1. The intercultural encounter from the story takes place in the public context / space.

2. The problem seems to be a clash between two different high context cultures which come into contact through a person who does not belong to any of them originally. Such a situation is difficult to predict but not impossible to take place.

3a. Again, acting “preemptively” may be the best solution. Finding out as much as possible about your incoming researchers’ background and trying to predict areas of culture clashes well in advance will definitely be useful.

Having an orientation or house warming event during which you make it explicitly clear what is considered appropriate and what – inappropriate in public spaces might be really beneficial. Encouraging guest researchers to communicate amongst themselves and share experiences might also help.

3b. As culture clashes can lead to negative feelings and frustration, the best option is to research what is considered appropriate and what – inappropriate not only at your new work place but also in public spaces. Don’t forget that your host staff as well as other colleagues with experience in your own and the host culture are an invaluable source of advice.

1. The intercultural encounter from the story again takes place in a professional context / space.

2. The problem is one which belongs to the realm of E. Mayer’s 7th dimension (Confrontational Versus Avoids Confrontation).

3a. Again, trying to find out about the position of the other person’s culture on the “Culture map” will be of help. Once you establish this, you may wish to consult a specialist (or at least someone with enough experience in dealing with the culture in question) about how to communicate with the incoming researchers. The same holds true if you have to make some negative comments known to certain incoming researchers as even the best-meant intentions can be decoded to quite a negative effect. In this particular case collating feedback through an anonymous questionnaire would have been more appropriate.

3b. Trying to find out about the position of the host culture on the “Culture map” will be of help. Once you establish this, you may wish to consult a specialist (or at least someone with enough experience in dealing with the culture in question) about how to communicate with your hosts. Note that the “threat” of giving negative feedback is perceived differently across cultures and if you were in the PhDs’ shoes you could have tried to find out in advance about the procedures your hosts are likely to follow and try to negotiate them. Certain procedures may be very rigid, especially when they are connected to legal requirements, but in cases such as the one from the story, your hosts may turn out to be flexible.

1. The intercultural encounter from the story takes place in a personal context / space.

2. The problem is one of having the wrong expectations about appropriate behaviour judging from your own experience.

3a. While it is not possible to predict all situations in which your incoming researchers may be involved, some common get-to-know-each-other activities will be really helpful, especially if you plan them carefully in a way that will allow them to learn more about others’ cultural background. An Indian / Bulgarian / Pakistani / French, etc. cuisine evening may seem mundane. However, it will allow researchers to learn about certain peculiarities of each other’s cultures in an informal yet predictable way.

3b. If you are planning to communicate with colleagues from other cultures outside the workplace, it is worth it to let them know more about your own background and learn more about theirs. In this case a sincere conversation about what is expected when you are visiting someone’s home as a guest before actually doing it would have helped. You can also provide similar information about your own expectations to help your new friends feel at ease. Of course, you can always check using the links from the “Compare cultures” section or decide to join a group using the “Socialising” one and share what is bothering you with the members of these social networks.