INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE

Intercultural competence

Intercultural describes what occurs when members of two or more different cultural groups interact or influence one another in some fashion, whether in person or through various mediated forms. 

Competence refers to having sufficient skill, ability, knowledge, or training to permit appropriate behavior, whether words or action, in a particular context. It includes knowledge, application of knowledge, personal behavior and principles guiding the behavior thus the capacity to know must be matched to the capacity to speak and act appropriately.

 Intercultural competence is the ability to communicate and behave in appropriate ways with those who are culturally different and to co-create shared spaces, teams, and organizations that are inclusive, effective, innovative, and satisfying. . No human being belongs to one single culture, everyone has multiple identities, multiple cultural affiliations, whether or not one is aware of all the shadow selves standing behind the self-relevant to, and thus made visible in any specific interaction. Part of being competent means that you can assess new situations and adapt your existing knowledge to the new contexts. Competence enables us to better cope with the unexpected, adapt to the no routine, and connect to uncommon frameworks. Intercultural competence majorly constitutes of three elements.

1.      Knowledge – this is whereby we have culture as self-awareness, culture specific knowledge including understanding others worldviews, socio linguistic awareness, grasp of global issues and trends.

Culture self-awareness: expressing how ones culture has shaped ones identity on world view.

Culture specific knowledge: analyzing and explaining basic information about other cultures. (History, values, politics, economics, beliefs and practices)

Socio linguistic awareness: acquiring basic local language skills, articulating differences in verbal/nonverbal communication and adjusting ones speech to accommodate nationals from other cultures.

Grasp of global issues and trends: explaining the meaning and implications of globalization and relating local issues to global forces.

2.      Skills- involves listening, observing, evaluating using patience and perseverance, viewing the world from others perspective.

Listening, observing, and evaluating: using patience and perseverance to identify and minimize ethnocentrism, seek out cultural clues and meaning.

Analyzing, interpreting and relating: seeking out linkages, causality[u1]  and relationships using comparative technique of analysis.

Critical thinking: viewing and interpreting the world from other cultures’ point of view and identifying ones’ own.

3.      Attitudes.

Respect: seeking out other cultures’ attributes; value cultural diversity thinking comparatively and without prejudice about cultural differences.

Openness: suspending criticism of other cultures; investing in collecting ‘evidence of cultural difference, being disposed to be proven wrong.

Curiosity: seeking out intercultural interactions, viewing differences as a learning opportunity, being aware of one’s own ignorance.

Discovery: tolerating ambiguity and viewing it as a positive experience; willingness to move beyond ones comfort zone.

The above knowledge, skills and attitudes lead to internal and external outcomes.

Internal Outcomes: These attitudes, knowledge, and skills ideally lead to an internal outcome that consists of flexibility, adaptability, an ethno relative perspective and empathy. These are aspects that occur within the individual as a result of the acquired attitudes, knowledge and skills necessary for intercultural competence. At this point, individuals are able to see from others’ perspectives and to respond to them according to the way in which the other person desires to be treated. Individuals may reach this outcome in varying degrees of success.

External Outcomes: The outline of the attitudes, knowledge and skills, as well as the internal outcomes, are demonstrated through the behavior and communication of the individual, which become the visible outcomes of Intercultural competence experienced by others. This then becomes the agreed upon definition of the intercultural

Scholars, that intercultural competence is “the effective and appropriate behavior and communication in intercultural situations.

References.

Bennett, J. M., “Cultivating Intercultural Competence,” The Sage Handbook of Intercultural Competence.

Deardorff, Darla K. 2008. “Intercultural Competence: A Definition, Model and Implications for Education Abroad.”

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