Our Services
What We Do
ICA provides highly customized interactive workshops, webinars and consulting services. Components of each ICA program may also be combined and tailored to meet your specific needs and boost your organization’s success or be offered in several bite-sized modules. All face-to-face workshops are available as half-day, one-day or two-day options. Specifically, we are committed to help our clients:
- Increase self-awareness of the cultural factors that shape behaviors, values, beliefs, and assumptions;
- Explore how perceptions and biases help or hinder the creation of an inclusive team environment;
- Examine own communication style and consider best practices to improve communication and build trust in culturally-diverse environments;
- Develop strategies and skills to cultivate high-level cultural competency and adept communication styles to optimize collaboration.
“Strength lies in differences, not in similarities.”
– Stephen Covey
Click the circles below for more information on each topic
Building Global Virtual Teams
This workshop helps participants adjust and adapt mindsets and behavior to enhance relationships and realize results within a virtual environment when encountering challenges based upon cultural and logistical factors. Participants will enhance awareness of their behaviors and team expectations and develop strategies and skills to communicate and build trust more effectively with their culturally-diverse and globally-dispersed team members.
Virtual Teams
Cultural Intelligence 1.0
This program is designed for individuals or organizations that are new to the global business arena and are committed to expanding their awareness of other cultures different from their own to enhance their effectiveness and productivity when working with global colleagues, clients, and business partners. The workshop focuses on how cultural dimensions, such as communication, the concept of time, hierarchy, risk, and relationships, may impact leadership, decision-making, problem-solving and team effectiveness. Participants will gain deeper self-awareness, knowledge and skills to successfully navigate the global work environment.
Intelligence 1.0
Communicating Effectively Across Cultures
This workshop will allow participants to gain awareness of the cultural factors influencing their preferred communication style and the difference between the intent and impact of their messages. Participants will enhance understanding of greeting styles, email protocols, and non-verbal cues and will learn effective approaches to linguistic barriers, and how to deal with face issues, address conflict and give feedback in culturally-appropriate ways.
Global Leadership for the 21st Century
Facing increasing demands as they manage people virtually around the world, leaders need to cultivate awareness, knowledge and skills to work effectively with their global workforce. This workshop will assist leaders in being more mindful of how to forge strong relationships, build credibility and engage, inspire and motivate their staff in a global environment. Participants will examine leadership styles favored across cultures and begin to establish strategies to be more culturally-agile leaders to work effectively with their staff globally.
for the 21st Century
Cross-Cultural Orientation for Students
This workshop will prepare students going on long or short-term educational and cultural exchanges abroad or to the U.S. Students will develop a clear lens for understanding the impact their own culture has on their behaviors and learning style and will examine cultural values inherent to their host culture. Emphasis is on cultural adaptation, a comparison of educational systems, and best practices for communication and building relationships with locals.
for Students
Multicultural Teambuilding
This workshop is designed for internal teams – with members from at least two different national cultures – working together towards a shared goal or common desired outcome. Participants will optimize their collaboration with culturally-diverse team members by gaining insight into different perspectives, communication styles, work practices, and ways to build relationship and develop strategies and protocols to enhance their day-to-day work. Previous clients have found this workshop extremely useful for annual meetings, kick-off sessions for new projects, team retreats, or in response to blockages and breakdowns in teamwork.
Doing Business Abroad
This workshop is designed for organizations that may be nationally homogenous internally yet are doing business with, or entering a new market in, another country. Participants will learn basic principles of cross-cultural understanding to develop trust and credibility, communicate effectively, negotiate, and build lasting partnerships with clients, colleagues and associates. Previous clients have found this workshop useful for business development and sales executives, account managers, and project managers.
Cultural Values in the Workplace
This workshop is designed for organizations within the U.S. with a high level of ethnic, racial, gender, religious, generational, ability, etc. diversity. Participants will explore how their cultural values impact their work and contribute to bias, insider/outsider dynamics, and belonging. Previous clients have found this workshop to be particularly effective for solidifying teams that are undergoing conflict and for creating more harmonious relationships between staff.
in the Workplace
Moving Abroad
This workshop is targeted for individuals and their families who are relocating to the U.S. or overseas for a period of six months to several years. It provides participants with awareness and practical skills to help them adjust and thrive in their host culture. The workshops focus on building a foundation of culture and its impact on our daily lives, how to cope with culture shock, the day-to-day logistics of setting up home in a new culture, and how to communicate, socialize and work in their host culture.
Returning Home
This workshop is designed for expatriates and their families who are returning to their home country after completing an international assignment. It provides practical information to help cope with reverse culture shock and allows participants to assess their experience overseas and how it may have transformed them. Concrete strategies are provided to assist the returning expat and family members with the re-adjustment process to life at home, both socially and in the business arena.
Strategic Consulting
ICA provides strategic consulting on cultural matters to increase productivity within an organization. This may include working with HR professionals to assess the best candidates for overseas assignments to raising awareness on the cultural factors that may impact a global merger and acquisition to assess the cultural competence of staff working within their new work environment. ICA’s consulting services consist of one-on-one interviews with staff, focus groups, coaching, observation and research into organizational protocols and practices.
Transforming Unconscious Bias into
Inclusive Leadership
This workshop will help participants enhance awareness of their frames of reference and how they contribute to biases towards culturally-diverse colleagues and team members that may impede workplace engagement, commitment, performance and productivity. Through reflection, experiential activities and dialogue, participants will examine attitudinal and behavioral boundaries and explore ways overcome them to enhance trust and collaboration.
Bias into Inclusive Leadership
Train-of-Trainers Certification
This certification program is designed to help internal staff or new trainers understand the fundamentals of designing and delivering intercultural training programs. With a blend of theoretical and practical learning, participants will explore how to design a needs assessment, agenda and evaluation, applicable methodologies for workshop content, and skills and tools for effective facilitation. Participants will have the opportunity to design and deliver a peer-reviewed module with constructive feedback to enable them to practice in a safe environment.