A PERSONAL POINT

OF VIEW
Dirk Buyens
Who?
■ Dirk Buyens
■ The why, what and how of international,
intercultural competencies
■ Professor of human resources
■ Partner of Vlerick Business School
■ Head of the HR Centre and Director of the Open
Executive Education Programmes at Vlerick
Business School
■ PhD in Industrial and Organisational Psychology
at Ghent University
■ doctoral-fellow at the IR Centre of the Graduate
School of Management at the University of
Minnesota (USA)

Theresa Wolfcarius - Artevelde University College 2

Where?

■ Valencia: first experience with going abroad

■ Nijmegem
– We think we speak the same language, but in fact it’s them most difficult communication
■ Minneapolis
– Had to marry his wife, otherwise she couldn’t join him to America
■ Bejing
– Pollution : lost of students
– Nice people
■ Saint Petersburg
– Cooperation stopped because of economic reasons

Theresa Wolfcarius - Artevelde University College 3

 Why?

■ The world is flat  the world

will never be flat
■ Flemish: very closed culture
■ Being out the ons thing
– Key question:
■ Have you learned
someting?

Theresa Wolfcarius - Artevelde University College 4

5 core international competencies

■ Language skills
– Don’t underestimate the signs of the language when
you don’t speak it perfectly
– Give it a try
■ The outside-in-view
– Once you go out of Belgium, you really feel a Belgian
■ The Multi-ethnocentricity reflex
■ The Homelessness skill
– Enjoy being home
– Your perception changes
■ The seeing through the cultural facade

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5 phases of international “encouraging”

■ I see the nationality

■ I see the human being like me, but different
■ I see things I don’t understand
■ I start to see patterns
■ I start to integrate

Theresa Wolfcarius - Artevelde University College 6

How to internationalise the curriculum?

“It’s difficult to describe how ‘wet’ water is, without diving into it”
■ We can give it a chance by:
– The language challenge
– The proximity advantage
– The pragmatic solutions

Theresa Wolfcarius - Artevelde University College 7

 How to adress in a
local context?
■ Be careful before you judge
■ Boost the Erasmus experience even if you
stay home
– Have the internationals take the floor
– Inform yourself on ‘their’ background
– Take internationals to your ‘home
place’
– Being stable as a human being
■ Look for any international experience

Theresa Wolfcarius - Artevelde University College 8

 How to behave once
you are here?
■ Show yourself in a positive way, but not too good
■ Reach out
■ Show interest in them, you will get interest back
■ Look for similarities rather than stereotyping
differences
■ Work hard
■ Open your mind
■ …

Theresa Wolfcarius - Artevelde University College 9

What is left when you return?

■ Everyone is interested in your story

■ Life went on, so don’t push yourself
■ The repatriation is much more troublesome
– Leaving is easier than coming back
■ Behave amongst your friends, not above them
■ Reflect on yourself
■ Enjoy the memory
■ Take the space slowly

Theresa Wolfcarius - Artevelde University College 10