Research Corner
In a collaborative and inclusive spirit, we wish to provide a platform for our intercultural researchers and to serve as a point of reference. This includes highlighting the relevant research areas of our members. If you are a SIETAR Switzerland member and would like to have our research team consider your research for inclusion here, please contact jillaine.farrar@sietar.ch
Group Projects
UNESCO – SIETAR Switzerland Focus Group Report
Change needs to be educational, cultural, and political. Action is the responsibility of every one of us. In the framework of UNESCO’s The Futures of Education initiative visioning and research phase, SIETAR Switzerland “mobilized over 20 key contributors on the ways intercultural competencies can play a role in transformative education, not only to address persistent issues but also to turn forthcoming challenges into powerful vehicles of inclusion”. The UNESCO news item published on 19.4.2021, provides an executive summary of the report. The full report is available here.
Individual Authors
Eugenia Arvanitis
Associate Professor of Interculturality & Diversity in Education at the University of Patras, Greece.
She lived for a decade in Australia gaining valuable experience in multicultural educational and ethnic language maintenance policies. Since 2015 Eugenia coordinates the Forum on Intercultural Dialogue and Learning at the University of Patras, Greece and she is the Editor of Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations Research Network.
In recent years, she has focused on school-based teachers’ intercultural learning and differentiated pedagogy through the Learning by Design approach and using social knowledge web-based platforms: ‘Nea Mathisi’ and Scholar. In addition, she has done research on refugee narratives and liminality (e.g. ‘Home Means Everything to Me …’: A Study of Young Syrian Refugees’ Narratives Constructing Home in Greece, Liminal Spaces of Temporary Dwellings: Transitioning to New Lives in Times of Crisis & Refugee Youth Educational Trajectories.
Eugenia is the (co)author of several research papers and books titled Greek Ethnic Schools in Australia in the late 1990s: Selected Case studies, Intercultural Mediation in Europe: Narratives of Professional Transformation and Literacies: A pedagogy of differentiated planning.
Sabine E. Baerlocher
Intercultural Networker, Cultural and Religious Diversity Specialist, Entrepreneurship Coach
Sabine’s research is focused on intercultural and religious diversity at work. In 2018, she finalized an academic study on “Religious diversity practices within multinational companies in the French speaking part of Switzerland”. For more information on this study, please send her a message over Linkedin.
Sabine owns and manages Active Synapses, a company specializing in Intercultural Networking based in Geneva. Sabine studied law with a specialization in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights. She grew up in Geneva and has worked and lived in France, the USA and the German part of Switzerland.
Jillaine Farrar
Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts-Business (HSLU-W)
Recent publications include journal articles and book chapters on intercultural and international leadership topics: Co-leading an International Collaborative Team: Relationships Matter (2022), International führen [Leading Internationally] (2022) Working Through COVID19 Times and Beyond: What could be the next normal for intercultural education, training and research? (2021),
‘Trustworthy Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Network Partners: Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Partnerships in the International Entrepreneurial Process’ (2020), ‘Intercultural Knowledge and Leadership Skills’ (2020) and articles in the SIETAR Switzerland Journal.
In addition to her international exchange work and lecturing at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts-Business, she is vice president of SIETAR Switzerland and the ICP European University Network. She is proud to have co-headed the strategizing and planning of the successful SIETAR Switzerland 2020 congress on inclusion and intercultural topics, which had to be moved online in autumn 2020 in a dispersed format due to the global situation. Jillaine co-heads the Value Recognition for the Profession – Academic Survey Project and a UNESCO Futures of Education Forum, both initiated in 2020. Further, she is the board member responsible for the SIETAR Switzerland peer-reviewed Journal.
Jillaine grew up in Vancouver, Canada and moved to Switzerland in 1989. She earned her master’s from The University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, and her CAS International Leadership from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts-Business in Switzerland. She is a qualified IDI administrator and holder of the Japan Intercultural Institute’s Brain, Mind and Culture Masterclass certificate.
Alex Frame
Associate Professor in Communication Science at the University of Burgundy, Dijon, France
Alex belongs to the TIL Research Group at the university, where he studies the cultural dynamics of communication applied to different fields, including interpersonal communication, organisational communication, migration, political communication and ICT.
Alex is also the project leader and institutional coordinator for the University of Burgundy of the FORTHEM European University Alliance, and founder of the MA course in Intercultural Management (ICM) which he runs with David Bousquet.
Recent publications include journal articles developing critical approaches to migrant integration in France (2019), and to rethinking interculturality in organisational settings (2020).
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/alex-frame/18/338/40
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alexander_Frame3
Sebastian Huber
Lecturer and Researcher, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts – Business (HSLU-W)
Following 7 years in sales and marketing roles within the IT technology sector, Sebastian held various global positions in Marketing, Retail and Strategic Management with luxury brands Montblanc and Wellendorff between 2008 and 2017. He has lectured and researched throughout Europe since 2004. Sebastian currently lectures and researches at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts -Business with a focus on service transformation in luxury brands, the B2B sharing economy, and international management. His latest article, which includes intercultural aspects in business, is on Sino-Thai Relationships in Business and Economics Today (2020).
Sebastian Huber holds a dual degree Master / MBA in International Business and Economics (China Focus) from Fudan University (Shanghai) and Hamburg University (Germany). He is currently a DBA candidate at Silpakorn University, Bangkok.
Susan Schärli-Lim
Lecturer, Researcher, Head of International at ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences - Institute of Nursing
Susan’s research combines her areas of expertise to support others in mastering the challenges of culture and diversity in successful interactions for health care professionals and patients.
In 2020 she co-authored, with Samuel van den Bergh and Shih Shih Wong, Intercultural Interactions for Health Professions / Interkulturelle Begegnungen in Gesundheitsberufen. This book takes a critical incident approach and contains 25 critical incidents with an accompanying intercultural analysis. Her latest article is The Profile of an Intercultural Competence Educator for Healthcare and Other Professions (2020).
Currently research (see TraiNers below) indicates the importance of an intercultural mentor. Unfortunately there is a gap in the literature of what the profile of an intercultural mentor is. The development of this profile was based on the findings of an exhaustive literature review, a field study and discussions between expert intercultural educators. In this article the focus is on an intercultural nurse educator, however there are many elements that can be translated to a general intercultural educator/mentor.
TraINErs: TraINERs is a research project that is funded by the EU Commission as well as Movetia, the Swiss National Agency for Exchange and Mobility. This research project runs from 2019-2022. This research addresses the profile of an intercultural nurse educator (Intercultural mentor) as there is a gap in the literature of what the profile of an intercultural mentor educator is. An extensive literature search was done in regards to the intercultural educator, and a profile was created on the base of the literature research. This profile was then validated using the Delphi method. Based on this, a curricula will be designed to train the intercultural educator. This training will be validated when the intercultural educator trains students and an evaluation of the students’ gain in intercultural competence will be done.
The Project partners include 12 Swiss and European Universities and Higher Education Institutions.
Susan has lived, studied and/or worked in Australia, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium and the USA. In addition to her work at the ZHAW, she is president of the Florence Network, a European Higher Education co-operation of 46 nursing and midwifery departments of European universities in 21 countries. After earning her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Her Federal Diploma of Education and her Master of Arts Intercultural Relations, she went on to earn several intercultural certifications.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-schaerli-lim-1a549676/
Pia Stalder
Professor of Responsible Global and Intercultural Management at Berne University of Applied Sciences, School of Business, Switzerland
Pia’s fields of research include intercultural, interdisciplinary, and international communication, diversity management for creativity and innovation in teams, and responsible global leadership (RGL). She teaches these topics at Berne University of Applied Sciences, University of Luxemburg, and University of Bucharest, among other.
In addition, Pia is working as a business mentor. She trains, counsels, and coaches professionals working in Switzerland and abroad.
Recent publications include journal articles and book chapters on the topics of intercultural management and of team collaboration for creativity in innovation contexts:
- Stalder P., Nussbaum J., & Glăveanu V. (2023, forthcoming). Diversity and Creativity in Teams. How Leaders and Group Members Manage the Inherent Paradoxes. In Karina R. Jensen, Stephanie Kaudela-Baum, & Rob Sheffield (Eds). Innovation Leadership in Practice: How Leaders Turn Ideas into Value in a Changing World. Bingley: Emerald Publishing.
- Stalder P. (2022). Intercultural Work Settings: Which Competencies for Managers and Teams? In I. Stolz & S. Scherrer (eds), International Leadership – Effecting Success Across Borders in a Boundaryless World, Springer Gabler.
- Stalder P., Coulibaly N. D., & Agbobli Ch. (2022). L’Humour comme scène de jeux et enjeux sociaux. Perspectives internationales et interdisciplinaires. Paris: L’Harmattan.
- Stalder, P. & Agbobli C. (2021). La compétence interculturelle et l’humour comme stratégie dans le contexte du management interculturel, pp. 77-94. In Langages, no 222/2, coordonné par F. Baider et G. Cislaru. Paris : Dunod.
- Stalder (2019a). Creativity in Intercultural Teams: Which Indicators, Facilitators and Competencies? In Conference Proceedings, IACCM-IÉSEG Research Conference 2019 “Intercultural competencies for a disruptive VUCA world: Exploring creativity, innovation, resilience & resistance in intercultural research, training & management”, 31.10.-2.11.19, pp. 9-27. Paris: IÉSEG School of Management.
- Stalder (2019b). Funo? Humour, émotion et créativité au sein d’équipes interculturelles. In F. Berdal-Masuy (éd.), Emo-langages: Vers une approche transversale des langages dans leurs dynamiques émotionnelles et créatives, Revue TIPA (Travaux interdisciplinaires sur la parole et le langage), No 35
- Stalder (2018). Management interculturel : entre théorie et anarchie. Dans P. R. Cloet, A. M. Guénette, E. Mutabazi & Ph. Pierre, Le défi interculturel. Enjeux et perspectives pour entreprendre. Paris : L’Harmattan.
- Stalder (2016). Berne, Bucarest, Delphes. Aperçu d’une hybridation de démarches et méthodes pour appréhender le lien entre la diversité et l’innovation en Suisse. Recherches qualitatives, Hors-série, no 20, pp. 416-432.
- Sy K., Stalder P., Veillette J. et Gohard-Radenkovic A. (coord.) (2019). De la diversité fantasmée aux effets de réalités. Discours et pratiques. Paris: L’Harmattan.
- Sy K., Stalder P., Veillette J. et Gohard-Radenkovic A. (coord.) (2018). Diversité(s) au cœur des politiques et des pratiques: entre l’Europe et l’Afrique, Alterstice – Revue internationale de la recherche interculturelle, juin, 7(2).
- Stalder P. & Tonti A. (dir.) (2014). La médiation interculturelle : représentations, mises en œuvre et développement des compétences. Paris: Editions des archives contemporaines.
Adelina Stefan
Intercultural Facilitator, Coach, Consultant and HR Research Analyst.
Links to her latest intercultural book published in 2019, book chapter and article are here:
Advancing intercultural perspectives through corporate training programs
https://www.morebooks.shop/store/gb/book/advancing-intercultural-perspectives-through-corporate-training/isbn/978-613-9-46376-3
Determinants of Women’s Entrepreneurial Attitude Across European Cultures: DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-7479-8.ch004
Global Strategies for Culturally Diverse Workforce: HR Agenda Emerging Research and Opportunities for Business Sustainability
https://www.morebooks.shop/store/gb/book/global-strategies-for-culturally-diverse-workforce:-hr-agenda/isbn/978-613-8-38943-9
Adelina is the holder of an MBA from Plymouth University and MA in Sociolinguistics from the University of Bern. Combining both her academic and professional experience, Adelina helps leaders and business people to identify their talents, articulate their value with empathy, remain authentic, build trust and lead diverse teams.