Intercultural competence
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Intercultural competence is the ability for successful communication with people of other cultures. This ability can be existing already at a young age, or be developed and improved thanks to willpower and competence. The bases for a successful intercultural communication are emotional competence, together with intercultural sensitivity.
Cultures can be different not only between continents or nations, but also within the same company or even family: every human being has his own history, his own life and therefore also (in a certain extent) his own culture (geographical, ethnical, moral, ethical, religious, political, historical) resp. cultural affiliation or cultural identity.
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 three parts:
- 1) knowledge (about other cultures, people, nations, behaviors…),
- 2) empathy (understanding feelings and needs of other people), and
- 3) self-confidence (knowing what I want, my strengths and weaknesses, emotional stability).
See also
- Conflict Style Inventory
- Cross-cultural communication
- Cultural competence
- Intercultural communication principles
- Intercultural relations
Organizations:
- CICB Center of Intercultural Competence, http://www.cicb.net
- Intercultural Communication Institute, http://www.intercultural.org
- Centre for Intercultural Training and Research, http://www.intercultural.org.uk
- Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research, http://www.sietar.org
- Organization for Intercultural Training, http://www.tmcorp.com
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