VISTA Organizational Culture and Community Entry (4 of 14) PSO - Facilitator Guide Getting Started - Integrated Training Program - Culture Guide

PSO Facilitator Guide Organizational Culture and Community Entry
Getting Started: Organizational Culture and Community Entry

VISTA Pre-Service Orientation – Session Flow
Setting the tone & Define Cultural elements Organizational

outcomes culture visible & invisible culture
Cultural Communication “Take a Stand,”

The adjustment
Observation styles in Workplace values
process
Tool organizations & norms
Group closure
Integration
& evaluations
VISTA Integrated Training Program Rev. March 2008 1

Getting Started: Organizational Culture and

Community Entry
1:00 - 4:30 (3 hours and 15 mins with a 15 min break at 2:30)
Session set-up:
• Agree signs posted at 4 quadrants of the room
• Chart paper
• Create 4 signs: Storyteller, Dancer, Visual Artist, Singer
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Clarify aspects of their own cultures
• Articulate the dimensions and communication styles of workplace and
community cultures
• Strategize effective organizational entry, applying specific tools and concepts,
and reflect on how to apply this to community entry
Resources/
Time Steps
Materialsv
1. Introduce the session and its outcomes. Overhead:
Session
Outcomes
Note to Facilitator:
It is critical to emphasize that we are focusing

on organizational entry because supervisors and
VISTAs have said that this is a key aspect to a
successful VISTA year. Participants will pay more
attention when they understand the thinking behind
the session.
5 minutes What Is Culture?

2. Explain that when VISTA candidates leave PSO,
they will be traveling to their sites and, in many
cases, entering organizations and communities
that are new to them.
3. Call for a show of hands: “How many of you are
going to new communities/organizations? How
many are serving in your local community in
organizations with which you are familiar?” (Note
the spread.)

4. Ask: “If you are going to serve in familiar

organizations, will you still need to learn about
the culture of the organization? Why?” Using
their responses, reinforce the point that even if
they are serving in familiar organizations in their
local communities, their new role as VISTAs will
require them to interact with the culture in new
ways.
Some examples could be:
“When a teacher goes to work at the same school

he attended as a student, he has to learn the
school’s culture as it relates to his new role.”
“When a person transfers departments or divisions

within the organization where they work, the culture
of the new division is often different.”
Key Point To Make:
All VISTAs need to negotiate and work respectfully

within the particular cultures of the sites and the
communities they serve.
5. Acknowledge participants’ prior cultural
education and training experiences. Tell them
that when they enter their VISTA sites and
communities, they will tap into a reservoir of
skills and abilities they already have and use
whenever they encounter new environments.
Inform them that this session will identify and

build on those skills as we explore several
aspects of culture together.
10 minutes Define Culture

1. Begin by talking about what we mean by the Chart paper
word “culture.” Ask, “What is culture?” Chart a
few responses.
4 Rev. March 2008 VISTA Integrated Training Program

2. Reinforce participants’ definitions by showing Overhead:

and reading aloud the overhead with Definition of
Wederspahn’s definition of culture. Explain that Culture
this session will explore key indicators of culture
(values, beliefs and assumptions) and then
apply them to successful organizational and
community entry.
Background Information:
Gary Wederspahn is a cross-cultural consultant

who runs Intercultural Business Solutions. Since
1981, he has designed, developed and delivered a
broad range of cross-cultural programs for multi-
national companies. He has written more than 70
articles, designed training materials and produced
videos relating to intercultural training. Gary has
extensive overseas management training, has trav-
eled to 29 countries, and is bilingual (Spanish and
English). His formal education is in cross-cultural
studies, with an M.A. from Stanford University and
coursework at Harvard. He has also studied inter-
national law at the Universidad Libre in Bogotá,
Colombia.
3. Affirm that everyone has culture (values, beliefs,

and assumptions). Our cultural values are
created and refined over time as we develop as
individuals.
4. Explain that becoming aware of one’s own

culture is the first step to understanding other
cultures and to building skills that enable us to
work effectively in those cultures.

15 minutes Cultural Elements: Visible and Invisible

1. We live and breathe our culture every moment of
the day. Often, our culture is so deeply ingrained
that it is mostly invisible.
Key Points To Make:
• A fish is not aware of the water in which it

swims, nor is a bird aware of the air.
• The invisible aspects of culture are especially

important to discuss because the values,
beliefs and assumptions we hold form the
basis of how we judge others.
2. Ask participants to take a minute to write a few VISTA PSO

of their core values and beliefs. Have them share Notebook
what they’ve written with others at their table.
3. Ask participants: “Unless you shared them with

others, how would people know that you hold
these values and beliefs?” Popcorn out answers.
Expect answers that include behaviors, rituals

and practices (e.g., they go to church/mosque/
temple, they treat others respectfully, they wear
a religious symbol). One example could be: “We
cook and eat dinner together every night” (prac-
tice); “Families that eat together are stronger”
(underlying belief/value).

Key Points To Make:
• Confirm what participants have said and

emphasize that behaviors, rituals, and prac-
tices are driven by core values, beliefs, and
assumptions.
• Point out that while a culture’s behaviors,

rituals, and practices are generally visible,
the culture’s underlying values, beliefs, and
assumptions are often invisible.
• The less visible features can sometimes be

intuited from what is visible. In many cases,
the invisible aspects of culture influence or
cause the visible ones. For example, values
determine rituals, and beliefs, and guide
practices.
• Explain that when we are uncertain about the

underlying values which drive others’ behav-
iors and practices, we may try to interpret
them by connecting them to our own value
systems. Often, the unintended result is that
we are judgmental or that we misinterpret
what we’ve observed.
• Knowing one’s own culture is critical for suc-

cessful organizational and community entry,
because we perceive and interpret everything
through our own cultural framework (lenses).
This affects the assumptions and assess-
ments we make about the world around us.
• If we are aware of our own cultural frame-

work, we can avoid misinterpreting and mis-
judging other cultural behaviors. Instead we
are more likely to try to learn to understand
and see others’ behaviors and practices with-
in the context of their own culture.

10 minutes Organizational Culture
1. Explain that we began this session by examining Overhead:

our own cultural frameworks. We are now Organizational
going look at dimensions of culture that will Culture
Questions
enable participants to think more effectively
about the organizations and communities they
will be entering. Because as a VISTA, they will
be entering the cultures of their sponsoring
organization and the community in which they
serve.
2. Divide each table in half so there are about

four people in each group. Show overhead
“Organizational Culture Questions” and ask them
to consider the following questions.
1) Think about an organization that you know.

What are the characteristics/features of its
organizational culture?
For some, this may be the college they attended, for
others, a workplace.
2) Which of the organization’s values, beliefs and

practices are similar or different to your own?
What challenges did the cultural differences
create?
For the report out, have each group choose one
aspect of their discussion to share with the whole
group.
3. Explain that although there are many definitions Overhead:

of “organizational culture,” we will work from Dr. Definition of
Daniel Denison’s definition. Show the “Definition Organizational
Culture
of Organizational Culture” overhead.
Key Point To Make:
Note the parallels between Wederspahn’s definition

of culture (that was shown earlier) and Denison’s
definition of organizational culture: values and
beliefs underlie both.

Background Info:
Daniel R. Denison, Ph.D., is an Associate

Professor of Organizational Behavior at the
University of Michigan Business School and
Visiting Professor of Organizational Behavior
at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo, Japan.
Dr. Denison teaches Organizational Design,
Organizational Consulting, and Team Skills, and
serves as Faculty Director for several major
executive programs. His research has been pub-
lished in a series of articles and books includ-
ing Bringing Corporate Culture to the Bottom
Line, Organizational Culture & Organizational
Effectiveness, and Corporate Culture and
Organizational Effectiveness.
4. Conclude by reinforcing the importance of

getting to know the culture of the organization
in which they are going to serve. Encourage
participants to write questions to their
supervisors in their VISTA PSO Notebooks about
any aspect of the organization’s culture they
want to know more about.
10 minutes The Adjustment Process
1. Explain that not only will the participants Overhead

have to come to understand the culture of the & Training
organizations they serve in, but as with any new Material:
Diagram
endeavor, there will be phases of adjustment and
of Cultural
periods of transition. Adjustment
2. Describe how during their year of service, they

may have experiences that are common among
VISTAs. They may go through an initial transition
period in which their body, mind, and heart will
take varied times to adjust to the loss of all they
have left behind and to new beginnings. They
have probably gone through transitions like
this before (when they went to college, moved
to a new town, or went overseas.) Tell them to
keep that in mind as the session touches on the
phases of cultural adjustment that may occur
during their service year.

3. Use the “Diagram of Cultural Adjustment”

overhead to point out the roller coaster
experience that may typify their VISTA year.
Make the following points:
• Initial Enthusiasm—The first few months as a

VISTA is like a “honeymoon period.” They will
be excited and enthusiastic and eager to get to
know the people at the organization and in their
community.
• Initial Shock—However, as they settle into their

new world, they may feel frustrated about what
they can and can’t get done. The excitement will
wear off and they may begin to feel vulnerable,
“lost at sea.”
• Initial Adjustment—As the VISTAs continue to

learn and adjust to the new environment, they
should climb “out of the hole” of this first difficult
period and start to adapt to the new environ-
ment and accept their new life.
• Further Shock/Adjustment—Still, it is likely

they will experience additional “valleys” as they
continue to confront the challenges of imple-
menting their service plans and adjusting to
their community. There will be periods when the
initial frustrations come back; however, with self-
awareness, respectfulness, and a desire to learn,
they will continue to make positive adjustments
and adaptations to their VISTA site and commu-
nity. (Use the two steps forward/one step back-
ward analogy, if applicable).
40 Minutes Take a Stand Activity

Note to Facilitator: Four “Agree”

signs
1) There are two ways to do this activity. How you
do it will depend on how much space you have in
your training room:
With adequate space, participants can take a stand

under the “Strongly Agree,” “Somewhat Agree,”
“Somewhat Disagree,” and “Strongly Disagree”
signs posted evenly around the room.
If you do not have adequate space, put the signs

on the tables in the room. (Note: there is a good
chance that participants are not going to divide
evenly among the tables. You might have to assign
more than one table for “Strongly Agree” and
“Strongly Disagree”)
2) The use of the words “strongly” and “some-

what” before “agree/disagree” are meant to
allow participants to express a greater range of
opinions.
3) This activity is intended to stimulate conversation

between people in opposing quadrants. Be careful
not to express your own opinion, add to, or attempt
to interpret participants’ statements. Also, take care
not to let majority opinions (or particular individuals)
dominate the discussion. Similar to the poverty wall,
this is a time for you to facilitate; one way to sup-
port the discussion between participants is to
stand to the side, not in the middle of the room.
When participants take a stand, make sure to notice

the “spread” or level of divergence you get in par-
ticipants’ values around each of these statements.
4) Four “Take a Stand” statements have been pro-

vided; you will choose three to facilitate.
1. Tell participants that you are going to read out

a series of sentences that reflect both personal
and organizational cultural values. After each
statement is read, they will stand under the sign
that best reflects their own values and point of
view.

2. Explain that these are dimensions of workplace

and community culture. This activity will raise
their awareness of their workplace values and
the workplace culture they are most comfortable
working in.
3. Read the first “Take a Stand” statement:
• I need to work/live in a community where

it’s okay to disagree with a superior in a
meeting.
Ask participants to move to the sign that best

describes their response to the statement.
4. Invite participants to discuss and explain their

values with members standing in different
quadrants. Then make the following points:
• Where they’ve stood reflects their values

about how power is distributed.
• Those who “strongly agree” believe there

should be equality among people, while those
who “strongly disagree” are more comfort-
able with hierarchy.
5. Choose one of the following two “Take a Stand”

statements to read next:
• It’s okay to change plans without

informing your supervisor or partners
first, if time is short and you think it’s
best for the project.
or
• My job is one of the most important

parts of who I am.



• If you read the statement about changing plans:
Explain that where they are standing reflects the

extent to which they feel threatened by unknown
situations and risk. Some people are more cau-
tious while others are more open to risks.
• If you read the statement about how they define

themselves in relation to their job:
Explain that where they chose to stand reflects

their concept of work. Some people believe that
work in and of itself has value, while others see
work as a means to meet financial obligations.
For some of us, work is a critical component of
our identity. For others, work is what we do, but
not who we are.
7. Read the final “Take a Stand” statement:
• I get very frustrated when people are late

for meetings.


• In some cultures, the needs of people are

adjusted to suit the demands of time (sched-
ules, deadlines); time is treated as a limited
resource.
• In other cultures, time is adjusted to suit the

needs of people; time is treated as an abun-
dant resource.

9. Once everyone has returned to their seats,

ask them to think about the positions they just
took. Point out that when they get to their sites
they might find that their supervisor or others
at the organization have different workplace
values than they do. Ask: What strategies
or adjustments could help you to best work
together? Popcorn out the answers.
10. Reiterate that workplaces and communities
have their own cultures and the cultural
dimensions we discussed are evident in most;
however, they are not likely to be spelled out in
key documents (e.g., policies and procedures).
Key Point To Make:
Staying alert for and adapting to these aspects of

organizational and community culture at their spon-
sor site will be key to VISTAs’ successful entry into
the organization. It will also improve their ability to
achieve the goals of their service assignment.
11. Direct participants to the “Workplace Values Training

and Norms” handouts in their Training Materials. Materials:
These are adapted from Culture Matters: The Workplace
Values and
Peace Corps Cross-Cultural Workbook.
Norms
Alert VISTAs that you have demonstrated three
of the most important dimensions of workplace
culture. Note that there are additional dimen-
sions in their Training Materials. Invite them to
read these on their own and consider where they
fall on each continuum, based on their values.
12. Reiterate that the first step to successful

organizational entry is awareness of their
own values, followed by awareness of and
adjustment to the values of the new culture they
are entering.
15 minutes Break
55 minutes Communication Styles in Organizations

1. Say: “We are going to regroup the room for

the next activity in a way that recognizes the
different talents and backgrounds in the room.
Point out the four signs on the walls. Ask:
“Which of these (Storyteller, Dancer, Visual Artist,
or Singer) do you most identify with?” Direct
everyone to go to the sign that most closely
describes them and their hobbies.
If the group has questions about the different
groupings, explain that “Storyteller” could appeal to
writers or actors. “Dancer” and “Singer” could also
appeal to actors. Poets could go in any category.
“Visual Artists” could be two- or three-dimensional
artists. Assign each group a table.
The number of people in each group is not impor-
tant; it is okay if everyone selects two groups. If
there are only two groups, split them into four (as
there are four communication styles that will be
examined).
2. Explain that we have looked at one aspect

of culture (i.e., workplace values). Now we
are now going to look at another: styles of
communication. Culture plays a vital role in the
communication styles within the workplace and
community.
Background Information
• While certain cultures rely on the exact words

used in a communication, other cultures depend
less on words and more on nonverbal cues.
• Research has found that in some cultures, non-

verbal communication carries over 70 percent of
the meaning of a communication exchange.
3. Explain how increasing their understanding of

the communication styles will be important to
their successful entry into the organization and
community.

4. Ask each group to: Training

Materials:
• Read the case study in the Training Materials Communica-
tion Styles Case
and discuss the question: “How would you Study
assess what happened in the scenario?”
Give groups 5 – 10 minutes for this discussion, as

needed.
Case Study Text:

Marcus is a VISTA member from Boston who
is serving in a rural ranching community in the
West, with a population of fewer than 1,000 people.
Part of his assignment is to engage community
members and local organizations to help create a
family literacy program at an elementary school.
Although he is new to the community and the orga-
nization where he is serving, he is confident he will
be able to successfully complete the activities in
his Member Assignment because he has a master’s
degree and five years of work experience. Early
in his service year, a member of his organization
named Sharon is assigned to be his mentor. He is
told that he can ask her for any advice or guidance.
However, when it comes time to plan a series of
evening “design meetings” to gather support and
input from the community, he rushes headlong into
organizing the meetings, without consulting Sharon.
He sets an agenda and sends it with an invitation

to 10 community members who he thinks would
be instrumental in starting the program. To gain
commitment, he follows up the e-mail with phone
calls. Marcus reaches eight invitees by phone, all
of whom say, “Sure, I can come to the meeting.”
Encouraged, Marcus decides to live by the mantra,
“If you offer food, they will come.” He buys chips,
sodas, and cookies for the event.

On the night of the meeting, only three people show

up. Marcus waits 15 minutes before beginning. “I
thought we were going to have more representa-
tion here,” he apologizes while scanning the room.
“I expected at least seven. I’m not sure what hap-
pened to the others. Does anyone else know?”
Marcus looks to the two men and one woman
seated. The woman shrugs. One of the men shifts
in his seat, but no one says a word. Marcus decides
he needs to move on with the meeting. He tapes up
his charts and begins walking through his agenda.
The three attendees offer very few comments, even
when he asks each in turn for their opinions. “Looks
like you’ve got a pretty good plan,” is all one man
says the entire evening. However, all three remain
the full hour and a half, shake his hand, and thank
him politely on their way out. As Marcus cleans up,
he attributes the low participation to the poor turn-
out.
Before the second meeting, Marcus e-mails the
meeting notes to the 10 original invites. In his e-mail
he says, “I hope you can make this very important
second meeting. We really need your input and
involvement. Help ensure that our family literacy
programs reflect the needs of this community.”
Again, he follows up with phone calls and gets eight
confirmations of attendance; however, the only per-
son to show up for the second meeting is Sharon,
his mentor. After waiting 30 minutes, Marcus balls
up his charts and tosses them in the trash. As they
walk out together, Sharon suggests they have a
debrief meeting the next day over lunch.
During his bike ride home, Marcus begins to wonder

if he is cut out for VISTA.
How would you assess what happened in the

scenario? Discuss at your table.

5. When the groups have finished their discussions, Training

move on to the next phase of the activity. Direct Materials: Styles
participants to the “Styles of Communication” of Communica-
tion
page in the Training Materials.
• Assign a communication style to each
table.
• Explain that they will discuss questions 1 – 3
in their binder for their assigned communica-
tion style.
Give the groups 7 - 10 minutes to work on the

questions.
On the “Styles of Communication” pages in partici-
pants’ Training Materials, Question 1 is different for
each style:
• In regard to “Degree of Directness,” I tend to
be more…
• In regard to “Low or High Context,” I tend to
prefer communicating in…context cultures.
• In regard to “The Importance of Face,” I think
saving face is …
• In regard to “The Task or the Person,” I think
communication focus should be on the…
Questions 2 and 3 are:

2. How does this communication style relate to
the case study?
3. What could Marcus have done to communicate
more effectively? From both his and the com-
munity’s perspectives?
Ask that they answer the first question individually

because it relates their personal experiences with
the communication styles. They should then share
their answers with the rest of the group. They will
answer questions 2 and 3 together.
If groups need help, pose a question based on the

communication style they’re considering, such as,
“If Marcus knew he was serving in a community that
values the importance of face (or indirectness or the
task), what could he have done differently before
and during the meetings to ensure greater participa-
tion?”

6. Once the groups have answered the questions

about their communication style, introduce the
report outs: They will each do a two minute
report of question three using the hobby they are
grouped under. Meaning: storytellers will tell a
story; dancers will dance; visual artists will make
a picture or sculpture; and singers will sing.
Give them another five to seven minutes to work

on their presentations. Let groups know that
overheads describing each communication style
are in the facilitator’s binder and each group can
use theirs, if they would like.
7. Do the report outs. Emphasis that the report

outs are meant to communicate the different
communication styles, not just give participants
an opportunity to sing and dance!
Key Points To Make:
Acknowledge groups’ findings and share these key

points if participants do not provide them.
Degree of Directness
• When indirect communication styles are

dominant, VISTAs have to seek out more
clues to what’s “really being said.” When the
community leaders told Marcus they could
come to the meeting, they were operating
from a cultural framework in which it would
be hurtful to tell him directly that they might
not come. In these kinds of contexts, “yes”
doesn’t always mean “yes.”
• Similarly, Marcus’s direct communication

style at the meeting may have “put off” the
attendees. Being asked directly why their
neighbors didn’t show up likely made the
attendees feel uncomfortable.

Role of Context
• Directness and context are interrelated. High

context cultures tend to feature more indirect
communication; low context cultures feature
more direct communication.
• High context cultures are those that are more

homogeneous in certain ways. People in
these cultures know and understand each
other quite well; as a result they have devel-
oped a more indirect style of communication.
They have less need to be explicit and rely
more on nonverbal communication. People
in high context cultures can do this because
they have a deeper foundation of shared
experience to draw upon for understanding
each other.
• For VISTAs, high context cultures may be

found in communities and organizations with
low mobility (such as some rural locales) or
in workplaces with a long-term charismatic
leader, a small, tightly-knit group of staff,
and/or very low staff turnover.
• Be careful not to oversimplify the “Role of

Context” dimension. For example: People
often think of tribal cultures (such as Marcus’
setting) as high context. However, a federal
bureaucracy—such as CNCS—could also
be a high context culture. Think of high con-
text cultures as “clubby”—people in these
cultures know each other well and use short-
hand in communicating with each other.
Importance of Face/The Task or The Person
• If Marcus had known that he was serving

in a context in which “face is key” and “the
person is more important than the task,” he
would have met with each community leader
personally before the meeting.

• Marcus did not begin the meeting with any

small talk or other activities that would’ve
helped build a relationship between himself
and the participants. Instead, he got right
down to business by going over his planning
chart.
• Additionally, he put the participants on the

spot by asking them direct questions about
the “no shows.” He also asked them individu-
ally to choose their preferred program types.
• If Marcus had known that those who oper-

ate in a culture with an indirect communica-
tion style avoid making critical comments in
group settings, he might’ve realized that he
needed to do more to draw out the true pref-
erences of the group.
• It is likely that even though three people

thanked Marcus politely at the end of the
meeting, they did not really feel engaged in
the process. And in fact, they “voted with
their feet” by not coming back.
3 minutes 8. Conclude this section by stating the reason
we have examined the differences around the
cultural dimensions and communication styles:
to understand our own tendencies and to learn
about the tendencies of other people and
organizations.
No one value or style represents a better/supe-

rior way. It is about difference.
People fall into all areas of these dimensions.

The range is helpful to show where and how we
tend to operate within our natural mode. And to
help us be able to see the modes of new cul-
tures.
5 minutes Cultural Observation Tool

1. Explain that we will now work on applying what
they’ve examined about cultures to generate
strategies for effectively entering their service
sites and communities.

2. Explain that much of an organization’s or a

community’s culture is not written down. To dig
deeper and learn more about the elements of a
new culture that may not be apparent, VISTAs
need to be keen observers.
3. Inform them that there is a “Cultural Observation Training

Tool” in the Training Materials that they can use Materials:
once to identify elements of their organization’s VISTA Site:
Cultural
and community’s cultures. Advise them to keep
Observation Tool
these questions handy and try to make careful
observations (looking for verbal as well as
nonverbal clues).
20 minutes Integration/Application Activity
1. Explain that we will close these two days Training

together by thinking of ways they can make their Materials:
organizational and community entry as smooth Strategies and
Suggestions
as possible. In the Training Materials, there are
for Community
three categories of “Strategies and Suggestions Entry
for Community Entry.” Ask participants to
spend five minutes responding in writing to
these categories, either on charts at tables or
individually in their journals.
1) Strategies and suggestions for identifying

and working with a cultural guide/coach.
2) Strategies and questions for learning the

organization’s and community’s culture.
3) Strategies and questions for effective organi-

zational and community entry.

2. When they are done, ask for a few suggestions

for each question. Encourage participants to
record additional strategies as they listen.
Key Points To Make:
• Reinforce that the concepts introduced

here will help build a framework for greater
understanding and successful entry to their
service site.
• Make sure to emphasize that VISTAs should

identify others—cultural guides—who can
help them with their entry into the organi-
zation and community. These people may
include staff in the organization other than
their supervisor or community partners.
• Assure participants that it is completely nat-

ural to experience culture shock at various
points in their cycle of service.
• Encourage them to use the cultural dimen-

sions discussed in this session as a “jump-
ing-off place” to help them learn and adapt
to this new culture.
3. Conclude by explaining that as VISTAs, they Training

will be serving in a community that includes a Materials:
number of cultures. Community
Entry Do’s
Their supervisor will introduce them to the com-
munity and explain how their VISTA project fits
into it. Their supervisor will also tell them about
the community’s history, potential resources,
and socioeconomic and political structure. If not,
they should ask.
Refer to the resources in their Training Materials,

“Community Entry Do’s” to show some skills,
attitudes and behaviors that have been proven
to help facilitate a smooth community entry pro-
cess.

4. Explain that dimensions of the culture and

communication styles will become apparent
as they move into the community to organize
meetings, create partnerships, and tap into
resources. Wrap up by saying that the tools
and strategies for learning about organizational
culture can be applied to learning about the
community’s culture as well.
Ask for some examples of what they can do to

make a smooth entry into the larger, more com-
plex, culture of the communities they will serve.
15 minutes Group Closure Activity

This is the last time your group will be together.

Take the last 10 minutes to provide the group with a
closure activity. We have found that it is most pow-
erful to have participants reflect back on what was
meaningful for them at the PSO or what they want
to take from the orientation to their communities. To
do this you could refer back to what the participants
produced on their charts in the “Strategies and
Suggestions for Community Entry” activity.
10 minutes Evaluation
1. Distribute your session evaluation. Tell

participants to fill out the pages related to
the training group they’ve been in during the
past two days. Tell them to complete only this
section; they will fill out more tomorrow after
attending Day 4 of the training .
2. Ask the group to put the evaluations in their

binders and bring them to Day 4.
If they ask why they have to complete the evalu-

ations at this time (and not later in their hotel
room), explain the importance of expressing
their thoughts now, immediately after they expe-
rienced the day and before they discuss it with
others.
Do not tell participants to cross out questions on

the form. This causes automatic errors when the
forms are scanned.

VISTA Organizational Culture and Community Entry (4 of 14) PSO - Facilitator Guide Getting Started - Integrated Training Program - Culture Guide

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VISTA Organizational Culture and Community Entry (4 of 14) PSO - Facilitator Guide Getting Started - Integrated Training Program - Culture Guide

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PSO Facilitator Guide Organizational Culture and Community Entry

Getting Started: Organizational Culture and Community Entry

Setting the tone & Define Cultural elements Organizational

Cultural Communication “Take a Stand,”

VISTA Integrated Training Program Rev. March 2008 1

Getting Started: Organizational Culture and

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

It is critical to emphasize that we are focusing

5 minutes What Is Culture?

VISTA Integrated Training Program Rev. March 2008 3

4. Ask: “If you are going to serve in familiar

Some examples could be:

“When a teacher goes to work at the same school

“When a person transfers departments or divisions

Key Point To Make:

All VISTAs need to negotiate and work respectfully

Inform them that this session will identify and

10 minutes Define Culture

4 Rev. March 2008 VISTA Integrated Training Program

2. Reinforce participants’ definitions by showing Overhead:

Gary Wederspahn is a cross-cultural consultant

3. Affirm that everyone has culture (values, beliefs,

4. Explain that becoming aware of one’s own

VISTA Integrated Training Program Rev. March 2008 5

15 minutes Cultural Elements: Visible and Invisible

Key Points To Make:

• A fish is not aware of the water in which it

• The invisible aspects of culture are especially

2. Ask participants to take a minute to write a few VISTA PSO

3. Ask participants: “Unless you shared them with

Expect answers that include behaviors, rituals

6 Rev. March 2008 VISTA Integrated Training Program

Key Points To Make:

• Confirm what participants have said and

• Point out that while a culture’s behaviors,

• The less visible features can sometimes be

• Explain that when we are uncertain about the

• Knowing one’s own culture is critical for suc-

• If we are aware of our own cultural frame-

VISTA Integrated Training Program Rev. March 2008 7

10 minutes Organizational Culture

1. Explain that we began this session by examining Overhead:

2. Divide each table in half so there are about

1) Think about an organization that you know.

2) Which of the organization’s values, beliefs and

3. Explain that although there are many definitions Overhead:

Key Point To Make:

Note the parallels between Wederspahn’s definition

8 Rev. March 2008 VISTA Integrated Training Program

Daniel R. Denison, Ph.D., is an Associate

4. Conclude by reinforcing the importance of

10 minutes The Adjustment Process

1. Explain that not only will the participants Overhead

2. Describe how during their year of service, they

VISTA Integrated Training Program Rev. March 2008 9

3. Use the “Diagram of Cultural Adjustment”

• Initial Enthusiasm—The first few months as a

• Initial Shock—However, as they settle into their

• Initial Adjustment—As the VISTAs continue to

• Further Shock/Adjustment—Still, it is likely

40 Minutes Take a Stand Activity

10 Rev. March 2008 VISTA Integrated Training Program

Note to Facilitator: Four “Agree”

With adequate space, participants can take a stand

If you do not have adequate space, put the signs

2) The use of the words “strongly” and “some-