Develop Intercultural Communication Competence in Your Company

In today’s globalized business world, having a diverse and heterogeneous workforce with employees from mixed cultural and other backgrounds is becoming increasingly common. It has been proved—even though a certain demographic views diversity as hindering the growth of a business—that indeed diversity leads to new perspectives, ideas, as well as increased revenue.

Intercultural communication competence (ICC) refers to the ability to communicate befittingly and constructively across different cultural contexts. Since more and more businesses strive to diversify their workforce, developing ICC within your organization is pivotal for cultivating a conflict-free work environment, enhancing fraternization, and driving success in a multicultural context.

What is intercultural communication competence?

As mentioned in the introduction, Intercultural Communication Competence is knowing how to effectively and appropriately communicate with people across cultural contexts. This could include appropriate and/or customary behaviors, gestures, phrases, and other useful communication characteristics.

According to Vukić et al. (2019), ICC involves mastering four key dimensions:

1. Knowledge: Being apprehensive about different cultures is crucial for effective intercultural communication. This includes understanding the values, beliefs, traditions, and practices that shape a culture’s worldview and behavior. It also involves being informed about global issues and how they may impact different societies in unique ways.
2. Attitude: An open, accepting, and adaptable attitude is essential for communicating across cultures. This means being non-judgmental and willing to step outside one’s own cultural lens to understand different perspectives, while also suspending postulations and biases so as to engage with an open, receptive mind.
3. Skills: Intercultural skills include the ability to research, understand, and even try to relate to varying cultures, as well as effectively relate to and communicate with people from diverse backgrounds. For that, language competency—when possible—can be a key element to effective ICC.
4. Awareness: Ultimately, being self-aware about one’s own cultural identity, together with the assumptions, biases, and communication patterns that come with it, is foundational to intercultural competence. Understanding your own culture as well as other cultures makes it simpler to grasp how your viewpoint and actions are molded.

Examples of ICC

After viewing the four key dimensions, let’s see some intercultural communication competence examples that will better help you understand how ICC works.

1. Knowledge examples: Understanding the difference in personal space across cultures; for instance, Northern European countries are generally more strict about boundaries and personal space than Southern European countries—still, always keep in mind each person’s personal boundaries.
2. Attitude examples: Exhibiting both curiosity and respect towards other cultural traditions.
3. Skills examples: From altering your talking speed when conversing with non-native speakers to employing civility when providing feedback to people of face-conscious cultures.
4. Awareness examples: Remember that your personal cultural conditioning has actively shaped your perception of several issues in the workplace, from punctuality to oversharing personal information.

Now that we have seen the definition of intercultural communication competence, it is acknowledged that by holistically cultivating these facets, employees can communicate more effectively with co-workers and clients from diverse backgrounds, avoiding misunderstandings and conflicts that can arise from cultural differences in a globalized environment.

Benefits of intercultural communication competence for companies

Improving intercultural communication is quite advantageous for both individuals and companies. Before moving on to considering applicable strategies to improve intercultural communication, let’s discuss what the benefits are for your organization.

Developing ICC within your organization can present various benefits for a successful work environment, including:

Enhanced teamwork and collaboration among diverse employees 🤝🏽

An employee who possesses strong ICC skills can effectively navigate both cultural differences and modes of communication among diverse teams. Vice versa, diverse teams with high ICC achieve better performance and possess powerful problem-solving abilities.

Enhanced job effectiveness and organizational commitment from employees 📈

When an employee feels understood and respected for their cultural background, it is more likely that they will be engaged in their work. ICC brings forth a more supportive environment, one where employees can be their true(r) selves. The employees are also better equipped for effective communication.

Better customer service and client relationships, especially in a global market 💼

Apart from relationships between employees, ICC is also beneficial in employee-client relationships. The global marketplace calls for culturally sensitive services in order to ensure the contentment of your customers—and loyalty, of course.

A more inclusive and respectful work environment 🧑🏽‍💻

ICC seeks not only to teach individuals how to be polite but also to develop open-mindedness, understanding, and appreciation for diversity both within and beyond the workplace. This will not only eliminate prejudice, but also boost overall morale and create a more positive culture in your company.

Increased innovation and creativity from diverse perspectives 📑

Diversity includes a vast diversity of opinions, experiences, and viewpoints. ICC assists in successfully conveying all of the above, which may lead to the production and sharing of unique and creative ideas. This cognitive diversity will give a competitive edge to companies that embrace people of diverse backgrounds.

Ultimately, investing in ICC can lead to a more productive, harmonious, and successful company. Not only is it morally correct, but it benefits both workers and businesses.

Recommendations for developing intercultural communication competence

If you are wondering how to improve intercultural communication, there are quite a few strategies that can be followed and implemented in order to achieve Intercultural Communication Competence.

Provide intercultural training

The first step in fostering Intercultural Communication Competence in a workplace is by investing in intercultural educational initiatives for your personnel. This training can cover topics such as cultural differences, how to develop intercultural communication skills and simultaneously build cultural intelligence, as well as effective strategies to work across the globe.

Encourage cultural mentoring

The program that pairs employees from diverse backgrounds together can be a beneficial strategy for ICC. The mentor can share insights about their culture, language, communication styles, perspectives, etc. Personal connection facilitates deeper cultural understandings while also creating a safe space for clarification and questions.

Invest in language training

Offering language training is an effective way to boost ICC, as learning a new language provides insights into the associated culture’s customs, values, and communication styles. Keep reading to see how you can leverage a platform like LiveXP for personalized corporate language training tailored to your company’s needs.

Promote active listening

This involves paying attention to group dynamics, asking for feedback, and truly understanding different communication styles. Active listening fosters connectedness, improves well-being, and strengthens relationships among colleagues.

Promote a culture of respect

Foster an environment of mutual respect by refusing to condone cultural insensitivity, discrimination, or offensive remarks. Model the behavior you expect from your employees, and provide clear repercussions for noncompliance. It is paramount for employees to see that their employers and managers are working towards the same goals.

Encourage intercultural experiences

Look for opportunities to expose employees to diverse cultural experiences, such as international assignments and travel, global virtual teams, or even community involvement projects. These immersive experiences will allow employees to apply their intercultural skills in real-world contexts outside of the work environment and deepen their understanding. Intercultural experience can also be developed during language lessons with a native speaker. A learner must dive into another culture to communicate in a foreign language. Also, a tutor can tell more about cultural differences and nuances. Corporate language training from LiveXP can help your company save time and money when arranging the learning process for your employees.

Foster inclusive leadership

As previously mentioned, the only way to accomplish ICC is via leading. Your company’s leadership team should not just be diverse, but also appreciate diversity, encourage inclusive communication, and also create a safe space for all employees. The leadership should set the tone for the entire organization.

Evaluate and adjust regularly

Continuously assess the effectiveness of your intercultural communication efforts. Use this data to identify which areas need improvement and adjust your strategies accordingly. Continuously ask yourself “what strategy can be used to increase intercultural competence?” and adjust accordingly. Developing ICC is an ongoing process that requires regular evaluation and adaptation.

The benefits of LiveXP for corporate language training

As we already discussed, you may tremendously benefit from business language training to improve ICC. LiveXP’s corporate language training program is an excellent choice for companies seeking to enhance both their employees’ language skills and intercultural competence. Here are some key advantages of using LiveXP:

1. One subscription, access to all: With a single subscription, your employees can access all tutors and learning tools, including whiteboards, notes, and dictionaries.
2. Pay only for active students: LiveXP does not charge for inactive subscriptions, ensuring you only pay for the employees actively engaged in language training.
3. Flexible and personalized: Employees can choose any tutor and switch tutors anytime, ensuring a personalized learning experience tailored to their needs and preferences.
4. Convenient and accessible: Lessons can be taken from any device, desktop or mobile, allowing for flexible and convenient learning.
5. Progress tracking: LiveXP provides a detailed HR dashboard, enabling you to monitor your employees’ language learning progress in real-time.
6. Personalized Path for English learners: For those learning English, LiveXP offers a Personalized Path, a customized step-by-step learning plan that includes deep personalization and AI-powered self-practice exercises, all at no extra cost.

By partnering with LiveXP, your company can effectively develop your employees’ language skills and intercultural competence, fostering a more inclusive, collaborative, and successful workplace.

Conclusion

In today’s diversified and multicultural corporate world, excellent intercultural communication competency is required for success. By implementing strategies that foster cultural awareness, you can cultivate a workforce that communicates effectively across cultures. Invest in LiveXP for corporate language training and further enhance your employee’s intercultural understanding and language skills.