People tend to see other cultures from their own point of view. They accept their own culture and its ways as the norm—everything else seems foreign or even mysterious. This chapter described a technique called critical incident analysis (CIA) that encourages an objective reaction to cultural differences by helping managers develop empathy for other points of view.

Using the CIA approach, define a situation that you or someone else has experienced that led to a crosscultural misunderstanding—perhaps an interaction with a fellow student, a visit to a store in your town, or an experience you had while traveling abroad.

Explain what actually happened and how a more culturally sensitive response might have been possible if you or your fellow student had used CIA.

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