'Looking' at Conversations

Abstract

This paper discusses a conversation between six Swedish women who participated in a transnational exchange that formed part of a project in the framework of the EU's Leonardo Da Vinci Program, the aim of which is formulated as: "To develop tools for competence enhancement for organizations active in the field of social insurance ". The project sought to link organizations that are active in the field of social insurance, both in the private and the public sector, from Sweden, Belgium, Ireland and Northern Ireland. The joint 'learning ' that took place as a result of the transnational exchange is illustrated in the first part of this paper with fragments of conversations and recorded episodes, all of which are part of a narrative on cross-cultural personal encounters. The paper reflects on the transnational experience, in the light of the intertwined notions of learning, language and cultural embeddedness. In the second part, the paper discusses the significance of interaction, encounter, mutuality, contrast, and surprise, and further will allude to the relationship between competence and organization.