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The course emphasizes the management of emotions that impede cross-cultural code-switching. Indeed, for many, the strong emotions lessen with practice. interviewee, but I was sure not to show too much individualism," he says. In that way, he stayed within the zone of appropriateness for Chinese culture, while staying true to his own values. Feedback. Near the end of this process, a native-born cultural expert observes each stu- dent during a final switching attempt and offers a performance review. The student then com- pletes a self-diagnosis for the same situation and compares his or her impressions with those of the native observer. This review allows students to see how far their code-switching skills and competence have progressed. In Ben's case, for example, the native Chinese interviewer confirmed Ben's own impressions—that his behavior was appropriate for Chinese cultural stan- dards and that his strategy was successful. Switching Perspectives Throughout the course, the training is framed as a learning process rather than as a perfor- mance task. Whether or not students fully succeed in their switching attempts does not affect their final grades. Instead, their grades are determined by the thoughtfulness and thor- oughness of their responses to written exercises. During this process, students' real-life switching attempts help them to anticipate their value conflicts. The course empha- sizes the management of emotions that impede cross-cultural code-switching. Indeed, for many, the strong emotions lessen with practice, or even change from negative to positive. Midway through the semester, Jorg was becoming much more comfortable making his small-talk switch. "This time the sea wasn't calmer, but I was," he wrote. "I actually didn't care where the waves took the boat and even ended up enjoy- ing the excitement of it." By the end of the semester, Jorg noted that, while he still enjoyed the Swiss' more relaxing approach to small talk, he was now better able to navigate American waters. "I feel more comfortable now with the stormy sea," he says. "Sometimes, I even create some waves myself, by rapidly changing the subject of conversation." Other students come to revel in their new skills. For exam- ple, after diagnosing the code and practicing several times, Thao lost her anxiety and began actually to enjoy speaking up in class. "My heart was again racing like a horse, but this time it was because of eagerness, not fear," she says. "I felt the urge to speak up and could not wait for others to finish talking." 36 BizEd MARCH/APRIL 2009 A student from Afghanistan practices behaviors within the "zone of appropriateness" for a typical American interaction before trying them out in a real-world setting. Sandeep, an Indian MBA student, remarked that his con- fidence at small talk had skyrocketed after he completed the course, because he was now able to break the code into dis- tinct "scientific" parts. "It's almost become addictive," he says. Now, Sandeep enjoys the challenge of seeing how often he can walk up to people and just "start talking." I believe that simulations have their place, but when it comes to cultural code-switching, they don't have the same sense of immediacy—or produce the same posi- tive results—as real-world situations. This training pro- gram allows individuals to confront their emotions, con- quer their fears, and develop and test skills in real contexts. At the same time, it provides the psychological safety of a supportive classroom context to which students can retreat following their often highly stressful attempts to switch behaviors. After all, the earlier our business students build their cul- tural fluency, the better. Such fluency can make a positive difference in their experiences—and academic success—early on in an MBA program. Moreover, it better prepares them to work, learn, and live in the global economy. ■ z Andy Molinsky is assistant professor of organizational behavior at Bran- deis International Business School in Waltham, Massachusetts. For more information, visit his Web site at people.brandeis.edu/~molinsky/.