Dr. phil. Iris Wangermann

1975: German-Austrian roots
I grew up bi-cultural in Germany. Being aware of it daily has deeply influenced me. Even my great-great-great-grandmother Paula, my great-grandmother Tusnelda and my grandmother Margarethe were teachers.

1991: USA year with the American Field Service
At the age of 16, I went to the USA with the American Field Service for a year. I lived in a US host family, with two brothers. My guest parents are still called "Mom" and "Dad" today. Here I also experienced my first culture shock and learned how to handle it constructively. I have a US high school diploma and the German high school diploma.

1992: Returnees culture shock
Back home I had my first returner culture shock. The "old world at home" and I had changed. I had to find ways to handle it.

1995 - 2000: Five years in Austria
In order to explore my Austrian roots, I went to study (first pedagogy, then psychology) in Graz to the Karl Franzens University. I lived with Austrian and international students. Even though I learned a lot about my Austrian side here, I have never felt as German as at the beginning.

In rhetoric training in 1996, I was inspired by interactive bottom-up learning. In my psychology studies, I focused on system theory, group dynamics, and personality development,

International teamwork
During my entire study time, I worked. For the first time, I was part of an international project team within project groups during my studies or at T-Mobile. Later I headed international teams. Before this experience, I always thought: I am a tolerant person. I had to learn how strongly I am culturally influenced and how much I too have prejudices. Since then, it has been motivating me to explore theoretically and, above all, in practice, how the inclusion of cultural diversity in teams can succeed.

2000 - 2002: Italy
After five years in Austria, I once again moved into a completely different culture. I applied for an Erasmus Free Mover Scholarship to Rome, Sapienzá University. For the third time in a row, it was about leaving my cultural comfort zone and adapting to the people of this culture in the study, work, and life.

Through my former partner, I became part of an Italian extended family and got to know this probably most important instance of Italy. In order to stay longer in Italy, I organized, following the Erasmus year, work in an international and multidisciplinary university project.

2002: Back in Germany
To finish my studies I went back to Germany. Due to the many cultural changes and the challenge to adapt to new, foreign cultures, again and again, the returnee cultural shock did not catch me this time.

At the University of Cologne I the great luck Prof. phil. habil. Hannes Stubbe to meet. As a transcultural and ethnopsychologist, he himself had lived for many years in different cultures. He later supervised my diploma thesis and became my supervisor.

2003: intercultural psychologist
My diploma thesis: "Intercultural training methods in empirical comparison". I accompanied my first intercultural training.

2003: Self-employed as an intercultural trainer
At the end of my diploma studies and parallel to my doctorate, I started my own business in 2003.

2008: Dr. Phil - Intercultural Business Communication
Topic: "In / direct communication & courtesy in corporate communication: people from Germany, Austria, and Italy in cultural comparison." My second supervisor was Prof. em. Lorenz Fischer (then Direct Institute for Economic and Social Psychology).

2012-2014: Interims Prof * in Intercultural Business Communication
From WS 2012 - SS 2014 I worked as a Professor for Intercultural Business Communication at the HAW in Hamburg, Faculty of Economics and Social Affairs. Parallel to my Intercultural Competence Trainings, I taught German and international students up to 12 hours/week.

Since 1995: Diversity competence - learning from nature
Nature is my greatest because the most experienced teacher in the constructive and sustainable handling of (internal & external) diversity and change. Since 2016, I am a trained Vision Fast Guide (School of Lost Borders) and have Meredith Little & Dr. Scott Eberle assists (Practice of Living & Dying). I regularly drive to the Peruvian rainforest and work with plant medicine under the guidance of a Shipibo elder.

Personality development and bottom-up learning bottom-up
One facet of intercultural competence development is personality development. One of my practices is the peaceful martial art Aikido, by Dirk Kropp.