7 Summary

This week you have looked at social identity theory and our natural tendency to put people and things into groups. You have considered how everyone is capable of stereotypical thinking without realising it and you have had a chance to look at the Project Implicit website and identify any biases you may not be aware of. Lastly you have considered tips for working with people from different cultures and learned how understanding broad cultural norms according to Hofstede’s scores can help workplace communication.

You should now be able to:

• understand Tajfel and Turner’s social identity theory
• describe the difference between a stereotype, prejudice and discrimination
• recognise any stereotypes or prejudices you may hold
• understand how Hofstede’s model of national culture could help improve communication and working in a culturally diverse team.

In Week 8, you will return to a theme from an earlier week that is of great personal importance: how to present your team working experience to a potential employer. You will put yourself in the employer’s shoes and explore how to deal with interview questions using the STAR approach. Another favourite of some employers is the group assessment exercise, and next week you will be given some tips about this.

You can now go to Week 8 [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] .