Category Archives: News

NeFCA’s new Temporary Working Group (TWG) on Intercultural Communication & Diversity was created in the summer of 2018 by Dr. Joep Hofhuis (Erasmus University Rotterdam) and Dr. Mélodine Sommier (Erasmus University Rotterdam). The idea arose from the 2018 ETMAAL conference in Ghent, Belgium. The success of that year’s theme, Transcultural Exchanges & Communication Flows, as well as the difficulty for papers on intercultural communication and diversity to fit into existing divisions further convinced Joep and Mélodine of the need for a more focused and better tailored venue.

This TWG was created to bring together scholars who study these issues from different disciplines, focusing on mediated and (inter)personal forms of communication, as well as the discursive construction of cultures. NeFCA’s TWG on Intercultural Communication & Diversity (ICD) provides a platform for Dutch and Flemish communication scholars working on the theory and practice of communication between and among different cultures and communities of the world, as well as communication related to inclusion, identity and the politics of difference. Diversity is conceptualized in a broad sense, including but not limited to culture, ethnicity, gender, language, age, LGBT+, and their intersectionality in societies, organizations, and media. This TWG is meant to facilitate interdisciplinary exchange and the promotion of insights from different approaches, including critical, emic, and etic perspectives, using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies.

The steering committee of the TWG consists of Dr. Joep Hofhuis (Erasmus University Rotterdam), Dr. Mélodine Sommier (Erasmus University Rotterdam) and Dr. Stijn Joye (Ghent University).

The TWG will hold a first event at the 2019 ETMAAL conference in Nijmegen and will be accepting papers as part of the regular conference programme (see call for papers).

Make sure to follow the Twitter feed (@NeFCA_ICD) and Facebook page (NeFCA Intercultural Communication & Diversity) of the Temporary Working Group for all updates about the next events

Does functional diversity increase effectiveness of community care teams? The Moderating Role of Shared Vision, Interaction Frequency and Team Reflexivity.
Joep Hofhuis, Monique Mensen, Lydia ten Den, Annemieke van den Berg, Marieke Koopman-Draijer, Marianne Van Tilburg, Carolien Smits, & Sjiera de Vries.

Abstract
As interprofessional collaboration becomes more commonplace in health and social care, both scholars and practitioners are searching for ways to make the most out of functionally diverse teams. Earlier research has shown that the presence of different functional backgrounds may lead teams to perform better, because they have a larger pool of knowledge and experience to draw from. Other studies show, however, that functional diversity increases categorization, reduces team cohesion, and complicates interpersonal communication, thereby reducing performance. It remains unclear under which conditions positive or negative outcomes may occur. The present research tested the influence of functional diversity on team identity, team performance, and client satisfaction, and examined factors which may moderate these relationships. Based on earlier studies in this specific context, we focused on three team processes as possible moderators: shared vision, interaction frequency, and team reflexivity. In a survey among health and social care professionals working in community care teams in the Netherlands (n = 167), all three are shown to moderate the relationship between functional diversity and team effectiveness. In the absence of these processes, functional diversity appears to reduce team outcomes, whereas when these processes are present, the relationships are positive. In sum, in order for community care teams to reap the benefits of functional diversity, it is essential that members develop a shared vision, interact frequently, and practice team reflexivity.

Reference
Hofhuis, J., Mensen, M., Ten Den., L.M., Van den Berg, A., Koopman-Draijer, M., Van Tilburg, M.C, Smits, C.H.M., & De Vries, S. (2018). Does functional diversity increase effectiveness of community care teams? The Moderating Role of Shared Vision, Interaction Frequency and Team Reflexivity. Journal of Applied Social Psychology. doi: 10.1111/jasp.12533

The national government in The Hague is one of the largest employers in the Netherlands. As any other organization, it faces the challenge of how to deal with cultural diversity in its workforce. I have just been awarded a grant by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Kingdom Relations (Ministerie van BZK) to study how the perceptions towards cultural diversity in the public service have changed over the past 10 years. The results of the study will be used to formulate new diversity policy and interventions for public organizations.

In 2008, as past of my PhD research, I surveyed a group of nearly 2000 government employees, and asked them which positive and negative effects of diversity they experienced in their daily work. Since then, the world has experienced an economic recession, increased international terrorism, a refugee crisis, and a shift towards more nationalist and protectionist governments. To understand whether these global developments have influenced how government employees view diversity, I will repeat his study from 2008, and examine which changes that have occurred. This will provide a unique opportunity for a long-term comparison within the same organization and will ultimately enable the public service to modernize their diversity management policies.

Abstract
Due to globalization, interactions at work increasingly occur in an intercultural context. When members of different cultures meet at work, conflicts are not only more likely to occur, so is the chance that the way conflict partners respond to conflict will lead to incongruences. This encyclopedia entry presents an overview of cultural dimensions which have been identified as influencing negotiation strategies. Moreover, it discusses a number of social and psychological processes that are at play when conflict occurs between members of different cultural groups. The entry ends with some practical implications.

Reference
Van der Zee, K.I. & Hofhuis, J. (2018). Conflict Management Styles across Cultures. In: Kim, Y.Y. (Ed.) International Encyclopedia of Intercultural Communication. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons. Doi: 10.1002/9781118783665.ieicc0242

Elke derde dinsdagavond van de maand komt een wetenschapper op bezoek in de Meevaart in Amsterdam Oost, die in gewone taal een bekend onderwerp bespreekt. De achttiende lezing vindt plaats op dinsdag 19 september om 19.30 uur door dr. Joep Hofhuis, Universitair Docent Interculturele Communicatie in Organisaties aan de Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam.

Titel: Kleurenblind diversiteitsbeleid, bestaat dat wel?

“Wij kijken niet naar iemands achtergrond, enkel naar kwaliteiten.”
“Geslacht, huidskleur, of leeftijd doen er niet toe, bij ons wordt iedereen beoordeeld op zijn prestaties.”

Dit soort uitspraken zien we de laatste jaren overal terug. In het bedrijfsleven, in de publieke sector en in de politiek wordt steeds vaker ingezet op ‘kleurenblind’ diversiteitsbeleid. De gedachte erachter is dat als we iedereen gelijk behandelen, dat iedereen ook gelijke kansen heeft. Maar klopt die aanname wel? En voor wie is dit beleid nu eigenlijk het meest gunstig? Aan de hand van bevindingen uit wetenschappelijk onderzoek bespreken we de voors en tegens van kleurenblind denken op de werkvloer.

This november, I will be a visiting scholar at the ISCTE University Institute of Lisbon (ISCTE-IUL), Portugal. Aside from engaging in research, I will teach a course on Intercultural Contact and Communication, together with my colleagues Rita Guerra and Kinga Bierwiaczonek. The scholarship is funded through an Erasmus Mundus Scholar Mobility Grant, as part of the Global-MINDS European Master in the Psychology of Global Mobility, Inclusion and Diversity in Society.

Starting in August 2016, I will be switching to the Erasmus University Rotterdam, specifically the Erasmus School for History, Culture and Communication (ESHCC), where I will work as Assistant Professor in Intercultural and Organizational Communication.

I will be teaching courses on research methods and communication in organizations, as well as designing my own seminar on Intercultural Communication in the Workplace. I will also continue my ongoing research in these areas. I am very much looking forward to collaborating with my new colleagues in Rotterdam.

Diversity climate enhances work outcomes through trust and openness in workgroup communication.
Joep Hofhuis, Pernill van der Rijt, Martijn Vlug

Abstract
Diversity climate, defined as an organizational climate characterized by openness towards and appreciation of individual differences, has been shown to enhance outcomes in culturally diverse teams. To date, it remains unclear which processes are responsible for these findings. This paper presents two quantitative studies (n = 91; 246) that identify trust and openness in workgroup communication as possible mediators. We replicate earlier findings that perceived diversity climate positively relates to job satisfaction, sense of inclusion, work group identification and knowledge sharing in teams. In study 1, trust is shown to mediate the effects of perceived diversity climate on team members’ sense of inclusion. In study 2, trust mediates the relationship between perceived diversity climate and workgroup identification and openness mediates its relationship with knowledge sharing.

Reference
Hofhuis, J., Van der Rijt, P.G.A., & Vlug, M. (2016). Diversity climate enhances work outcomes through trust and openness in workgroup communication. SpringerPlus, 5(714), p. 1-14. doi: 10.1186/s40064-016-2499-4

Samen met collega’s bij de Hogeschool Windesheim heb ik een bijdrage geleverd aan het Handboek ‘Werken in de Wijk’, gericht op interprofessioneel samenwerken tussen zorg- en welzijnsprofessionals, toegespitst op ouderenzorg.

Het boek is verkrijgbaar via SWP Publishers.

Als gevolg van de transities in de sector zorg en welzijn zien we in Nederland een toename van het aantal interprofessionele samenwerkingsverbanden op wijkniveau. Denk bijvoorbeeld aan sociale wijkteams, waarbinnen professionals met verschillende disciplines met elkaar samenwerken om tegemoet te komen aan de zorg- en welzijnsbehoefte van burgers. De vraag blijft: welke factoren dragen bij aan het succes van dergelijke teams?

Dit rapport beschrijft een kwantitatief onderzoek onder Nederlandse zorg- en welzijnsprofessionals in interprofessionele wijkteams. Het geeft antwoord op de vraag welke teameigenschappen en -processen samenhangen met effectiviteit van deze teams.

Lees verder

Hofhuis, J., Mensen, M., Ten Den, L., Van den Berg, A., Koopman-Draijer, M., Smits, C., & De Vries, S. (2015). Succesfactoren voor Interprofessioneel Samenwerken in de Wijk. Een kwantitatief onderzoek onder Nederlandse zorg- en welzijnsprofessionals. Zwolle: Hogeschool Windesheim