Corinne Rosenberg Building More Effective Relationships between long-term local staff and short-term...

Corinne Rosenberg Corinne Rosenberg

Building More Effective Relationships between long-term local staff and short-term

expatriate staff

[email protected]


Introductions

• Please share

• your name?

• Where/what do you teach?

• What brings you to this session?

• one challenge you would like to explore?


Objectives

This workshop will

• Identify the different needs and perspectives of long-term local staff and short-term expatriate staff

• Identify explicit and implicit barriers • Explore creative and effective ways to bridge

differences • Consider benefits to the school


Introductory exercise

What are the special benefits that local staff bring to an international school?

•

What are the special benefits that expat staff bring to an international school ?


Case study 1 My colleague and I were excited to be visiting Paradis to deliver a

workshop there. We met a good number of enthusiastic staff ,who were a mix of long-term local staff and short -term expats.

The principal was hospitable and gracious and arranged a reception in his

house, for the participants of the workshop and senior members of staff. His house was near the school and the reception took place immediately after school .

Most of the workshop participants came to the reception but immediately the local staff sat together in one part of the room and the expat staff sat in another. They did not exchange a word.

My colleague and I sat between the two groups and attempted to speak to both but it was almost impossible to create a relaxed social atmosphere between the two groups. What could be going on?

Consider what the perspective of the local staff might be ? Consider what the perspective of the expat staff might be?


Comments overheard

• Principal: local staff are not confident and will not initiate ideas in the staffroom meetings

• An expat teacher: a local teacher has every child working on the same page and does not understand “differentiated learning”

• Expat teacher: children of local influential parents will always get an A, whether they deserve it or not

• Local teacher: Expat teachers do not understand their language or culture and does not bother to learn

• Local teacher: children are forced to speak English everywhere and so are local teachers

• Local teacher: there are totally different salary packages and conditions


Faith’s Story

“At my school there is a big divide between expatriate and local teachers. We work as a team in staff meetings and other school activities. But socializing is still an issue –they don’t attend our condolence visits or baby showers. These are very important events to us and we expect a lot of sympathy when we lose someone dear to us or joy when a new baby arrives. They don't visit our homes. My home is where you can learn many things about me….it is strange how this feeling of mistrust or something I can't describe lingers around.

My salary is a tiny fraction of what expats earn for the same work ,sometimes even more work. They are provided with free housing, water and electricity, plus....In addition, they have return tickets to home country twice a year. I don't mean to be judgmental but some expats are on an adventure rather than changing lives through education.”

What is happening?What can be done?


Adaptation Cycle

Source: Elisabeth Marx


Live in a bubble keep a foot in both worlds blends in

Typical Models of Cultural Adaptation for teachers and

families


Some Key issues

• Different cultural assumptions, style behaviour and values

• Different languages and linguistic competences • Local understanding vs. global experience• Different pedagogic styles • Short term different input and fresh innovative

ideas• Long-term balance stability and perspective


We are all shaped by the environment so are differences

inevitable?


Culture has both visible and invisible aspects

Culture Influences:• Work patterns in school e.g.

deadlines and time management

• Patterns and expectations of friendship /socializing

• Concepts of right and wrong

• Ways of handling problems or disagreements

• Communication styles

Visible

Behavior

Less Visible

Customs

ValuesBeliefs

Assumptions

Food

Language

Dress


Key Dimensions of Culture:

task/relationship

• Move quickly to task, get to know people later

• Work relationships can develop and end quickly

• Be efficient, consistent

• Focus on structure rules, objective accomplishments

• Build relationship first: essential to complete any task

• Relationships develop through networks, influence

• Flexible, situational outcomes

Transactional Interpersonal


Key Dimensions of Culture: Power distance

Hierarchy

• Deference and respect to parents and teachers

• Do not challenge an someone authority

• May see debate or discussion as confrontational and disrespectful

Egalitarianism

• First names preferred

• May be more personal in questions

• Take the initiative in discussion

• Are comfortable with debate/disagreement


Key Dimensions : Independent Interdependent

• Individual initiative expected, rewarded and admired

• Judge people’s individual traits

• Individual achievement• • Autonomy, can challenge

decisions

• Group needs before individual

• Group harmony important

• Identity tied to group affiliation• Group decisions/collaboration

Independent Interdependent/group


Key Dimensions of Culture: levels of directness

• Concise, concrete, to the point

• Not afraid to “say it like it is”

• Confront difficulties openly

• OK to give and receive “constructive” feedback

• Attention given to how messages are expressed

• Save face and preserve personal dignity

• Preserve harmony, avoid difficult topics, may not say no

Direct Indirect


How can the culture of the international

school create barriers ?

• What cultural assumptions are in the school which might not be shared by all staff ?

• How can your own intercultural style affect interactions e.g. biases, value,comfort zones or sticking points?

• How can other intercultural styles affect interactions?


An inclusive school culture which supports intercultural learning will

foster these behaviours:• Empathy • Active listening and observation • Reflective practice • Developing self -awareness • Open-minded curiosity about others • Suspension of judgment • Sophisticated questioning skills• Collaborative inquiry • Coaching skills• Risk-taking


Suggestions and comment 1

Usually there are some communication barriers, especially in schools with two salary schedules!

Administration can help by being sure to include local hires in various committees, putting them in leadership positions when appropriate, organizing culturally- sensitive staff parties and, at the end of year, when saying those tearful goodbyes to departing overseas hires, also award small tokens of appreciation for milestones of service (5, 10, 15, 20 years, etc.) for local hires, including non-teaching staff.

Schoppert Gail


Suggestions and comments 2

If new faculty (expat or not) l respect the institutional knowledge of and investment from the long term teachers, the long term teachers will be excited and interested to hear ideas that have sprung from different countries and schools.

Both can learn through the other, and through positive communication and careful collaboration, strong teams can be built.

We use the norms of collaboration for all meetings and they work really well.

We also promote -and peer observations, facilitating a culture of respect and professional learningKirsten Durward


Suggestions and Comment 3

• Excellent induction programmes, • planned team building activities • whole school inter departmental collaborative initiatives, • local community programme involvement ...

• However it is always the language efficiency and the flexibility of the individual to adapt to the culture that

works effectively.

Bobby Sam


An opportunity for learning….

• How can intercultural learning be used to address these issues?

• What can each learn from the other?

• What is the benefit to the whole school?

How can this be achieved and monitored systematically ?

Corinne Rosenberg Building More Effective Relationships between long-term local staff and short-term...

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