True Story 7.02
Trainer of a multicultural group encounters agitation
The setting for this story
William, a corporate trainer, was presenting a technical topic to trainees from a wide range of societies. Aided by a diagram, he overviewed a specific technical process. When he had finished, a trainee from Ireland raised her hand. William continues telling the story from here.
A story of misaligned minds3
I was expecting the Irish trainee to ask a question about the process I’d just described. Instead, she stated that her work unit had been using an alternative process with equally good results. She asked for my permission to come to the front and overview her unit’s alternative process for the group. I knew that this alternative process had also been found effective, so I agreed.
As the Irish woman walked to the front of the room, I noticed that some of the other trainees were agitated by this unexpected turn of events.
William’s question
Why did some of my trainees get agitated even before the Irish woman said anything?
Critique of story 7.02
To appreciate William’s situation, it’s necessary to remember that he was working with trainees from a wide range of societies. So it’s likely that some trainees came from knowledge-focused learning cultures while others came from learner-focused learning cultures.
The Irish trainee revealed her preference for learner-focused classrooms by offering, while class was in session, to explain an alternative process. She was assuming that everyone present in the room was a fellow learner. That included William, who, in her view, was in the room not only to teach but also to learn. And all the trainees were in the room not only to learn but, if appropriate, also to teach. This assumption is an unmistakable marker of the learner-focused perspective.
A trainee from a knowledge-focused background would be very unlikely to offer to explain an alternative process while a class was in session. He would assume that trainers were knowledgeable experts and, during class, should never be hindered from delivering their planned presentation to trainees. This explains the agitation sensed by William. It was coming from the knowledge-focused trainees, upset that a fellow trainee was being allowed to take time away from William’s planned presentation.
Note, however, that after the class had concluded at the end of the day, it’s entirely possible that some trainees from both culture-of-learning backgrounds would have been amenable to learning about the alternative process from the Irish trainee. The knowledge-focused trainees would not have objected because the time after class ended was not reserved for William’s exclusive use.
By the way, one of the characteristics of students in knowledge-focused universities is that outside the classroom door immediately after class, several students often line up with their questions or comments for the soon-to-exit instructor.
For thought
Upon hearing the Irish trainee ask to explain an alternative process to everyone, William could have replied that, as soon as his planned instruction for the day had concluded, the Irish trainee could have the floor and anyone who wished to stay and hear her was welcome to do so.
Related stories
Stories 1.10, 1.12, and 7.10 also describe culturally complicated business training events. Story 10.18 relates how misaligned minds upset an individual trainee’s developmental assignment.
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Endnotes:
3 Weech, 64.
Full citations are available at misalignedminds.info/References.