Monday, February 25, 2013

Research Summary

Our Goal: to investigate factors related to cultural diversity and intercultural skills development training in medium to large sized businesses in Ontario.

Partnership:  The University of Western Ontario, the London Cross Cultural Learner Centre, and The Achievement Centre.

For what purpose: Information obtained from this project will provide important insight into how individuals experience cultural barriers in the workplace and how various types of industries deal with and experience such issues with the goal of developing intercultural skills training programs.

How will we do it: The research will use multiple methods including an online survey, in-depth individual and group interviews with a sample of employers/human resource managers/hiring managers, employees, diversity and intercultural skills development trainers, and participants of these training programs, as well as a social media analysis to gather data from a wider range of respondents.

What will come of the research: The output of the project will be case studies, training manuals, and workshops in intercultural skills development that can be used by businesses in the province and in Canada.

Why is this research important: The findings will be significant for optimizing diversity and intercultural skills training programs and promoting the ability of businesses to become more inclusive and welcoming.