Intercultural engagement at IÉSEG

IÉSEG aims to foster the development of Cultural Intelligence (CQ) throughout the school and to make this part of the DNA of all those, students, academics and administrative staff who study and work there. This is done through a number of initiatives.

Developing student competences

The Cultural Diversity Passport introduces students to the notion of cultural diversity to help them better recognize and respect their own culture and the culture of others. It is compulsory for all bachelor students who must pass two components: an academic course and the International PEER Activity which involves a series of guided interactions with someone who is culturally different. As an optional part of the passport, students are encouraged to participate in one of the many multicultural projects proposed at the school.

The Cultural Diversity Awareness Badge involves the same components as the passport, but is for international exchange students during their semester(s) at IÉSEG.

The Cultural Diversity Certificate is an optional certificate, which students can obtain during the master program. It leads students to a level where they can consciously start to reconcile cultural differences and root these reconciliations in the way that they communicate, work and manage themselves and others on a daily basis. Students have to follow the “Managing Cultural Diversity” module and four electives with an explicitly intercultural/diversity theme. These electives have been selected from the course offerings in the different tracks. Students also either write a master thesis or complete an internship with an explicitly intercultural/diversity theme. The certificate also involves students doing two IDI (Intercultural Development Inventory) profiles and establishing an individual intercultural development plan.

Students at IÉSEGIn addition to the above competence development pathways, the members of ICIE are also offering various courses on inter/cross-cultural issues. The list comprises (but is not limited to) the following topics:

  • Global Brand Management
  • International Marketing
  • International Negotiations
  • Cross-Cultural Relationship Marketing
  • Intercultural Management

In 2017, almost 1,000 students took part in 47 multicultural projects supervised by over 30 members of staff. These projects cover activities like gastronomy, a choir, theatre, fashion show and tandem learning. All of them bring domestic and international students together so that they can learn about and from each other, and so further develop their cultural knowledge and skills.

Developing staff competences

Staff at IÉSEGThe Dealing Daily With Diversity 3-day staff training is the first of three levels of training aimed at all the permanent staff, both academic and administrative. This training is compulsory whilst two further levels are optional. IÉSEG aims to provide all the staff with the tools needed to better understand cultural diversity in everyday life and help them embrace these differences. The rationale behind the courses is that to support our students in developing culturally intelligent behavior, we also need to provide the necessary role models to help them achieve this.

By providing the staff and students with a ‘working together’ toolbox and a common understanding of the challenges linked to working in an intercultural environment, IÉSEG aims to promote culturally intelligent behavior that will make the school a place where everyone can thrive.