Intercultural competence

Intercultural competence is the ability of successful communication with people of other cultures.

A person who is interculturally competent captures and understands, in interaction with people from foreign cultures, their specific concepts in perception, thinking, feeling and acting. Earlier experiences are considered, free from prejudices; there is an interest and motivation to continue learning.

Contents 1 Cross-cultural competence 2 Basics 3 Typical examples of cultural differences 4 Requirements 5 Cultural differences 6 Assessment 6.1 Assessment instruments 7 Criticisms 8 See also 9 References

Cross-cultural competence

Cross-cultural competence (3C), another term for inter-cultural competence, has generated its own share of contradictory and confusing definitions, due to the wide variety of academic approaches and professional fields attempting to achieve it for their own ends. One author identified no fewer than eleven different terms with some equivalence to 3C: cultural savvy, astuteness, appreciation, literacy or fluency, adaptability, terrain, expertise, competency, awareness, intelligence, and understanding.^[1] Organizations from fields as diverse as business, health care, government security and developmental aid agencies, academia, and non-governmental organizations have all sought to leverage 3C in one guise or another, often with poor results due to a lack of rigorous study of the phenomenon and reliance on "common sense" approaches based on the culture developing the 3C models in the first place.^[1] The U.S. Army Research Institute, which is currently engaged in a study of the phenomenon, defines 3C as: "A set of cognitive, behavioral, and affective/motivational components that enable individuals to adapt effectively in intercultural environments".^[2] Cross-cultural competence does not operate in a vacuum, however. One theoretical construct posits that 3C, language proficiency, and regional knowledge are distinct skills that are inextricably linked, but to varying degrees depending on the context in which they are employed. In educational settings, Bloom's affective and cognitive taxonomies^[3][4] serve as an effective framework to describe the overlap area between the three disciplines: at the receiving and knowledge levels 3C can operate with near independence from language proficiency or regional knowledge, but as one approaches the internalizing and evaluation levels the required overlap area approaches totality.

The development of intercultural competence is mostly based on experiences one comes across while communicating with different cultures. While interacting with people from other cultures they face certain obstacles which are caused due to differences in the cultural understanding between the two people in question. Such experiences motivate people to work on skills that can help them put forward their point of view in front of an audience belonging to a completely different cultural ethnicity and background.

An issue that comes forward, especially for people who live in countries which is not their country of origin is that of which culture they should follow. Should they try to fit in and adapt to the culture surrounding them, or should they hold on to their culture and try to avoid interacting with the culture surrounding them? This issue is one faced by most people today. Globalization has caused the immigration rates to sky rocket for most of the developed and developing countries, and hence people come to these countries in order to find employment and settle down in such countries where they are constantly surrounded by a culture which does not belong to them. International students are another part of the population that faces this dilemma. They have to make a choice about whether they are willing to modify their cultural boundaries in order to adapt to the culture around them or whether they hold on to their culture and surround themselves by people from their own country. The people who decide to live by the latter rule are the students which face most problems in their university life and face constant culture shocks, while the students who live by the former rule face less problems and interact more with the domestic students. They end up increasing their knowledge about the culture which is followed by the domestic students and modify their own culture to inculcate certain aspects from the culture surrounding them in order to help them blend successfully in the society.

Basics

Cultures can be different not only between continents or nations, but also within the same company or even family. (geographical, ethnical, moral, ethical, religious, political, historical) resp. cultural affiliation or cultural identity.

Typical examples of cultural differences

The perception is different and often selective:^[5]

• Behavior and gestures are interpreted differently. For instance:
  • Showing the thumb held upwards in certain parts of the world means "everything's ok", while it is understood in some Islamic countries as a rude sexual sign. Additionally, the thumb is held up to signify "one" in France and certain other European countries, where the index finger is used to signify "one" in other cultures. In India and Indonesia, it is often regarded as wishing "all the best".^[6][7]
  • In India showing somebody the palm of your hand is regarded as a gesture of blessing the person, mostly done by elders. Most Hindu and Buddhist deities are depicted as showing the palm of their right hand, while in some east European countries it is considered a rude gesture. Similar is the use of the hand as a sign for someone to come. Bending the index finger with the palm facing up should be avoided in some cultures and replaced with a grasping hand motion with a downward or outward facing palm.
  • It is very common for heterosexual men in the Indian subcontinent and most parts of the Arab world to hug each other, sit with arms over the shoulder or walk while holding hands but it is regarded as homosexual behavior in the West and some Asian cultures such as China, Indonesia and Japan.
  • In Indonesia, and many Asian nations, girls and adult females will often hold hands and be quite "touchy-feely" with one another, even slapping one another on the bottom. This is considered locally as harmless sister-like platonic affection, but some outsiders may inaccurately perceive it as widespread lesbianism.
• In the Americas as well as in Arabic countries the pauses between words are usually not too long, while in India and Japan pauses can give a contradictory sense to the spoken words. Enduring silence is perceived as perfectly comfortable in India, Indonesia and Japan, to the point where being unnecessarily talkative is considered rude and a sign of poor self-control. To some in Europe, North America and Australia, however, it may feel as if a faux pas has been committed and thus cause insecurity and embarrassment. Scandinavians, by the standards of other Western cultures, are more tolerant of silent breaks during conversations.
• In many cultures all over the world, avoiding eye contact or looking at the ground when talking to one's parents, an elder, or one of higher social status is a sign of respect. In contrast, such body language can be construed as deception, boredom, disinterest or shame (on the part of the doer) in others. For example, an Anglo-European teacher may expect direct eye contact as a sign of paying attention, while an Asian or Navajo student will deliberately avoid it so as not to appear rude or confrontational. Unbroken eye contact is a common sign of aggression or dominance posturing among the animal kingdom, for example guard dogs.
• In Persian and Pakistani cultures, if a person offers an item (i.e. a drink), it is customary to not instantly accept it. A sort of role play forms with the person offering being refused several times out of politeness before their offering is accepted. This tradition is known as tarof (or taarof) or takaluf which in Persian literally means "offer". A similar exchange happens in many countries, such as India and Indonesia, where especially if visiting poorer people, it shows a form of empathy to deliberately not impose upon them.^[8] In many other cultures, it would be considered polite for the person offering to only ask once, so as to respect the other person's wish when the offer is declined.
• In African, South American and Mediterranean cultures, talking and laughing loudly in the streets and public places is widely accepted, whereas in some Asian cultures it is considered rude and may be seen as a mark of self-centeredness or attention-seeking.
• People from the West may be shocked by the squat toilet found in parts of Continental Europe (France, Italy. Turkey etc.) and prevalent Asia (most especially China, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia and the Indian subcontinent) even found in Singapore's spotlessly clean, ultra-modern Changi Airport toilets. However, it is common for Asian public toilets have both type of toilet designs. However, these may not be connected directly to main water supplies and not have toilet tissue. Instead in these cultures, cleansing after defecating is done with a through water (and preferably soap) douche, and the user is expected to flush their resultant mess on the toilet or floor manually via the ladle or bucket provided. As such, many Asians are revolted by Western toilets not providing the post-defecation toilet hose. Humorously, even among themselves many resourceful Asians will bring bottled water into toilets or fill them from the sinks as a makeshift post-defecation rinser.
• Additionally, a wet toilet seat and surrounding floor is considered clean, or newly rinsed, in many parts of Asia, while a dry toilet and bathroom are considered possibly dirty. A Westerner would find a dry toilet cleaner.
• Arranged marriage is very common in the Middle East, India and Africa, while in some Asian and most Western cultures, the romantic marriage is idealized and the right to choose marital partners is valued. An arranged marriage is perceived correctly (if a forced marriage) or incorrectly as an infringement on this right, and therefore is viewed unfavorably.
• In some nations, heterosexual unmarried couples holding hands in public are uncommon or frowned upon, and hugging is considered unacceptable. In many Western and Westernized nations, especially urban centers, this is common and considered harmless.
• It is common to see couples kissing, even quite passionately, in public in the Western countries but such an action may cause consternation, alarm or even legal action in African and a few Asian countries.
• In Christian and most Muslim weddings the bride wears white to symbolize her virginal purity, while in Hindu and Korean culture white clothes are a symbol of sorrow and should be worn to mourn the dead.
• In Korea and most other Asian countries, in universities it is considered to be rude to interrupt the professor during the lecture whereas in Western countries it is considered good to ask questions during a lecture if necessary.
• In Asian cultures, it is important to have a modest attitude, while in Western culture it is more important to express oneself.

Requirements

Basic needs are sensitivity and self-consciousness: the understanding of other behaviors and ways of thinking as well as the ability to express one's own point of view in a transparent way with the aim to be understood and respected by staying flexible where this is possible, and being clear where this is necessary.

It is a balance, situatively adapted, between four parts:

1. knowledge (about other cultures, people, nations, behaviors ...),
2. empathy (understanding feelings and needs of other people),
3. self-confidence (knowing what I want, my strengths and weaknesses, emotional stability),
4. Cultural identity (knowledge about one's own culture)

Cultural differences

Cultural characteristics can be differentiated between several dimensions and aspects; the ability to perceive them and to cope with them is one of the bases of intercultural competence.

• Collectivism and individualism^[9]
• Masculine and feminine cultures^[9]
• Uncertainty avoidance^[9]
• Power distance^[9]
• Chronemics: Monochrone (time-fixed, "one after the other") and polychrone (many things at the same time, "multi-tasking"); Also called long-term orientation^[9]
• Structural characteristics: e.g. basic personality, value orientation, experience of time and space, selective perception, nonverbal communication, patterns of behavior
• Confucianism and Christianity

Assessment

For assessment of intercultural competence as an existing ability and/or the potential to develop it (with conditions and timeframe), the following characteristics are tested and observed: ambiguity tolerance, openness to contacts, flexibility in behavior, emotional stability, motivation to perform, empathy, metacommunicative competence, polycentrism.

Assessment instruments

Assessment of cross-cultural competence (3C) is another field rife with controversy. One survey identified eighty-six assessment instruments for 3C.^[10] The Army Research Institute study narrowed the list down to ten quantitative instruments for further exploration into their reliability and validity.^[2] Three examples of quantitative instruments include the Inter-cultural Development Inventory, the Cultural Intelligence Scale, and the Multi-cultural Personality Questionnaire.^[2] Qualitative assessment instruments such as scenario-based assessments are also useful tools to gain insight into inter-cultural competence. These have proven valuable in poorly defined areas such as 3C.^{[11][12][13][14]} Research in the area of 3C assessment, while thin, also underscores the value of qualitative instruments in concert with quantitative ones.^[15][16][17]

Criticisms

It is important that cross-cultural competence training and skills not break down into application of stereotypes of a group of individuals. Although the goal is to promote understanding between groups of individuals that, as a whole, think somewhat differently, it may fail to recognize the specific differences between individuals of any given group. These differences can often be larger than the differences between groups, especially with heterogeneous populations and value systems.^[18] In addition the tendency of 3C training to simplify migration and cross-cultural processes into stages and phases has been criticized by Madison (2006),^[19] whose research emphasizes an existential and more subjective view of such experiences.

See also

Allophilia Bennett scale Cross-cultural communication Cultural assimilation Cultural competence Cultural diversity Cultural pluralism Etiquette in Africa Etiquette in Asia Etiquette in Australia and New Zealand Etiquette in Canada and the United States Etiquette in Europe Etiquette in Latin America Etiquette in the Middle East

Existential Migration Faux pas Interaction Intercultural communication principles Interculturalism Intercultural cities Intercultural relations Interpersonal communication Montreal-Philippines cutlery controversy Proxemics Social identity Transculturation Worldwide etiquette Xenocentrism

References