Lecturers train “global mindset” using LEGO bricks

How do you build a LEGO tower together when talking is not allowed during the process?

Well, the task is certainly not that simple when the work must be done in groups where each participant has been instructed in advance to place their own bricks in a very specific way within the structure. Suddenly, gestures and strong eye contact become essential.

“I loved that we had to work in complete silence. The point of the task was that we had to function as a team, trying to relate to what the others were contributing,” says Stephanie Michiels.

She is from Belgium, and the other participants come from a range of different countries. The lecturers have gathered at IBA International Business Academy in Kolding to take part in the “International Global Mindset Training Staff Week”. It is a joint programme focusing on cultural understanding and communication.

“My workshop is about improving communication across cultures. Everything can be understood from different perspectives. The participants are used to working in an international environment where you risk encountering cultural barriers. And sometimes, you yourself are the cultural barrier,” explains senior consultant Hanne Boutrup, who, among other things, challenges participants with the LEGO exercise.

The international participants all work within education, but they come to the IBA with different experiences and perspectives. And that is precisely a strength. The programme creates a space where they can learn from each other and gain a deeper understanding of how culture affects collaboration in practice.

The teaching is based on real-life situations from the participants’ own everyday work. These may include experiences where collaboration with international colleagues did not go as planned. By working with concrete cases, the content becomes immediately relevant, and participants gain tools they can apply directly in their work.

“In addition to the academic programme, the week is very much about strengthening relationships between our international partners. When we bring together lecturers from many countries in Kolding over several days, a unique space for knowledge sharing and collaboration emerges. It is often in informal conversations and shared reflections that new ideas and international projects are born,” says Ildikó Antal, Head of the IBA’s International Department.

At the same time as the “International Global Mindset Training Staff Week”, which is an Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme, the IBA also hosted around 200 students from a total of 37 countries, who took part in three different Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programmes across nationalities.