Transcript What is Intercultural Competence?

What is Intercultural
Competence?
How would/do you define culture –
what would be your parameters?
Individual intercultural competence
is the result of …
• the motivation to communicate effectively
with someone from a different culture;
• being prepared to learn the skills needed
for effective communication;
• the ability to put this knowledge into use
Intercultural competence of
institutions
• the capacity of the institutions concerned
to adapt their structure and performance
(rules & regulations governing the
interaction between employees and
members of the target group, monocultural or multi-cultural composition of the
institution's workforce, etc.) to the
demands of intercultural encounters
Intercultural competence of
cultural groups
• the willingness and the capacity of the
different groups to respect the "cultural
rights" of all cultural groups concerned
(dominant culture and minorities
Principles
• The need to allow one's attitudes to be challenged by recognising
that the other has the freedom and the right to be different, whatever
one's own opinion is.
Both partners in the exchange are experts of their respective
cultures and should treat each other with mutual respect.
The practitioner is responsible for the process. S/He has to enable
the different experiences and viewpoints to be identified properly
and related to the problem they are talking about.
Being non-judgemental. Be aware of the fact that you are making
an interpretation of what is being communicated and that you will
never have the full picture
Mono-cultural communication
• is based on similarities: common
behaviour, language and values …
• based on roughly common definitions
• able to predict the behaviour of others
• assume a common perception of reality
. Intercultural communication
• is based on differences
• stereotypes and generalisations –
• based on respect for the other culture
(positive stereotypes) can open the door to
communication ?
• Based on disrespect (negative stereotype)
sanctions and barriers to effective
intercultural exchanges.
Attributes needed to establishing effective
and meaningful intercultural communication
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Language
Nonverbal behaviour
Communication style
Values and assumptions
four underlying assumptions
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The smaller the similarities between two cultures, the
more problematic intercultural communication is.
Intercultural interaction offers the possibility of social
change arising from new ideas and insights that will
not always be immediately apparent.
Only if you operate as partners from different cultures
action on an equal basis will be ensured.
These plans for action will be more successful if a high
degree of cultural awareness, i.e. of intercultural
competence is available.
10 fundamental aspects for successful
development of cultural competence
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detection of the own ethnocentrism
dealing with things that appear strange
laying the bases for tolerance
accepting the ethnic differences
talking about racism
stressing things in common
encouraging solidarity
training of reasonable conflict-solving-techniques - dealing with
cultural conflicts and cultural relativism
• getting aware of the possibility to learn from each other and to enrich
the life through the cultural contact
• getting rid of frontiers by understanding the global responsibility of
everybody
Marginality
• is the result of the tendency of the
minority group not to preserve their
own cultural identity and also not being
interested in positive relations to the
dominant culture (Examples: Numerical
small communities with low selfesteem, like Roma from BosniaHerzegowina);
Assimilation
• is the result of the tendency of the
minority group not to preserve their
own cultural identity, but to strive for
positive relations to the dominant
culture (example: ethnic Germans from
Russia);
Separation
• is the result of the tendency of the
minority group to preserve their own
cultural identity, but not being
interested in positive relations to the
dominant culture (Example: Religious
oriented parts of the Turk community)
Integration
• is the result of the tendency of the
minority group to preserve their own
cultural identity and to strive for
positive relations to the dominant
culture (example: Italians, Greeks,
Portuguese).
What does …
• Go global, think local really mean?
• Homework assignment: advertising paper
and powerpoint