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IF YOU ARE FEELING LONELY – THIS IS TO HELP YOU

Collected by Irmeli Aro, July 23, 2004, based on my learning experiences of IntCultNet Spring 2004.

During the IntCultNet course I occasionally felt lonely – working together only with my computer.
Tutors and co-learners were in the web environment, to share their learning experience: Somebody
else may have found out exactly something I needed, to be able to get forward with my
assignments. We make choices, complete our assignments with different speed. It can happen, that
when you should need assistance or an example, nobody is right present in Verkkosalkku. I made
this IntCultNet study collection to help you through these moments. I’m sharing here my
experiences of DISCUSSING CASES, SEVEN TESTS and TWO SELF-EVALUATIONS. I’ve
made links (and “back buttons”) to each chapter, to ease e.g. seeing only one or two tests at a time.
The graphs are in the format, which I chose to edit them for my portfolio.

IntCultNet is a journey of mind, a long process of thoughts. These approaches helped me to

learn. I hope my perspectives support you to find good ways for yourself to proceed.

DISCUSSING CASES

1) Discussing cases includes two examples of web team work: “A confusing case in the beginning
of our course” and “A successful discussion in the end of our course”

SEVEN TESTS

2) Public and Private Self - (not included in the HCCA) – my analysis got a connection to
analyzing my HCCA result as well includes a chapter “this is what I chose from my test
result” = what I chose for analysis, a chapter “how the analysis became actual for me in
the end of this course” = starting to find good things and a chapter “an aspect I need to
remember” = what I learned about my self development needs

3) Diversity Analysis - (7 - 2 points for the HCCA) includes the result graph, a chapter “this is
what I chose from my test result” = what I chose for analysis, a chapter “what’s good” =
what does the result tell about my strengths and a chapter “an aspect I need to remember” =
what I learned about my self development needs

4) DiSC - (8 - 3 points for the HCCA) includes the result graph, a chapter “this is what I chose
from my test result” = what I chose for analysis, a chapter “what’s good” = what does the
result tell about my strengths and a chapter “an aspect I need to remember” = what I
learned about my self development needs

5) Team Member Selector - (not included in the HCCA) includes the result graph, a chapter
“this is what I chose from my test result” = what I chose for analysis, a chapter “what’s
good” = what does the result tell about my strengths and a chapter “an aspect I need to
remember” = what I learned about my self development needs

6) Communicative Competence - (not included in the HCCA) includes the result graph, a
chapter “this is what I chose from my test result” = what I chose for analysis, a chapter
“what’s good” = what does the result tell about my strengths and a chapter “an aspect I need
to remember” = what I learned about my self development needs
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7) Motivational Value Scale - (6 - 1 points for the HCCA) includes the result graph, a chapter
“this is what I chose from my test result” = what I chose for analysis, a chapter “how are
these values expressed in my present life = what examples did I find, a chapter “this is how
I analyzed how my values affect to my behaviour” = how I tried to clarify this to myself
and a chapter “how do I use this information”

8) Learning Resources - (4 - 2 points for the HCCA) includes a chapter “my key areas of
development” = I completed my self-development-plan with the ideas risen from this test and
a chapter “my learning in brief” = I reviewed my learning methods during the course with
the help of this test result, to know my strengths and areas needing development

TWO SELF-EVALUATIONS

9) Self Evaluation - my level of understanding the meaning and the use of the tests and
evaluations includes: as these tests formed so crucial part of my learning, I practiced the self-
evaluation by analyzing my attitudes to the tests

10) Self Evaluation: the level of my socio-cultural competence – the self-evaluation in the
chapter 9 concerns the tests and evaluations only, this is about thinking of my
understanding of my whole cultural competence includes: I’m reaching for the same result
as given by the HCCA calculation – but by explaining the situation for myself in plain
language – to be able to do the same e.g. in a job interview

1) Discussing cases back

EXAMPLE 1 – Team work: A confusing case in the beginning of our course

Reviewing my experiences was useful - it was difficult to wake up others’ interest though

We were asked to: Review our own experiences and collect some cases / occasions of team building
/ people getting acquainted in a new situation. I decided to pick up my cases from my work
experiences – as I felt I had the most of them in that field. An overflow of negative memories filled
my mind. This was confusing. I didn’t want to give a picture of me to the other web team members,
that I’m a very negative thinking person. So I started to really try to recall and review a lot of cases
– to be able to choose positive ones. I ended up with telling about three occasions; two nice and
successful and one less successful. The last one included a question to the others – It would be
interesting to hear, how they would suggest me to have acted differently.

I received very little comment on my cases. I was disappointed. Creating my first message had
taken me several days (of course beside other thoughts and studies) of reviewing and processing my
experiences. I had recalled a lot of feelings. I had really written a part of myself in that message.
And I didn’t get more replies. I think that the slow start = little participation affected to our whole
case: Nobody really summarized our input, to decide how to find a conclusion.

I’m writing this after the course. Now I realize that the case anyway taught a lot:
1) The so called reflecting. In front of a new case – any case – collect and review you experiences,
your previous feelings. Find yourself a perspective – your personal point of view. I utilize this skill
e.g. with all new courses, essays and assignments of my studies: I concentrate in things around the
point of view I choose. Like this I learn more (and consume less time!!) than trying to do a little bit
of everything.
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2) Web discussion in general. This part was difficult for me: To be brief! Because all discussion
topics include so many connections. All the theoretical – including all new terms used in the course
material. And all the practical – and the meaning anyway is to learn to utilize all course material in
practice! So: Instead of sending one long message, send several shorter. Your idea does not need
to be absolutely ready. Throw a question to discussion forum! Continue your idea after getting
replies. This is what web team work is – developing ideas together.

3) Related to the previous: Pay attention to the message headline. Like: “A new idea” “A question
about utilizing DiSC test”. It easily happens, when you reply to a message – you get new ideas in
the middle and decide to add a question. It happened to me several times, that I glanced new
messages, saw headlines with old topics = replies. I did not read them because I was not
participating in that particular discussion – but later happened to find them to include new questions
anyway!!! Make the headline a summary of your message!

EXAMPLE 2 – Team work: A successful discussion in the end of our course

We liked the tutor’s idea. We were active. We were sharing each other’s experiences.
Learning from them. This is what successful web team work is about!

This happened during the last ten days, before I got my portfolio ready. There were several
discussions going on. Not clearly centralizing in anything. But I got a positive experience of
international web team work. One tutor had suggested an idea, to review our old discussions. As we
were reviewing everything anyway for our portfolios.

I was helping the others: I sent many replies to questions. And as there were case related questions I
shared my own experiences in my replies.

I got help: People continued my ideas. Chains of discussions were formed. I got what I was missing
in my thoughts – to complete my portfolio.

2) Public and Private Self – (not included in the HCCA) – my analysis got a
connection to analyzing my HCCA result as well back

THIS IS WHAT I CHOSE FROM MY TEST RESULT

• Originally – nothing! Not even filled in the test form.

• I read the questions, and thought, that I could discuss really the majority of the topics e.g. in
the web = the amount of private topics would be very small.
• So I thought that in terms of this test result I’m a very public person – no needs to improve
this field. And I went on with the next tests.

HOW THE ANALYSIS BECAME ACTUAL FOR ME IN THE END OF THIS COURSE

HCCA RESULT CAUSED IRRITATION

• My HCCA result told me, that I’m on the level “very good”. As I’m a person, who wants to
head for results, I started to check, what was needed to reach the next (=highest) level.
• I studied the HCCA sheet and noticed that I should change my behaviour towards S – Peace
Maker and i – Innovator from D – Result Maker and C – Quality Maker. Only that would
bring enough points.
• I became really irritated! I had managed to find good things and constructive self-
development ideas from the other tests, but now this final result tells that, in order to
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improve my cultural competence, I should change something I consider natural and big in
my personality. I’m a D-C type! That’s the good old stubborn myself!!!!!

LEARNING AGAIN
• After a couple of weeks I started to think, that what if widening my perspective after all
would be worth a try.
• Cultural competence is very much about communication. I reviewed my tests, and read from
the Public and Private Self test introduction that “being public or private makes a difference
in how well we are able to communicate and share to each others”.
• Getting this irritated of the comment (in form of the HCCA calculation) about needing to
change my behaviour actually shows that I’m naturally a very private person!

AN ASPECT I NEED TO REMEMBER

The S and i approach means I pay attention to feelings when I communicate. When I e.g. work in
the web, I pay attention to my feelings behind my behaviour and learn to sense the feelings of the
others. In order to adapt to situations; to understand why somebody acts differently than I expected.
I pay attention to impact. What feelings do I use to encourage the others? What impact do I accept
myself – this is actually about learning to accept encouragement from the people around me.

3) Diversity Analysis – (7 – 2 points for the HCCA) back

level 1 Level 2 level 3

points 8-15 Points 16-24 points 25-32
Tolerance
21
Freedom from
24
expectations
Adaptation
21
Respect
27
Empathy
22
Self-
28
awareness
Situational
23
awareness
Motivation
24

THIS IS WHAT I CHOSE FROM MY TEST RESULT

• I completed this test as the first – this was though for me the most difficult test result, when
trying to pick up things for self-analysis. As it includes so wide variety of everything we
deal with in our lives.
• I needed to study further. And I returned to the analysis of this test result about one month
and a half later, when I was analyzing my “Learning Resources” test. I got help and support
for writing that analysis from this test result and vice versa.
• When I was reviewing this result, I picked up the following:

WHAT’S GOOD
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I’ve got endurance: I’ve got ability to maintain my motivation, I’m a good organizer.

AN ASPECT I NEED TO REMEMBER

My natural way of working is: Alone. I need to pay attention to my adaptation and situational
awareness: To transform my good abilities from my individual working methods to my team
work. I need to consciously pay attention to what a collaborative approach means – my ability
to help my team members in increasing mutual and collective understanding, synergy and
finding ways to solve problems. back

4) DiSC – (8 – 3 points for the HCCA) back

Dominance Influence Steadiness Consciousness

Result maker Innovator Peace maker Quality maker

THIS IS WHAT I CHOSE FROM MY TEST RESULT

• I’m very result oriented: I want to get results, get things done, reach targets and goals.
• I’m not people oriented: In my work I concentrate in the processes and background
information.

WHAT’S GOOD
My result orientation includes a natural stubbornness: I don’t easily give up. If something is
unclear to me, I put effort in clarifying things. This forms a very positive snowball effect: I
work hard to get properly started, so I get results, and being successful increases my motivation.

AN ASPECT I NEED TO REMEMBER

I need to consciously pay attention in my impact – how I approach people around me. My
natural orientation in technical matters can make people around me feel like they were parts of
machines to me (this is what my DiSC result told me). And I don’t want that to happen. I must
remember that there are always feelings included, when people are performing things, no matter
how technical the contents and the surrounding may be.

5) Team Member Selector – (not included in the HCCA) back

Member 8 7 Self
Thinker 8 7 Feeler
Planner 7 8 Juggler
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Researcher 7 8 Closer

THIS IS WHAT I CHOSE FROM MY TEST RESULT

• The test result shows, that I’m in the middle, right in the average, of the four fields. This
was confusing. What to pick up for the analysis? I asked this in the discussion forum. And a
tutor told me what’s good in this kind of result:

WHAT’S GOOD?
I’m a very flexible team member. I’m capable of taking many different roles.

AN ASPECT I NEED TO REMEMBER

I need to pay attention in remembering to always concentrate on what’s the most important in
my current team work. Considering things from too many sides or gathering too much
background information can delay my decision making and action.

6) Communicative Competence – (not included in the HCCA) back

Explicit 14 17 Implicit

THIS IS WHAT I CHOSE FROM MY TEST RESULT

• I chose one definition of the “Implicit communication” from the test questions:
“Discussion is conducted in a circular movement, developing context around the main point,
which is often left unstated – when you have a relevant information, you will just know
what I mean.” That’s definitely my natural way of communicating! When I e.g. write an
essay, I set a target, create a vision in my mind. Then I glance a number of source
information documents (books, websites, magazines) and think about the target point – I
start writing, and count on, that all the source material around me helps me to create a path
towards my target.

WHAT’S GOOD
I’m able to control and organize large amounts of information, when needed.

AN ASPECT I NEED TO REMEMBER

When I’m writing and speaking, I need to summarize my points every now and then. Otherwise
my reader or listener may get tired in waiting for me to finalize my circulating around the target.

7) Motivational value scale – (6 – 1 points for the HCCA) back

Individual
level
green =
average,
blue =
personal
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THIS IS WHAT I CHOSE FROM MY TEST RESULT

• My highest scores, from the test result graph, are: Universalism, Self-direction, Security.

HOW ARE THESE VALUES EXPRESSED IN MY PRESENT LIFE?

I used the explanatory article: “Motivational Types of Values According to Schwarz, S. H.”
(files, Module 3) to help me. What in my life corresponds to these explanations of values?
Universalism: My studying of environmental sciences, my interest to work for projects e.g.
progressing the sustainable development and the cultural diversity, my interest for teaching and
tutoring, my commitment to follow my personal development plan, which was completed
during this course. Self-direction: Commitment to develop my self management, especially
with reflections to the community where I act. Security: My appreciation of my home and
repeated daily routines, my appreciation of everything I’ve got exactly now, willingness to learn
sensitivity to recognize when I can be of help or on the other hand, can ask for a favour.

THIS IS HOW I ANALYZED HOW MY VALUES AFFECT TO MY BEHAVIOUR

From my narrative “My values and behaviour”, which was a part of my portfolio: “This
narrative is a continuation to my essay I as a Cultural Person, which I wrote during the first
module of this course. In that essay in ended up with that I understand culture to be a continuous
interaction between the ideas in the heads of people and their actual behaviours. Within our
culture we do what we do because we have acquired the knowledge that this the right or normal
way to do things (a quotation from the article “Intercultural Finland” from the Sledge Library of
this course). My conclusion was, that the choices I’ve made in my life until now, I’ve made
exactly because I’ve felt that it has been the right way to do things. The perspective given by the
period of time between the writing of that essay and today further encourages me to think, that
my life up to the present time has been my special valuable life: Constant glimpses from the
past help me to figure out the present and to get warm reflections from the future. From the
many definitions for what “values” mean, I choose the following from our course material.
“Belonging to a culture is: Cultures and other groups are sources for self esteem, as well as
knowledge, values and beliefs” (Module 1.2, chapter 1). In the beginning of this narrative I
described how my cultural knowledge forms a base to my thinking. And my thinking forms
my self esteem, values and beliefs. The quotation mentions the other groups. My self esteem,
knowledge, values and beliefs guide my behaviour as a member of all groups around me.
This is how I understand the relation between my values and behaviour.”

HOW DO I USE THIS INFORMATION

I need socio-cultural competence in my studies, work, everything I do with a network of people.
Knowing my values is one aspect of defining my competence. And knowing my values helps
me to find my place in all groups of people I’m surrounded by – by recognizing what values are
crucial to the other people, but also, what are the core values of my polytechnic, employer, my
home country…

8) Learning Resources – (4 – 2 points for the HCCA) back

FROM THIS TEST WE DID NOT GET A GRAPH. I USED THE SENTENCES WE
MARKED (SCALE 6-1) IN THE TEST SHEET TO REVIEW MY LEARNING PROCESS
THROUGHOUT THIS COURSE AND TO COMPLETE MY PERSONAL
DEVELOPMENT PLAN. THIS IS HOW I WROTE ABOUT THOSE IN MY PORTFOLIO.

From my portfolio: “My key areas of development – Self management: from the point of view of
the group I collaborate with. Methods: Deepening my understanding of my impact by consciously
paying attention to it, using self-assessment tools. Development themes from around the world:
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Related to my studies I’ve recently familiarized with the development themes of the European
Union: Europe to become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based society in the world
by the end of this decade. – I intend to learn the corresponding themes regarding the Asia-Pacific,
the Americas, Africa. Method: Collecting and analyzing information from the media. The meaning
of the spirit: Learning more about, what was the theme of the chapter 8 of the module 1.2:
Harmony exists in many collective cultures - Holy Spirit in Christian cultures - Internal energy.
Method: Collecting and analyzing information from books. Schedule: I start today, keep a diary,
write weekly summaries, rewrite the plan every six months with a critical reflection.”

From my portfolio: “My learning in brief: I’ve attached the whole collection of my inputs to the
discussion forums. That proves my determination, endurance and a required ability of maintaining
my motivation to participate to the course work with a patience. I’ve been very successful in
utilizing the course material with a self-directive approach: To practice the use of the self-
assessment tools and to analyze the themes of the articles. I’ve during this course learned to
appreciate and to utilize my previous experiences: To use an intuitive approach to everything
that’s new – in an optimistic meaning. I’ve learned to recognize and to value my impact. I’ve
practiced the implicit and the explicit way of communication. And I’ve learned about what I need to
further practice the most: Collaborative approach – my ability to understand and increase mutual
and collective understanding, synergy and problem-solving. I’m good in organizing my own work
and performance – I need to put effort to transform that ability to my behaviour in a team and
to develop my adaptation and situational awareness skills. I head for the future with a faith, that my
present self-awareness and my natural flexibility in selecting a team role and the proactive way of
thinking that has been encouraged during this course, will help me to improve this field as well.”

9) Self Evaluation – my level of understanding the meaning and the use of the
tests and evaluations back

I did the practicing of the self-evaluation in two parts. As these tests and the thinking processes they
started in my mind were so crucial content of this course, I first made an evaluation of my attitudes
towards the tests and my understanding of why they are actually made. The following chapter 10 is
about evaluating my whole cultural competence.

I used the scale “Phases of Cultural Learning” (Files of the Module 3: “Socio-Cultural
Expertise – Cultural Competence”, last chapter (5)) to help me to perform this self-evaluation.

Withdrawal – Defence – Minimizing was my level until year 2002.

I was a lot involved with the tests as the companies I worked for had a lot of development projects
going on. The development of e.g. the quality systems included a lot of testing of the personnel and
a lot of filling in of evaluation forms. At that time my relation to the tests was between the
withdrawal and the minimizing. I recognize elements of all three phases – difficulties to orientate
and change attitudes and difficulties in questioning old interpretations. I felt that the tests and the
evaluations were consuming my valuable working time – not helping anything at all. When
complaining about this, my bosses told me that it’s very sad, that I have such wrong attitudes.

Acceptance was my level during 2003 and the beginning of 2004 and this course in Spring.
At first my maternity leave and then concentrating for a while in full time studies, gave me some
distance and perspective. I began to think that no way can the tests and evaluations have been
created to, on purpose, cause difficulties for people. I started to understand my former bosses. They
can’t change the conditions, in which the constant change around us requires constant developing.
And to see if the development is successful – going to the correct direction, the test and evaluation
results are needed. So the tests and evaluations are there to help us to handle the changing situations
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in our studies and work, which we otherwise could feel to be confusing, even scaring. And this is
exactly why we do these tests during this course. We practice to handle new situations in our lives.

Adaptation: I got my result of the DiSC test during this course.

The result told me, that I’m a combination of a strong result and quality maker, some innovator in
me, hardly any peace maker. My strong will to reach for results was the leading theme in the
analysis. “My result and task orientation can cause me treating people around me like they were
machines – that’s the way I can make them feel.” My first reaction to that part was getting
frightened for a while. But hadn’t I actually been encouraged to think like this. “If I don’t take the
tests seriously, I’ve got – an attitude problem!” - My former bosses were speaking about a good
organization (service branch = people driven) being a Lean and Mean Machine. Following the
discussions in Verkkosalkku helped me to open my eyes. I started to understand that if a
development plan includes tests and evaluations – what really counts is to listen to the people,
whose work or studies are in concern. If they say, that something in the procedure is wasting their
time, not helping at all – they are the experts of their own work. They must be taken seriously – and
corrective action taken. What I think now is the most important, related to the test and evaluations,
is to explain their meaning. The idea how they are supposed to ease everybody’s every day study or
work conditions. It’s extremely important, that this kind of dialogue exists everywhere, where tests
and evaluations are used. Because only that brings all the helpful and constructive ideas behind the
test and evaluations in action; by the users telling what they still need – in order to make the tests
and evaluations as a familiar and useful every-day tool for them, for home, studies, work, hobbies…

I ended up with that my understanding of the meaning of the tests, was on the level
“adaptation”.

Integration: I’m writing this a couple of months after preparing my portfolio and the last tests and
self-evaluations. The definitions of the integration level are e.g. taking moral responsibility in
action, committing to teach and defend integration. By sharing these examples of my learning
process in order to support my co-learners – taking my response of our learning community, I show,
that I’ve reached the beginning of the integration level.

10) Self Evaluation: the level of my socio-cultural competence – the evaluation in

the chapter 9 concerns the tests and evaluations only, this is about thinking
of my understanding of my whole cultural competence back

I’m reaching for the same result as given by the HCCA calculation – but by explaining the situation
for myself in plain language – to be able to do the same e.g. in a job interview. To transform results
received in forms of graphs and numbers into practical examples.

SELF EVALUATION TO CHECK AND UNDERSTAND THE MATHEMATICAL

RESULT OF THE HCCA BY PREPARING MY OWN WRITTEN REASONING

I used the article “Useful Knowledge for Survival in Multicultural Context”, chapter 7: The best
way to cope is transformation (life long learning) towards cultural competence (files of Module 2)
to help me to perform this self-evaluation. I picked a sentence or two from each level, which
would describe my present thoughts and self-development ideas. And then tried to summarize
the change this course started in my thoughts – the transformation. This is what I ended up with. In
the beginning of this course my cultural competence was on the level “Minimization = Satisfied”:
From the referred article: “Human similarities are more important and powerful than cultural
difference. While differences are seen to exist, they are defined as relatively unimportant.” – This is
how I thought: I kind of counted on my natural behaviour being enough – that increasing my
understanding of reasons behind culture related behaviour would not be that important. My present
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level is “Acceptance = Good”: A quotation from the referred article: “Question is the respect of
different cultural life styles and behaviour and value differences.” – My present thoughts: I’ve
widened my world view. One important notice was related to the impact. Our feelings are
always present in our behaviour – we make choices according to what feels right and normal.
Our culture has impact in our feelings. It’s important to understand, which feelings are
encouraged (or even allowed on the other hand!) to show in a particular culture. My personal
development plan includes though the search for reaching the “Adaptation = Very Good” level.
From the referred article: “The new adaptation skills process a different world view, and the
intentional perspective-taking shifts one’s cultural frame of reference for the purpose of
communication, which is called empathy.”

The HCCA calculation model became ready during our course – right after I had finalized all the
self-evaluations described in this article. I can say that it was very useful for my learning, to
really go through all the “manual” evaluation, the critical writing process, to complete my
portfolio – not starting by calculating the HCCA points and then trying to match my written
explanations to that. Because that’s the way I think I probably would have done, if the HCCA
model already had been ready.

The HCCA calculation gives me 19 points, which means having entered the “Adaptation =
Very Good” level. Which proves to me, that I’ve learned to use the self-evaluation tools of this
course – I’m able to give an exact reasoning of my cultural competence. As I was very critical
to myself, I stated my level to be “Good” instead of “Very Good”. The calculation shows I’m in the
beginning of the “Very Good” level = 19 points of 18-21 possible. So the HCCA result is so very
close to the written reasoning I made by myself. back