This article highlights the importance of intercultural competence in effectively engaging with individuals from diverse cultures. In a globalized world, diversity is inevitable and must be managed at all levels of society and social interactions. Cultivating skills that facilitate interaction with people of different cultures is critical. This entails shifting from ethnocentrism to ethnorelativism by wholeheartedly embracing, adjusting, and integrating cultural involvement processes. The article provides a comprehensive overview of the fundamentals of intercultural competence.

1 Introduction to Intercultural Competence

Global peace, economic development, societal stability, and reconciliation processes demand intercultural competence as a fundamental societal norm in all social interactions. Before proceeding with intercultural competence, how can Culture be defined? 

1.1 Defining Culture

Culture incorporates the shared beliefs, norms, values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that characterize a group of people in society. A group of people that associate themselves with a particular context of beliefs, values, customs, behavior, and artifacts have the shortest cultural distance between the members compared to those who do not subscribe to their cultural artifacts. Consequently, Culture encompasses anything that connects people, such as language, ethnicity, sports, religion, political ideologies, art, food, fashion, social norms, and beyond. In our modern times, the list has endless dimensions. Authors such as Hofstede have, in the past, characterized Culture using theoretically developed cultural dimensions in academics to explain the impact of Culture in organizational settings at national and regional levels. 

1.2 Process of Developing Culture

But where is the starting point for any culture, and which development process do cultures follow? In simple terms, one generation learns its Culture from the previous generations, modifies it, and then transmits its new Culture from one generation to another through complex socialization and communication, shaping individuals’ perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors (how they interact with other members of society at their time of existence). Culture is a complex and dynamic phenomenon that varies across and within societies, depending on factors such as history, ecology, economy, geography, politics, and technology.

1.3 Understanding Cultural Diversity, Mobility and Conflict

When was the last time you contextualized the food you ordered in a restaurant based on a sub-group of people you thought shared the same Culture but not your own, e.g., Italian, African, Chinese, Asian, or Thai food? In today’s interconnected world, navigating and thriving in diverse cultural environments is crucial to all dimensions of life. For instance, slogans such as “made in Taiwan,” “made in China,” or “made in Germany” are forms of contextualizing the production of goods by the origin of production processes to demonstrate cultural diversity between economies globally. 

Cultural diversity offers a wide range of sources of constructive and destructive conflicts in society. Whether it is the cultural differences and conflicts within a firm or in the United States of America, the crisis between Israel and Palestina, or ethnic clashes in some African, Asian, or European countries, intercultural competencies are required to develop a process of conflict-solving environment.

Historical facts reveal that the Egyptian, Persian, Greek, and Roman Empires evolved with external cultural influences and involved some ethnocentrism at the height of each empire’s power, e.g., Roman citizenship. Civilizations in the ancient Egyptian, Persian, Greek, and Roman Empires developed agricultural, technological, political, legal, and economic knowledge that have survived thousands of years and are part of our modern metropolis and historical heritage. As explained above, Culture is passed from one generation to another via social interactions between individuals involved in transmitting the Culture from one group to another. Consequently, intercultural competence is as ancient as the existence of human beings.

Intercultural competence in modern communities has become increasingly important as globalization blurs geographical boundaries and brings people from diverse backgrounds into contact. Global trade and mobility drive the force of economic and social activities between people of diverse cultures that require social interactions. However, geopolitical conflicts and interests threaten the coexistence of communities with diverse ideas about their way of life, human rights, and peaceful neighborhoods. How should society manage intercultural interactions? This article explores the importance of intercultural competence, its definition, and its impact on various aspects of society.

2 Understanding Intercultural Competence

Intercultural competence refers to the skills, attitudes, and behaviors that enable individuals to effectively communicate, collaborate, and interact with people from diverse cultural backgrounds. Intercultural competence encompasses a range of abilities, including cultural sensitivity, empathy, open-mindedness, and adaptability.

According to Bennett’s Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) based on Grounded Theory (Bennett, 1986, 1993, 2004, 2013, 2017), individuals progress through different stages of intercultural sensitivity, from ethnocentrism to ethnorelativism. On the one hand, ethnocentrism is the limited awareness and understanding of other cultures via denial, defense, or minimization stages. On the other hand, ethnorelativism is the ability to appreciate and adapt to cultural differences via acceptance, adaption, and integration stages.

Developing intercultural competence is crucial in today’s globalized world. However, it can be daunting for many individuals who often face various challenges in their social interactions. What are some of the key challenges that hinder people from developing intercultural competence? Let’s explore them together.

2.1 Barriers of Communication and Social Interactions

One of the hindrances to developing intercultural competence is the communication barrier, which includes verbal and nonverbal means of communication, e.g., language barrier, mimics, facial expressions, and other means of body language. These barriers may lead to misinterpretations and misunderstandings during social interactions between cultural groups. The barriers to communication and social interaction between members of different groups delineate the cultural distance between members of society. 

For instance, during the coronavirus pandemic, social distancing was a healthcare policy instrument used to help cope with the spread of the coronavirus. After the containment of the virus, societies moved back to normalizing social interactions with the fall of many lockdown policies. Currently, the challenge we face is to get society back on track in enhancing interactions between members of society, which will demand building on intercultural competence and reducing the perception of danger of social closeness.

Communities must get out of their microcosmic world in their cultural islands, go out and explore new cultures, and engage in cultural exchange – the cornerstone of modern society.

2.2 Ethnocentrism, Stereotyping and Prejudice

In a majority of cultural conflicts between different members of society, ethnocentrism serves as the primary conditioner of tendencies of a few individuals viewing their cultural group as superior to others, hindering empathy and understanding towards cultural differences, e.g., colonization era, the former apartheid regime in South Africa, racial segregation in USA, the Second World War, the Ruandan Genocides among others revealed the ethnocentric sentiments of one group against another using stereotyping and prejudice.

Injustices practiced during the global colonial era (slave trade) and the apartheid era in South Africa (racial segregation) involved the use of stereotyping, prejudice, and ethnocentric ideologies to justify the unfair extraction of resources and accumulation of wealth from the colonies, which ended with the colonies pursuing political independence and formed new national identities within diverse societies, e.g., Brazil, Chile, Kenya, to name but a few.

European countries emerged similarly in centuries of social conflict between different social groups, followed by two consecutive World Wars in the 1900s. The outcomes of the Second World War led to the current global order under the United Nations (UN) with 193 member states and the Charter on Human Rights, managing diplomacy for peace and stability between diverse societies. Consequently, intercultural competence is vital to globally stable social interactions in such an environment.

2.3 Cultural Shocks, Identity Conflicts, and Diversity of Cultural Norms

Cultural shocks occur when people encounter diverse cultural norms in social interactions with new cultural groups, e.g., unfamiliar cultural practices or behaviors of others, which could provoke discomfort and uncertainty. In a pluralistic society, individuals may also encounter identity conflicts while trying to find a fitting cultural identity in a diverse social setting, which could lead to insecurity and confusion. Cultural shocks and identity conflicts cause immense damage to society, e.g., flourishing selfishness, egoism (me-first-economics), racism, and radical nationalism, if not addressed with an adequate level of intercultural competence. Therefore, it is society’s responsibility to resolve cultural shocks and identity conflicts using intercultural competence.

2.4 Political Power and Interest, Populism and Cyber Disinformation

In today’s globalized world, political power and interest play a significant role in delineating boundaries between social groups, e.g., by wealth and income levels, nationalities, ethnic groups, communities, and lifestyle, among other categories. Therefore, the challenge for modern societies increases as political ambiguity grows. For example, ambiguous politics revolving around the influence of political parties can create challenging cultural dynamics in an economy. For instance, promoting protectionism without economic logic, causing a democracy crisis, ignoring gun violence, racism, and women’s rights, neglecting social insecurity (e.g., healthcare), and overlooking drug chaos to the cost of social welfare are issues of social conflict that require intercultural competence.

In authoritarian societies, centralized political parties determine the political interests of some communities worldwide. Dictators determine the destiny of whole societies, including a few examples of authoritarianism and politically driven cultural censorship and control, which is dangerous for social cohesion and conflict resolution. Ethnocentric sentiments drive discussion about cultural identities in the quest for cultural dominance in different societies around the world, creating a hostile environment for people with diverse cultural backgrounds. Such politically motivated decay of intercultural competence threatens the coexistence of pluralistic societies in a globalized world.

Politically powerful groups in society pursue their political interests to the extent that they hinder other social groups’ economic development, e.g., by installing extractive institutions to extract resources from different social groups, such as unfair trade policies, discrimination, enforcing the immobility of persons between the global north and south, and segregation of marginalized social groups.

The global decay of democratic institutions driven by cyber populism and disinformation (fake news) campaigns reveals growing ethnocentrism, stereotyping, prejudice, and apathy for intercultural competence. Consequently, growing intercultural incompetence aims to create emotionally driven (and irrational) cultural distances between members of society. All these issues demand a society aware of its intercultural competence while dealing with global and geopolitical conflicts. In summary, power imbalances based on cultural, social, or economic factors can affect communication and interactions, leading to unequal relationships.

2.5 Insufficient Social Ethics Education

Insufficient social ethics education in society is one of the crucial challenges for all communities globally, especially in those societies with repressive regimes and ethnocentric ideologies that censor the ability of education systems to impart intercultural competence. Educators need an environment that supports intercultural competence to develop in their educational processes. There needs to be more understanding and awareness of intercultural communication principles and skills to ensure effective communication and collaboration across cultures, reducing cultural shocks and identity conflicts.

3 Importance of Intercultural Competence in Globalized Society

In today’s globalized society, intercultural competence is essential for success in various domains, including business, Education, healthcare, and diplomacy. As companies expand internationally, employees must collaborate with colleagues, clients, and partners from diverse cultural backgrounds. Effective intercultural communication can facilitate business negotiations, prevent misunderstandings, and build trust and camaraderie.

3.1 Intercultural Competence in Education

In Education, intercultural competence is crucial for promoting diversity and inclusion in classrooms and campuses. Educators with this competence can create an inclusive learning environment where students from different cultural backgrounds feel valued and respected, fostering cross-cultural understanding and enhancing the educational experience.

 3.2 Intercultural Competence in Healthcare

In healthcare settings, intercultural competence is essential for providing culturally sensitive and competent care to patients from diverse backgrounds. Healthcare professionals who understand their patients’ cultural beliefs, values, and practices are better equipped to address their unique needs and preferences, leading to improved health outcomes.

3.3 Intercultural Competence in Labor Market and Migration Policies

In labor markets, intercultural competence is relevant for providing a legal framework of migration policies that enhance the integration of migrants in their new societies and reduce cultural shocks between the local and incoming members of society, e.g., the German society wants to resolve its labor market supply shortage due to demographic change using migration to the labor market. The labor scarcity in the German economy is becoming evident as firms wrangle for the few job-seekers. Contrary to achieving an integrative environment, the German conservatives and the far-right political parties join political populism on their ethnocentric “dominant culture” ideologies, crossing the limits of the constitutional mandate of a pluralistic migration policy.

4 Enhancing Intercultural Competences

Developing intercultural competence requires a combination of knowledge, skills, and experiences. Formal education and training programs can provide individuals with the cultural awareness and sensitivity to navigate diverse environments. Additionally, immersive experiences such as studying or working abroad can help individuals better understand different cultures and perspectives.

Cultural competence training programs, such as the Cultural Intelligence (CQ) model developed by Earley and Ang (2003), focus on developing individuals’ ability to function effectively in culturally diverse settings. These programs typically involve cultural immersion experiences, role-playing exercises, and reflective discussions to enhance participants’ intercultural skills.

5 Implications in Various Fields

The importance of intercultural competence extends to various fields, including business, Education, healthcare, and diplomacy. Companies that prioritize diversity and inclusion are better positioned to attract and retain top talent, innovate, and compete in global markets.

In Education, intercultural competence is essential for preparing students to thrive in a multicultural society and navigate diverse workplaces. Educators play a crucial role in fostering cultural competence among students by incorporating diverse perspectives into the curriculum and creating inclusive learning environments.

Culturally competent care in healthcare can lead to higher patient satisfaction, better adherence to treatment plans, and improved health outcomes. Healthcare organizations that invest in cultural competence training for their staff can enhance the quality of care and reduce health disparities among diverse patient populations.

Intercultural competence is vital for building constructive relationships and resolving conflicts across national and cultural boundaries in diplomacy. Diplomats with intercultural competence can navigate complex political and cultural dynamics, promote dialogue and cooperation, and contribute to the peaceful resolution of conflicts.

6 Challenges and Solutions

Despite the importance of intercultural competence, societies need help developing and implementing it, as discussed above. These challenges include cultural biases and stereotypes, language barriers, and resistance to change.

One solution to these challenges is to promote cultural awareness and sensitivity through education and training programs. Organizations can create more inclusive and equitable environments by raising awareness of cultural biases and stereotypes and providing individuals with the skills to challenge them. Another solution is to foster cross-cultural collaboration and exchange. Organizations can also promote mutual understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity by bringing together people from different cultural backgrounds to work on common goals and projects.

7 Conclusion

In conclusion, intercultural competence is essential for navigating and thriving in today’s globalized society. Whether in business, Education, healthcare, labor markets, or diplomacy, communicating, collaborating, and interacting effectively with people from diverse cultural backgrounds is critical for success. By investing in developing intercultural competence, organizations and individuals can promote diversity, inclusion, and cross-cultural understanding, ultimately leading to a more equitable and harmonious world.

8 References