Background:
My project is a soft skill training program for office workers in my previous international organization in Africa. The company comprises Japanese top management, African local management, and over 200 local staff. Japanese management often faces challenges in effectively gathering information from local counterparts due to communication barriers and cultural differences. For instance, Japanese management encourage open feedback on platforms like Slack, but some African managers consider public negative feedback inappropriate. Recognizing these cultural variances, Japanese management still expects all team members, regardless of their background, to adapt and adopt professional business communication standards.
Approach:
This 12-week project targets 10 local top managers and 2 Japanese top managers, focusing on enhancing soft skills among local management. Participants will engage in online learning modules, like critical thinking, and provide bi-weekly reflections on applying these skills in real business scenarios. In addition to self-learning, we will facilitate Zoom sessions every three weeks for peer reviews and group activities. To address cultural differences, I plan to tailor approaches for both local and Japanese management, ensuring a mutual understanding and respect for diverse communication styles.
Next Steps:
I am going to start this project from December and the implementation of this project post-PCE is my primary goal. Despite the challenges posed by the remote and diverse locations of participants, I am highly motivated to improve upon my previous experiences. My focus will be on fostering active engagement in e-learning and devising strategies to bridge cultural communication gaps. Continuous development of content and methods will be a critical part of this journey, ensuring effective learning and engagement among all participants.
Learning Design:
In my view, learning design is a reflection of the designer’s values and experiences. With the diversity of learning styles, no single approach fits all learners. Designers bring unique beliefs and perspectives, shaped by their own learning journeys and professional expertise. My exploration of various learning designs has highlighted the field’s vast array of approaches and topics. As a learning designer, I am committed to continuously expanding my knowledge and exploring new methodologies to enrich my contributions to the development of learners.
