Intercultural competence can improve

To promote inclusion, faculty and students participate in workshops about unconscious bias, and staff are trained to incorporate global content, cultures and languages into existing courses.

The university also encourages students to study abroad, and about 25 percent do, roughly double the national average. Assessing intercultural competence at the collegiate level is increasingly important to meet the demand for graduates who can work productively with a diverse team. To help their fellow colleagues in the field, researchers from ETS partnered with experts at The Institute for Cross Cultural Management at the Florida Institute of Technology to publish a framework that institutions can use when making decisions about adopting an assessment or planning their own assessment development.

The framework provides an innovative definition of intercultural competence, a comprehensive overview of existing assessments and guidance for next generation assessment design. It will be available for institutions to purchase in early In the future, businesses, schools and other organizations may be able to teach and assess intercultural competence using computer games as well. Players interact with artificially intelligent characters, created to respond in countless ways.

These interactions force players to adjust behavior based on feedback from others — a key component of intercultural competence. At present, these games are being used for research purposes only. But they represent a possible future for developing skills that will be increasingly needed as society and the workplace grow ever more diverse. Lorna Collier is a writer specializing in education, technology and business. Be open-minded It's hard to understand someone else's perspective if you don't allow yourself to be open to their point of view.

Learn A lack of understanding between two parties will often lead to a strained relationship, which is why it's important to educate yourself. Interact While books and films may provide you with useful practical information, you'll learn the most from actually engaging with people. Be self-aware Think about how you present yourself, the way you talk and your overall attitude: what impression do you think you're making on those around you?

Don't make assumptions When you judge someone based on stereotypes or assumptions you're essentially stripping them of their individuality; you're putting a label on them without considering who they really are. Sources: Abintegro , Reference: Skills You Need; English and Culture Tutoring Services Photo: Somenath Mukhopadhyay The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Pearson.

Disqus post. A certified IDI administrator can interpret the reports and facilitate constructive developmental conversations. IDI-based measurements are useful in many common applications encountered by HR professionals:. Each is briefly described below using examples to highlight the range of approaches and solutions available to HR professionals.

New assignment. An experienced line-organization leader took on the role of leading an organization's diversity work. IDI assessment and the related learning about DMIS and how the executive experienced cultural difference helped in several ways. Deeper self-awareness was crucial in the new role.

The executive had to be aware of how she saw other people and how she affected them. Learning about cultural difference and the DMIS provided a solid theory-based framework from which to analyze interactions across the organization.

The same approach benefits someone taking on leadership of a newly formed diverse domestic or global team. Corrective coaching.

A marketing executive had made negative remarks about other employees that suggested race- and gender-based stereotypes. Individual coaching and training were needed. IDI analysis showed that the individual was solidly in the minimization stage, with no "trailing" developmental issues in denial or defense.

This showed that the individual had blind spots as to the effect of the remarks rather than a more ethnocentric polarizing or avoidance perspective. This measurement helped identify the most effective targeted developmental feedback and learning for the executive. Positioning for business growth challenges.

A senior executive team was leading a highly successful Fortune firm. The company's business plans focused on new high-growth market segments in the United States and parts of Latin America and Europe. Additionally, there was international merger and joint venture activity. The senior executive team wanted to further develop its intercultural competence. IDI individual and group reports highlighted exactly how each member and the overall team tended to experience cultural difference.

This enabled the design of a high-impact group developmental session focused on the team's specific interests and needs, followed by individual coaching and developmental feedback. The tailored approach minimized the needed time and maximized the benefit to the senior executive team. The same approach benefits newly formed or existing teams that seek to make better use of their diverse backgrounds and to communicate and work together more effectively.

Organizationwide diagnostic assessment. Assume an organization was seeking diversity training for part or all of an organization—either entirely for developmental purposes or to address an issue that had surfaced in the workplace. IDI would be administered to the organization. A group IDI report would indicate exactly how the organization tended to consider cultural difference in its work.

Separate group reports could provide this insight for parts of the organization—for example, nonsupervisory employees, managers and leaders. The insights would enable matching the design of the training to the organization's readiness to deal with cultural difference, thus helping ensure a more constructive outcome. Most organizational leaders say they want to create a more inclusive workplace to truly leverage their diverse workforce in building productivity and innovation.

Relatively few organizations truly achieve this. One major contributing factor is insufficient focus on the behavioral aspects of how people communicate and work together in our increasingly diverse and complex workplace. A disciplined approach to building intercultural competence is one important element of growing the organization and achieving its key business objectives through full inclusion. Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind.

Communicating across cultures. A developmental approach to training for intercultural sensitivity. International Journal of Intercultural Relations 10 2 , Towards ethnorelativism: A developmental model of intercultural sensitivity. Paige Ed. Even in situations where extrinsic rewards like securing an overseas business investment are at stake, it is likely that the foreign investor is much more accustomed to adapting to United States business customs and communication than vice versa.

This expectation that others will adapt to our communication can be unconscious, but later ICC skills we will learn will help bring it to awareness. The unbalanced situation I just described is a daily reality for many individuals with nondominant identities. Their motivation toward intercultural communication may be driven by survival in terms of functioning effectively in dominant contexts.

Recall the phenomenon known as code-switching discussed earlier, in which individuals from nondominant groups adapt their communication to fit in with the dominant group. While intrinsic motivation captures an idealistic view of intercultural communication as rewarding in its own right, many contexts create extrinsic motivation.

For example, it would be exploitative for an extrinsically motivated person to pursue intercultural communication solely for an external reward and then abandon the intercultural relationship once the reward is attained.

These situations highlight the relational aspect of ICC, meaning that the motivation of all parties should be considered. Motivation alone cannot create ICC. Knowledge supplements motivation and is an important part of building ICC. Knowledge includes self- and other-awareness, mindfulness, and cognitive flexibility.

Developing cultural self-awareness often requires us to get out of our comfort zones. Listening to people who are different from us is a key component of developing self-knowledge. This may be uncomfortable, because we may realize that people think of our identities differently than we thought.

For example, when I lived in Sweden, my Swedish roommates often discussed how they were wary of befriending students from the United States. Although I was initially upset by their assessment, I came to see the truth in it. Swedes are generally more reserved than US Americans and take longer to form close friendships. This made me more aware of how my communication was perceived, enhancing my self-knowledge.

I also learned more about communication behaviors of the Swedes, which contributed to my other-knowledge. The most effective way to develop other-knowledge is by direct and thoughtful encounters with other cultures. However, people may not readily have these opportunities for a variety of reasons. Despite the overall diversity in the United States, many people still only interact with people who are similar to them. Even in a racially diverse educational setting, for example, people often group off with people of their own race.

While a heterosexual person may have a gay or lesbian friend or relative, they likely spend most of their time with other heterosexuals. Unless you interact with people with disabilities as part of your job or have a person with a disability in your friend or family group, you likely spend most of your time interacting with able-bodied people.

Living in a rural area may limit your ability to interact with a range of cultures, and most people do not travel internationally regularly.

Because of this, we may have to make a determined effort to interact with other cultures or rely on educational sources like college classes, books, or documentaries. Learning another language is also a good way to learn about a culture, because you can then read the news or watch movies in the native language, which can offer insights that are lost in translation.

It is important to note though that we must evaluate the credibility of the source of our knowledge, whether it is a book, person, or other source. Also, knowledge of another language does not automatically equate to ICC. Developing self- and other-knowledge is an ongoing process that will continue to adapt and grow as we encounter new experiences.

Mindfulness and cognitive complexity will help as we continue to build our ICC Pusch, Mindfulness is a state of self- and other-monitoring that informs later reflection on communication interactions. What are my reactions? What are their reactions? Reflecting on the communication encounter later to see what can be learned is also a way to build ICC.