Culture is the patterned way people live life together. Cultures are dynamic, patterned, and shared. They each attempt to answer the questions of life and meet the needs of those living in it. These shared understandings and behaviors make each culture unique.
Culture Concepts Consulting
"Increasing Resilience, Longevity, and Effectiveness"
Who We Are
A Passion for Helping Teams Grow
"If you want to travel fast, travel alone. If you want to travel far, travel together."
~ African ProverbWe Help Teams Make Transitions
Move from a working group to a highly effective team through coaching and assessment tools which give individuals and the team self-understanding and plans of action.
Our Mission
Culture Concepts Consulting exists to help individuals, families, and teams manage the stressful transitions of living globally.
We provide tools and coaching from decades of experience of living and working successfully in cross-cultural settings and helping others discover what it takes to be self-aware and live successfully in changing contexts.
Sonny Guild
Sonny was involved in cross-cultural work for 10 years in Kenya and has been involved in training, placing, and sustaining cross-cultural workers for over 20 years. His interests are building strong, healthy teams and helping individuals live productive lives in cross-cultural contexts.
Services
Assessments and Coaching
- PATH
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The Periodic Assessment of Team Health (PATH) is a unique assessment built around seven descriptors
of a healthy team: Team Commitment, Diversity, Communication, Conflict Resolution, Leadership,
Decision Making, and Trust and Openness.
PATH will highlight strengths and challenges of the team, as well as provide suggestions for improving the effectiveness of their relationships and work. This assessment tool is like having a health checkup, which is needed periodically.
PATH is available in both English and Spanish. -
oSample Individual Reprt: (English) (Español)
Sample Team Report: (English) (Español)
Periodic Assessment of Team Health
The greatest challenge for groups in a cross-cultural context is getting along with each other.
Team work includes both task and maintenance. To do the job well, a team needs to learn how to work together and maintain healthy relationships. PATH is a tool that can help in every dimension of team health.
Contact Culture Concepts Consulting to learn more about PATH or to become a trained coach.
×- CernySmith
- The CernySmith assessment (CSA) is the premier assessment for measuring the areas and extent of the stress that individuals are experiencing. The CSA measures stress in five major areas: foundational, resilience, relational, cultural, and organizational. It is tailored for different types of teams.
- CernySmith Resources
CernySmith
Cross-cultural adaptation is a process that requires continuous evaluation.
The CSA evaluates and discovers areas of stress and roadblocks to adaptation. It helps reduce attrition by allowing for early detection which increases productivity and effectiveness. The assessments are a source of vision and direction for individuals and organizations alike.
Contact Culture Concepts Consulting to take the CSA or to become a trained coach.
×- DiSC
- DiSC is the most widely used personality test. One of the reasons it is so popular is that it is so easily understood, and remembered. The more that individuals understand themselves and their co-workers the better they will use the diversity of their personalities for the benefit of their collaborative work.
- DiSC Resources
DiSC
DiSC helps you build more effective working relationships based on an understanding of differentbehavioral styles.
As an authorized Inscape distributor we are proud to offer this leading personal assessment tool. This research-validated model helps you understand yourself and others, saving you time, energy, and money. Better team communication means efficiency on both individual and organizational levels.
Contact Culture Concepts Consulting to get started with DiSC assessments.
×- On-site Training
- Experienced training for organizations and teams using proven assessment tools
On-site Training
Grow mutual understanding, greater unity, and direction for the future.
One of the best ways to engage team development is through on-site experiences. More meaningful reflection and training can be done when trainees are coached while in their own context. A significant part of our training is done in the context of the cross-cultural workers. We get to see them “in action” and this brings authenticity to our conversations.
On-site visits usually involve five days of training. Prior to the visit the team will take various assessments that will be the foundation of our work together.
×- Assessment Guide
- Guided debriefings for all of the assessments offered by Culture Concepts Consulting
Assessment Guide
Making progress and gaining cultural insight as a team requires deliberate attention.
Experience has shown that assessment tools provide an excellent foundation for helpful conversations. We use the best instruments available. The CernySmith assessment is the best instrument available for measuring stress and providing suggested ways to move forward to mitigate that stress. PATH, Periodic Assessment of Team Health, gives an accurate view of how the team is functioning at that time and will surface ways to move forward. These and other assessment tools help a team be resilient, stay longer, and be more effective.
×- Custom Experience
- Tailored training experiences to meet the needs of your team or organization no matter how large or small
Custom Experience
Need a more unique team training event? Have a specific target or goal? We can probably help.
Culture Concepts Consulting will spend time visiting with a team and organization about their needs. Through these conversations and assessments given we can determine how best to approach meeting those needs. Our coaching is user focused. We want to provide coaching that uniquely meets our customers' goals.
×Concepts
Why is Cultural Adjustment Important?
Everyone experiences some degree of culture stress.
- Stage One: This stage is often called the “honeymoon” or “tourist” stage. Initially a person is excited to be in a new place. Life is filled with the excitement of new places and experiences.
- Stage Two: As the new wears off a person becomes frustrated and often filled with criticism of the new culture. A person may become anxious and uncomfortable, may withdraw and become isolated, or may want to return home. This is a critical stage.
- Stage Three: This stage is full adjustment. When a person opens him/herself to learning new things they begin to understand and appreciate the new culture. This kind of learning is intentional, acculturation. Your appreciation of this new place and people expands.
Everyone must go through the stages that lead to meaningful, functioning adjustment. Cultural adjustment is possible!