Intercultural Competence: 15 Examples for Setting Performance Goals

Intercultural Competence is the knowledge and skills to successfully interact with people from other ethnic, religious, cultural, national and geographic groups.

Intercultural Competence: Set Goals for your Employees. Here are some examples:

• Develop and implement policies that assure the rights of all people are considered regardless of their cultural background
• Increase links to networks of individuals and groups from different cultural backgrounds
• Encourage tolerance between individuals and groups with different cultural practices and beliefs
• Encourage others to appreciate and experience different ways of doing things
• Actively work together with people who have diverse cultural practices and beliefs and eliminate any forms of discrimination and prejudice
• Engage professionals and local people to teach and model intercultural competence
• Promote professional development courses and forums that enhance intercultural competency
• Put extra effort in understanding people with different cultural backgrounds and provide a cohesive environment for everyone
• Attend and promote group meetings and events that include people from different cultures
• Participate in celebrations and events that feature people with different cultures

Intercultural Competence: Improve and master this core skill with these ideas

• Culture affects everything ? How we manage, speak, set the pace, control the company culture wholly influences the volume and tone of our voice. It is important therefore to ensure that we are practicing the right culture that is shaping us to become the best of employees.
• Learn your cultural defaults - Culture is what dictates what we do, how we behave and how we are programmed to do our daily tasks. Until we understand this culture, we will not be able to follow through with what it dictates. We are always influenced by friends, colleagues and the wider community to fit in the world culture. We should learn what the business culture says and learn to work within these boundaries without desiring to go out of them. No matter how much influence we get t from others, we should not feel the urge to move away from that which we work under.
• Look and listen with intercultural eyes and ears ?Looking and listen intently will help you understand what is going on in the workplace. Be keen to watch how other cultures response reflects on their beliefs, values and how they differ from others. Get a perspective to find out more about different cultural and practices.
• Misinterpretation is a misunderstanding - Most disagreements arise as a result of not understanding what the other person is saying. When people are left with assumptions that are not clarified, the impact is negative with the office relationships strained which affect the business when valuable connections are being formed.
• Understand the cultural shock - An excellent way to understand where the cultural misunderstanding is when people think there is something that is working right. Understanding the differences in cultural values or beliefs creates a calm working environment where problems are handled easily and leave no blame.