Intercultural Competence

Introduction

Intercultural competence refers to the capability of an individual to interact efficiently and suitably with people who belong to other cultures. A person will be assumed to possess intercultural competence if he or she is able to give importance to the rules and standards of another culture. The individual must also ensure that he or she meets the expectations from the relationship and is also able to achieve the objectives of the intercultural interaction. Intercultural competence implies an awareness of the opinions, emotions, thoughts and actions specific to the relevant culture.

Cross cultural competence

Cross cultural competence can be described as a number of intellectual, observable and motivational components that allow individuals to acclimatize efficiently in an intercultural setting. The concept of cross cultural competence has been applied by organizations in different fields such as business, health care, education and government security. Cross cultural competence is closely connected with other skills such as knowing different languages and having knowledge about different regions. However, this connection depends completely on the situation in which they are used. The intercultural competence of an individual depends largely on his or her interactions with people of different cultures. The difficulties faced by the individual while communicating with other cultures due to a lack of cultural understanding can encourage him or her to attain skills that may help in putting across the message in a more appropriate manner in the next interaction.

Cultural Difference

There are a number of different features that may lead to cultural difference between two cultures. This happens due to different perceptions towards these features in different cultures. One of these features is collectivism where every individual is dependent on each other and there is more stress on groups than on individuals. Individualism can be another feature of some cultures where individuals are given more value and people are self-dependent. Cultures may be masculine or feminine depending on the gender that has a larger impact on the culture. Another important feature of the cultural difference is uncertainty avoidance which is determined by the ability of the people belonging to the culture to reduce uncertainty. Power distance is another point of cultural difference; some cultures may accept uneven distribution of power more easily than certain other cultures.

Assessment

There are two types of methods that may be used for the assessment of intercultural competence – quantitative and qualitative. The tools for quantitative assessment of intercultural competence are the Inter-cultural Development Inventory, the Cultural Intelligence Scale and the Multi-cultural Personality Questionnaire. Qualitative assessments of intercultural competence are comparatively less and generally include only situation-based assessments.

Conclusion

Intercultural competence is a special skill that can only be achieved over a period of time and with relevant experience.

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