Intercultural competence is the ability to understand and accept different viewpoints and cultures. When looking at the intercultural competence model in the workplace, we mean the ability to have a team of employees who are sensitive to each other’s cultures and can use their cultural diversity as an asset.
In this article, we will discuss what intercultural competence is, why it is important, how you can improve interculturalism in your organization, and how it can enhance a workplace environment so that all workers feel welcomed and heard.
What is Intercultural Competence?
Intercultural competence is a company’s understanding of different viewpoints and cultures. In any given organization, there are numerous cultures represented among the workers. It is important for managers and supervisors to make sure that everyone feels comfortable at work, no matter their cultural background.
When implementing an intercultural competence model for your organization, you have to take into account each employee’s ability to work in a team with people from diverse backgrounds. This is important because if your employees are not culturally sensitive, they may offend their coworkers, creating a hostile environment.
Even if the offence is unintentional, it is important that employees can work together harmoniously as it will mean the team is more efficient. If people are constantly stepping on toes when working with others, it can negatively affect the entire team as people might start to feel uncomfortable around each other. Fixing any intercultural incompetence as soon as it presents itself is important as it allows you to mend a situation before it becomes a problem.
One way to do this is by doing an intercultural competence assessment of your workers. You do not have to do this formally but rather you can simply observe how people interact with each other, especially while engaged in teamwork.
Three components to be aware of when assessing the intercultural competence of your employees are:
These three competencies are important to assess as they will illustrate how each employee is dealing with cultural diversities. By assessing these intercultural competencies, you will be able to understand what your employees might need to work on and in what ways they are already doing well.
Related article: 4 Ways to Ask Cultural Interview Questions
How to Assess Intercultural Competence in Employees
When assessing your employees, you want to ensure you assess everyone in the office, not just a select few. Cultural insensitivity can go both ways and can happen with workers from any level of the organization. You might even want to have someone assess your intercultural competence while you are assessing your teams. This way you can improve your skills and lead by example.
Some observations you can make amongst your employees are:
By making these observations, you can figure out what improvements you can make within your company to become more interculturally competent.
Advantages of Following the Intercultural Competence Model
When following the intercultural competence model, the idea is to build a team of workers who can work seamlessly with each other despite their differences. Doing this is advantageous for the following reasons:
With these advantages, it is hard to imagine any company not wanting to work toward intercultural competency. So, ideally, you should always look for ways to improve your company’s interculturalism.
How to Improve Intercultural Competency at Your Workplace
Now that you know why being interculturally competent is advantageous, it’s time to consider how you can improve it in your workplace. The following are some ways to increase intercultural competency in your organization:
Train for Diversity and Inclusion
Make sure that your organization completes training in diversity and inclusion. This is a helpful suggestion as even if your company is interculturally competent, it is always good to get a few reminders. Also, making sure that the entire organization takes the training means that you are not singling one particular group out.
Practice Good Communication Skills
Practicing good communication skills is a good thing to do regardless of the organization. As a manager or leader, for example, you want to ensure you know about active listening and how to do it. Being present for your employees will allow them to feel heard if they have any complaints, and you will foster a positive work environment.
Have Team Building Events
Having team-building events can allow people in the office to interact in a way they may not have before. Make sure that each team is made up of people from different departments so that they can get to know people outside of their regular group. Besides, team-building events not only allow workers to get to know each other, but they might also actually have fun doing it, and it can be a positive experience for everyone. Having a game night or going to an escape room are some excellent examples of team-building events that are also fun.
Develop Affinity Groups
Affinity groups are groups of people who have a common interest or background. By encouraging employees to create affinity groups, you can foster a friendly environment in the workplace. It also gives those of the same cultural background a chance to get together, which is a great way to build community.
Ask for Feedback
Asking employees for feedback is always a great way of assessing the mood of the entire group. Perhaps a particular problem has not come to your notice, but you can address these issues head-on by having an active feedback loop. Moreover, asking your employees for feedback goes back to the idea of having good communication and can lead to a positive work environment.
Related article: Employee Satisfaction Surveys: What They Are and Why They’re Important for Your Business
Interculturalism is a vital issue in today’s workplace. By focusing on intercultural competence, you can make sure workers feel comfortable at the office, and you will foster a positive work environment. When workers feel respected, they are more likely to work hard and be more productive. Follow the tips shared in this article to build a culturally sensitive environment for all your employees, as it will help you get the best work out of them.
