Culture Resource Centre

25 years of expertise in Intercultural Learning & Development (1999 – ).

Our Story

Lead by experienced trainers and cross-cultural coaches Joost Thissen and Kees Hoefsloot, the Culture Resource Centre has for many years offered high quality intercultural learning and development interventions and solutions for Australian and overseas businesses, across different sectors and government departments (local, state and federal).

The Culture Resource Centre was established in 1999 to help bring a greater awareness of how cultural differences and diversity impacts the modern workforce and contemporary business relationships. We have delivered over 25 years of the highest quality intercultural learning and development interventions, providing organisations with the intercultural competence to improve the effectiveness of their intercultural interactions and achieve results across cultures. Please see Our Clients for testimonials and references.

Our team consists of specialists in the areas of culture, management and leadership: we are accredited trainers, coaches, educators and advisers in the area of intercultural learning and development, and support organisations to prepare for local and global business acumen (Certificate IV Training & Assessment).

Today, many of our clients are enjoying greater success -both locally and internationally- thanks to the skills and competencies they have honed and applied. Please see overview of our most Recent Projects.

Our Purpose

Whether you are looking for better cultural understanding and inclusiveness within your local workforce, expand into overseas markets or require intercultural training to build multicultural team skills, we can help.

Guided by the latest research on how cultural differences shape modern business, and delivered by experienced cultural experts, our learning and development interventions are designed to cultivate skills and accelerate competencies that will equip your people, teams and organisations to work with anyone, anywhere.

What We Do

Each of our clients has specific challenges and needs. We provide tailored learning and development solutions based on your specific needs. We spend time with you to gain an understanding of how cultural differences and diversity impacts your corporate culture and your business.

You lead our intervention: your needs, concerns, and workplace issues.

Once we have an understanding of your needs, we devise an learning and development intervention to address them, providing your staff with relevant know how, tools, strategies and competence

Whether you are looking for greater cultural knowledge, develop cultural competence, or behavioural corporate change we can help.

Our suggested learning interventions such as presentations, training, workshops, briefings, coaching, or on-line sessions are customised to address your concerns, and to offer practical solutions for the issues impacting your organisation.

Please see our Training & Coaching services for details about our programs.

The Benefits

Miscommunication, workplace tensions, mistrust, a lack of clarity around roles and responsibilities—these can be very costly in terms of lost productivity. Often, cultural differences are overlooked, even as they play a significant factor in creating a harmonious and efficient workplace.

Our interventions help to reveal where your workplace might be breaking down—and helps to rebuild your team with a greater unity, cohesion and capacity to work to each other’s strengths.

We are also adept at preparing businesses for international growth—whether that involves working with an overseas office or equipping your leaders with the skills to enter new markets.

By investing in our expert intercultural learning and development solutions, you are providing your team and organisation with the knowledge, attitudes and competence to work better and work together.

How we can help you become more culturally competent
‘Intercultural competence’ refers to the drive, knowledge, strategies and behavioural skills that will give your leaders, professionals and teams a significant edge while operating across cultures.

When your leaders and professionals are able to work with people from a range of backgrounds and to display a level of cultural understanding and competence that promotes strong business relationships—they will be equipped to work successfully anywhere, with anyone.

References and Quotes

“CRC have taken cultural awareness to a level whereby the dynamics of cultural competencies has cultural awareness as an underpinning skill.”

“Yes, every individual is different. And yes, when you work with people from other cultures, you shouldn’t make assumptions about individual traits based on where a person comes from. But this does not mean learning about cultural context is unnecessary. If your business success relies on your ability to work successfully with people from around the world, you need to have an appreciation for cultural differences as well as respect for individual differences. Both are essential”.
Professor Erin Meyer

“CRC doesn’t just do cultural awareness but provides pathways to build cultural competence and cultural intelligence that improves and develops our team’s communication, productivity and efficiency.”

“If you don’t like something, change it;  if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it”.
Professor Mary Engelbreit

“The benefits of CRC’s approach was demonstrated through the improved communications and business outcomes that emerged after the workshops.”

“Culture is more often a source of conflict than of synergy. Cultural differences are a nuisance at best and often a disaster “.
Professor Geert Hofstede

“CRC’s workshops created a clear awareness of cultural work differences within the team and provided practical tools that were able to be utilised immediately in the workplace.”

“The test of first-rate intelligence  is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in your mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function”.
Scott Fitzgerald (The Crack-Up 1945)

“CRC’s training has greatly benefited our professional workforce as it has both a multicultural flavour locally in Australia, whilst also assisting our people managers consider their actions when interacting with a culturally diverse workforce who are located offshore in virtual teams.”