Cultural Entry Model - H.

Jones MSOD 619

Revised Cultural Entry Model

After our experience in France I created my first draft of this model. Returning to it after
Costa Rica, I realized that it lacked key thinking how I evaluated the perspectives and
assumptions I was brining to the situation. Given the reflection I shared above on my presenting
view of China, I also now see that my past versions of this model did not include thinking about
what to do when things go wrong, or I am triggered by a cultural experience. Both of those
modifications are included in this updated version of my cultural entry model. I have also revised

Preparation Participation Post-Reflection

What do I need to What strengths can I What did I learn

know? leverage? about the culture?

What What happens when What did I learn

assumptions/expectat things go wrong? about myself?
ions do I have?
How do I integrate
Where can I find the this experience?
information I need?

Specific Cultural Context

the writing, framing everything as a question to make the model more of a usable tool for myself.
Preparation
• What do I need to know?
Participation • Cultural Basics - What are essential cultural dynamics I should be
aware of? Are there important customs I should know?
What strengths can I • Relevant History - What is currently occurring, or has occurred in
leverage? the past (economically, politically, religiously, socially, etc.) that is
relevant to my work/travel?
What behaviors should I focus • Language Basics - What are the key words or phrases I can learn to
on? better facilitate relationship building during my time in the culture?
• My Own Environment - Where will I be physically? What will my
What role will I assume? schedule be like? What preparation is necessary to ensure that I am
able to meet my own self-care needs?
• Planning - Do I have a plan for the experience? Do I understand the different
possibilities? Do I understand the logistics of the trip?

• What assumptions/expectations do I have

Cultural Entry Model - H.Jones MSOD 619

• My Views - What experiences have I had with this culture previously? Do I have a
view or belief about this culture already?
• My Expectations - What am I looking forward to about entering this culture? What
am I apprehensive about?
• What Shapes Me - What past experiences may be brought to mind as I enter this
culture? How might those influence the way I interact with this culture?

• Where can I find the information I need?

• Contacts/Hosts - Who will be hosting me during my trip? How can/should I contact
them beforehand? What do I need to ask them about my accommodations and
schedule?
• Government/Business Resources - Based on the work I am doing, what are the most
relevant resources to learn about cultural and business practices that will be
important?
• Tourist/Cultural Resources - Based on where I am going, what are the most relevant
resources to learn about the experience of bringing a foreigner in this culture and
what I can expect when traveling?

Participation
• What strengths can I leverage?
• Adaptability - How am I adapting to meet my own needs in this new environment? Is
there anything unexpected that I need to attend to?
• Observation and Awareness - What am I observing as the experience is unfolding?
What dynamics, patterns, trends, have I become aware of thus far?
• High CQ Drive - Am I getting what I want out of this experience? Are there areas I
could lean into or direct more in order to improve the experience and my learning?
• Confidence - Am I moving through this experience confidently? If not, what is
keeping me from doing so? How can I change that?

• What happens when things go “wrong”?

• Plan Tight, Hang Loose - How is my planning and preparation serving me? What
unexpected things have come up? What new experiences are appearing? How can I
respond to them openly and calmly?
• Managing Negative Views - What has been challenging for me so far? How did I get
here? Was there something specific that triggered me? How is my current internal
experience impacting others around me?
• Practice Gratitude - As this unfolds, what am I most grateful for? Where do I see
beauty in this experience?

Post-Reflection
• What did I learn about the culture?
• Key Experiences - What happened? What was most significant to me? Have I
captured the details of the experience, the emotions I felt, and the behaviors I engaged
in?
• Observations - What did I observe? What was consistent in my experience? What
was inconsistent?
• Expectations - How did my experience meet my expectations? How was it different?
What was most surprising? What does that tell me?
Cultural Entry Model - H.Jones MSOD 619

• What did I learn about myself?

• Helpful Behaviors - What behaviors helped me most in this experience? What did
they look like and when did they occur? What strengths did this experience uncover
in me as an individual?
• Limiting Behaviors -What behaviors did I engage in that limited my effectiveness in
this experience? Where and when were these behaviors observed? Are there any
patterns in why these emerged?
• New Views - What do I see differently than I did before this experience? How has my
perspective shifted?

• How do I integrate this experience?

• Important Practices - Based on my reflections, are there practices that I can continue
that will make me more effective in new or diverse settings?
• Key Behaviors - Based on my reflections, what behaviors should I focus on to help
me be more effective in new or diverse settings?

Specific Cultural Context - Finally, this entry model acknowledges that my experiences,
learnings and reflections will be unique depending on what culture I am in, and that learnings
from one culture may not be applicable in another. While I want to carry my learnings with me
across cultural experiences, I cannot expect that things will serve me equally well across
cultures. For this reason I must use this model with an eye toward the unique aspects of each
culture I enter, and always be open to new ways of seeing and doing things.