In preparation for your short-term trip, it is important to research and discuss the primary aspects of your host country and culture. We walk through this in our curriculum, covering religious, political, social, geographic, historical, economic, and cultural specifics.
The following online sources are comprehensive, detailed, and well-researched and will serve your teams well in their pre-field preparation.
Every Culture
This website provides not only demographics; it is a true encyclopedia of world cultures. Topics include Linguistic Affiliation, History and Ethnic Relations, Food in Daily Life, Economy and Business, Political Life, Gender Roles and Statuses, Marriage and Family, Socialization, Religion, Arts and Humanities.
Visit WebsiteCommisceo Global
With a list of over 80 countries (and growing), their profiles are arranged into six compartments: Facts and Statistics, Introduction and Brief History, Language, Culture and Society, Social Customs and Etiquette, Business Culture and Practice. They also provide quizzes to test your understanding. More in-depth reports are also available for purchase.
Visit WebsiteCulture Crossing
This open-sourced database of information goes beyond statistics to provide practical information and tips to help you adjust to new cultural environments. Covered topics include interpersonal communication (verbal and non-verbal), gender roles, business, educational guidelines, and taboos.
Visit WebsiteThe Hofstede Centre
Geert Hofstede is a renowned social psychologist known for his pioneering cross-cultural research. The Hofstede Centre offers valuable tools to help you better understand different cultures and become more cross-culturally effective. You can also compare countries side-by-side.
Visit WebsiteMore Coming Soon!
We'll be adding more resources soon, including how to use AI to research specific locations and topics that will help your short-term teams.
Stay tuned!Get Creative
If your teams use only digital resources when conducting cultural research, they will miss out on incredible team-building opportunities as well as other rich resources. This CULTURELink article provides examples of creative expressions of cultural research to help you “think outside the box.” The goal of research is not just to acquire information, but to build relationships while learning together.
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