For five days, Humboldt University was the SIETAR Hub at the SIETAR Congress 2004. People from different backgrounds gathered to board different schools of thought, transfer between carriers, hear from pilots and high fliers in our field, and learn of new aviation technology and destinations. As an organization in transition, a number of questions arose, including:

Some say there is value in fresh perspectives. As a first timer to a SIETAR Congress, I offer mine in this recap below of my major learnings and surprises from the Berlin Congress 2004.

  

A quick look at the Congress program showed a variety of workshops available to Congress participants. Certain workshops were really popular with SIETARians, who crowded into all-too- small rooms to participate in these workshops. What were the hot topics? Those that showed innovation and that talked about culture in a deeper and more affective fashion. Personal experiences were important as was the context in which we talk about culture. New ways of exploring cultures, through body language and dance or through art and expression were also popular. As professionals, many of us sought to move away from the cognitive to the affective in our selection of workshops. Our preferences beg the question, Do our clients want the same?

 

There seems to be a growing concern in our field about aging theories and approaches to intercultural learning. Many believe our field has a number of adaptations and reworkings of research done a number of years back. We need new intercultural models that fit the demands of today and include non-western perspectives. While theories help us as professionals understand and communicate the concept of culture, we can’t forget the importance of speaking in plain language to our clients. Today, we are pressured to deliver the most in the least amount of time and for the least amount of money. This makes our job of transmitting skills and knowledge all the more difficult. Given these realities, our focus should be on the content of our message, and less on teaching specific terminology to our clients. In addition, flexibility and balance are crucial. In our work, we must be able to adapt our approaches to the needs and preferences of our clients and balance our approach to reach the largest number of learners.

As a younger generation of interculturalists comes to the field with a strong academic grounding, they meet an interdisciplinary field of coaches, trainers, consultants, and human resources professionals—all with different backgrounds and expertise. As new professionals attempt to bridge the gap between education and practice, a question remains: What qualifies someone to be a professional in this field? Do we need industry standards? With strong opinions on both sides of this question, it is something that we must continue to discuss with the goal of reaching a resolution in the not too distant future.

The most surprising and disappointing aspect of my first SIETAR congress was the lack of diversity. I could count on both hands the number of non-white colleagues in attendance. With a few other sets of hands, I could count the males. We are currently a field composed largely of white women. As an organization, we need to make sure we “walk our talk” and create a dynamic environment that represents the diversity we promote.

It concerns me deeply that two Congress tracks received no proposals. They were titled, “Religion and Ethnic Value Systems in Dialog” and “The Impact of Terrorism and Wars on Global Mobility.” Without any proposals, they dropped out of the Berlin program and our field of vision. On the surface it seems we are shying away from important topics and choosing safe paths. Like a living organism, we must pay attention to our environment, and develop a strategy to adapt to and interact with it. Today’s environment includes wars and religious conflict, and we must look at the role of culture within these spheres.

 

As a first-timer to a SIETAR congress, I walked away with a great number of learnings both about our field and our subject. While many complain about the costs of the Congress, I found the relationships built, the conversations had, and the information shared to be invaluable.

Given the realities of the world today, our field remains a necessary and promising one. As we grow as an organization, it is both our challenge and our opportunity to redefine ourselves in a larger setting and to begin to apply our thoughts and influence beyond the niche of our own field to arenas such as media, politics, and mass society. Only through the dialogue that we generate at Congresses like that at Berlin can we hope to define ourselves, our mission, and our future direction.

In flight aviation, moving to a higher altitude often requires flying through a turbulent air stream. In the intercultural field, Captain SIETAR has turned on the seat belt sign. It’s time for us to return to our seats, fasten our seat belts, and get ready to climb to a higher cruising altitude.