Exploring the Transformative Power of Social Dreaming: An Intuitive Approach to Intercultural Communication | Part II

Author: Ben Grosser

In today's globalised society, good intercultural communication is more important than ever. Mutual understanding becomes crucial when people connect across boundaries, languages, and cultures. This is especially true for expatriate teams, where communication breakdowns can jeopardise performance and success. Providing a framework for intuitive and successful intercultural communication, the Social Dreaming Matrix (SDM) offers a unique approach.
The SDM explores shared social themes and interactions by having participants relate to and associate their dreams. It was created by Gordon Lawrence and Paddy Daniel at the Tavistock Clinic in 1982. This technique taps into the collective unconscious of communities and societies, reaching beyond the psyches of individual people. Participants can question presumptions, develop empathy, and improve social cohesiveness through shared dreams (Clare & Zarbafi, 2019).

One of the primary advantages of the SDM is its ability to bridge the gap between the individual and the group unconscious. Dreams, in the view of Jungian theory, are manifestations of the unconscious mind and can reveal information about both the individual and the group. In a fast-changing world with increasing communication, dreams provide significant information and opportunities for transformation for both individuals and society (Tatham & Morgan, 2023).

Diverse interpretations and meanings coexist within the matrix, allowing individuals to explore their unconscious and group elements democratically and collaboratively. This method challenges the notion that reason and science are the only ways to address societal issues and places an emphasis on the value of preserving human connection and relatedness. Dreams can convey knowledge that existed before to conscious awareness, resulting in a better grasp of group dynamics and intercultural communication (Grosser, 2023).

Multinational teams need effective intercultural communication. According to Matveev and Milter (2004), intercultural competency is essential for bridging communication gaps and improving problem-solving abilities. A model of intercultural communication competence (ICC) that emphasises behavioural skills and cross-cultural attitudes was put forth by Arasaratnam and Doerfel in 2005. Similarly, "The Culture Map" (2014) by Erin Meyer helps readers navigate cultural differences by presenting aspects of cultural behaviour. In addition, intercultural competency and leadership are essential for understanding group dynamics. The relevance of interpersonal communication skills in the workplace is emphasised by DeKay (2012), whereas cultural intelligence is by Moodian (2008). A model for Group Intercultural Competence (GIC) is presented by Schmidmeier, Takahashi, and Bueno (2020), with a focus on intercultural communication within teams.
Participants can intuitively comprehend and interpret dreams with symbols that are culturally diverse because of the SDM's integration of collective unconscious and Jungian archetypes. Mersky (2019) and Lawrence (1998) claim that social dreaming closes gaps in intercultural communication by fostering a greater comprehension of group dynamics and organisational culture.

A study exploring the impact of the SDM on intercultural communication involved seven participants from diverse national backgrounds. Thematic analysis was employed to find patterns and themes in the data collected from these participants during an hour-long online SDM session. According to Grosser (2023), dreams were divided into four main categories: dreams of wholeness, dreams of action, dreams of nature, and dreams of anxiety. The study turned up a number of important revelations. A cohesive story reflecting common social issues emerged from the dreams of the participants. The dreams contained universal symbols, lending support to the concept that Jungian archetypes enable intuitive comprehension across cultures. Furthermore, participants understood and analysed dreams with symbols that were culturally unique, indicating how well the SDM promotes understanding amongst diverse people.

The results indicate that the SDM can greatly improve intercultural communication. Members are able to rapidly and intuitively perceive communication nuances, minimising misunderstandings and promoting empathy, by drawing on the collective unconscious and using universal symbols. This method provides insightful information about organisational culture and group dynamics and presents a viable, time-efficient substitute for conventional intercultural communication training.

The incorporation of Jungian archetypes into the SDM gives participants access to a common symbolic language, which promotes deeper understanding and connections. Participants' perspectives are expanded and their intercultural sensitivity is strengthened when they meet a variety of cultural symbols while sharing and interpreting dreams. This method not only enhances communication, but it also fosters team cohesion and collaboration.
Practically speaking, the SDM can be used to enhance intercultural understanding and communication in a variety of organisational contexts. Regular SDM sessions can help international teams create a space for sharing and exploring cultural narratives, resulting in a more inclusive and compassionate workplace culture. SDM can also be used to improve interpersonal communication and cultural intelligence in leadership development programmes.

Moreover, the SDM can be a useful instrument for resolving disputes. Participants can better discuss and resolve issues by using dream sharing to bring underlying cultural tensions to the surface. This strategy encourages a greater awareness of different points of view, allowing for more amicable and productive relationships.
The Social Dreaming Matrix provides a transformative approach to intercultural communication by harnessing the power of dreams and Jungian archetypes to promote mutual understanding and empathy. The findings of this study demonstrate the SDM's potential as a useful instrument for improving intercultural communication in multinational teams and enterprises. Through the process of accessing the collective unconscious, the SDM offers a novel approach to communication problems and deep insights into organisational culture and group dynamics.
Being able to communicate effectively across cultural boundaries is crucial in a world where connections are becoming stronger. Deeper ties between people from different origins are also fostered by the SDM, in addition to improving intercultural communication. Building more cohesive and productive multicultural teams can be achieved with the help of the SDM, which offers a strong and practical strategy as organisations continue to negotiate the challenges posed by globalisation.


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​based on INSEAD Master Thesis with the same title by the same author:
​https://eds.p.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=0fac1245-a186-4e95-910d-887c6823d97b%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#AN=ins.99702&db=cat04635a