.
Refreshments	Beverage service will be provided.
Paid Sponsors	Our thanks to Portland State University (PSU) - Continuing Education Dept for picking up the costs associated with refreshments.
	Our thanks to Catalyst Communications and David Drake for providing the materials.  Catalyst Communications We help organizations have strategic conversations, align their stories, and coach for collaborative performance.
Cost	Chapter Members	$25 by 5 pm on Apr 1 $30 after that date
	Others	$30 by 5 pm on Apr 1 $35 after that date
To Register	Registration available at the door.

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