Cultural Detective Self Discovery helps individuals to investigate and explore their cultural identities. Through a series of short exercises and discussions, users explore the roots of the cultural influences—from childhood upbringing, key events, people who influenced them, and cultural belonging—that shape who they are and how the behave. Participants identify their core values, the positive and negative aspects of these values, and the thinking and behavior flowing from them. They then discover how their values and behavior may be similar to and different from other cultural groups.
Our core values lie deep within us, and are not easily identified or explained. Yet knowing our core values can help us maintain them, behave more flexibly, and better explain ourselves and negotiate our needs with others. Cultural Detective Self Discovery helps people discover their values, preferences, and the cultural influences driving their thinking and their actions. This latest addition to the Cultural Detective series:
- Builds self-awareness and cultural understanding, key skills in working across cultures.
- Facilitates comparison of personal, national, and other layers of cultural influence in both personal and work life.
- Can be directly applied to developing cross-cultural competence in working relationships and communication, teamwork and negotiations, merging organizations or functions in organizations, and preparing for expatriation.
- Can be used by counselors and teachers to assist in self-management and personal development issues where culture is a significant factor.
Cultural Detective Self Discovery can be used as a stand alone exercise or as a powerful component in sessions focused on cultural awareness, diversity and self-development, or as a process to facilitate team building and organizational synergies. It also serves as a useful starting point for programs and trainings that will be employing Cultural Detective culture-specific packages.
Click here to view a narrated presentation (turn on your computer speakers).
Cultural Detective Self Discovery was authored by Dianne Hofner Saphiere, Kate Berardo, and George Simons.