A Strategic Approach to Building Personal & Organizational "Intercultural Competence."
Intercultural Competence refers to the personal and organizational knowledge, awareness, and skills needed to function effectively within a multicultural workplace and to provide culturally competent services to diverse customers/clients. The intercultural competence approach provides a positive vision and a methodology designed to capitalize on human difference, rather than be polarized by it. This approach focuses on what to do, rather than what not to do. It uses the lens of culture and intercultural dynamics to "see" how different people can work together harmoniously, creatively and synergistically and how different customers/clients can be related to in ways that are culturally congruent for them.
For an organization, and the individuals in it, to acquire these intercultural competencies the following is an effective strategic approach:
1. Gain senior management's understanding of, and
commitment to, the long-term change effort required of them
and their organization to effectively implement intercultural
competence.
2. Conduct an assessment by collecting data about the "current
state of the organization" and then diagnosing current issues,
obstacles and potential areas for growth and development.
3. Create an Intercultural Competence Task Force to guide the
effort and be held accountable for making it happen.
4.Provide Intercultural Competence Training to all staff,
beginning with the senior management team and cascading
throughout the organization.
5. Make necessary systems adjustments to support the new
competencies. Focus on the following key structures/systems:
- accountability
- reward
- reporting relationships
- communication
- decision-making
- organizational cultural norms.
6. Put an evaluation and measurement system in place, based
on clear success criteria, in order to be able to monitor
progress and make necessary adjustments over time.
7. "Stay the course". This level of cultural change requires years
of consistent effort and attention.
