{"id":1754,"date":"2014-03-19T19:42:23","date_gmt":"2014-03-19T18:42:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/expatriatus\/?p=1754"},"modified":"2014-03-19T19:42:23","modified_gmt":"2014-03-19T18:42:23","slug":"latest-research-what-makes-one-cross-culturally-competent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/expatriatus\/2014\/03\/19\/latest-research-what-makes-one-cross-culturally-competent\/","title":{"rendered":"Latest Research: What Makes One Cross-Culturally Competent?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.co.uk\/search?q=cross-cultural+competence&amp;rls=com.microsoft:ru:%7Breferrer:source%3F%7D&amp;source=lnms&amp;tbm=isch&amp;sa=X&amp;ei=FOIpU9m2LYGAhAfsx4CADA&amp;ved=0CAoQ_AUoAg&amp;biw=1366&amp;bih=643#q=international+experience&amp;rls=com.microsoft:ru:%7Breferrer:source%3F%7D&amp;tbm=isch&amp;facrc=_&amp;imgdii=_&amp;imgrc=zT0os75Dkj3I8M%253A%3Bbz_Dy7ylEp8DzM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.chemistryviews.org%252Fcommon%252Fimages%252Fthumbnails%252Fsource%252F142769eca34.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.chemistryviews.org%252Fdetails%252Fezine%252F5537721%252FInternational_Experience_in_Scientific_Education_Distracting_or_Indispensible.html%3B390%3B293\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-1758\" alt=\"142769eca34\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/expatriatus\/files\/2014\/03\/142769eca34-e1395254420393.jpg\" width=\"290\" height=\"218\" \/><\/a>One of the most important topics in the area of global mobility concerns the <b>cross-cultural competencies<\/b> (CC) that are required when abroad. Be it for the population of global leaders, international expatriates and inpatriates, their spouses and kids, or global nomads, we look for characteristics, abilities and skills that help people to adjust and function efficiently in foreign settings. As discussed in a couple of my previous posts (<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/expatriatus\/2012\/02\/07\/follow-up-on-biculturals-why-are-people-with-multiple-cultural-backgrounds-beneficial-for-organizations\/\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/expatriatus\/2012\/01\/24\/biculturals-an-emerging-demographic-in-organizations\/\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>) bicultural and <b>multicultural individuals<\/b> may have certain advantages in acquiring these competencies due to their diverse cultural background. Similarly, the population of the so called <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/expatriatus\/2012\/06\/19\/cross-cultural-transitions-the-experiences-of-third-culture-kids\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>third culture kids<\/b><\/a> (TCKs) with their high levels of <b>international experience<\/b> living in foreign countries is seen as more cross-culturally competent. But what is it exactly in these backgrounds and experiences that helps to develop <b>cross-cultural competencies<\/b>?<\/p>\n<p>Recent research by scholars Tarique and Weisbord (2013) from Pace University sheds some light on the matter. Specifically, based on the sample of 159 <b>adult third culture kids<\/b> (ATCKs) the research looks into the specific components <b>of international experience<\/b> and some personal characteristics that impact <b>cross-cultural competencies<\/b>. The findings revealed several important predictors of <b>cross-cultural competencies<\/b>, which will be discussed further.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b><i>What makes one cross-culturally competent?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Variety of early <b>international experience<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The study results showed that being exposed to a variety of <b>international experiences<\/b> during early childhood, as is usually the case with <b>third culture kids<\/b>, does positively predict cultural flexibility and tolerance for ambiguity. This finding is well explained with Bandura\u2019s (1977) social learning theory, which states that learning of social skills and behaviors can happen through the processes of observation and modeling of behavior of others. Hence, the study authors argue that being exposed to several foreign countries and cultures during childhood provides specific environment and opportunities to acquire culture-general and culture-specific skills.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Language diversity<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The second main predictor of cultural competence relates to <b>language diversity<\/b>. Specifically, the researchers found that the ability to communicate in multiple languages is clearly connected to adaptation to multiple cultures, and positively predicts cultural flexibility and tolerance for ambiguity. Naturally, being bilingual or multilingual due to having several cultures of origin, as well as experience of living in different countries, provide a good basis for such <b>language diversity<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>The role of language competency is also well pronounced in relation to expatriation, as <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/expatriatus\/2013\/02\/28\/global-mobility-facing-the-ultimate-language-challenges\/\" target=\"_blank\">language difficulties<\/a> remain salient barriers to global mobility. Even though global companies may successfully use a lingua franca \u2013 which is helpful with work adjustment \u2013 social adjustment and the management of one\u2019s everyday life still require local language proficiency at least to some extent.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Family diversity<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The next predictor of <b>cross-cultural competencies<\/b> is termed family diversity. The researchers argue that being brought up in a household where family members have different nationalities provides exposure to multiple cultural perspectives, which in turn has a positive impact on developing <b>cross-cultural competencies<\/b>. This also further explains the benefits of bi- or multicultural backgrounds. Related to the previously mentioned factors, a culturally diverse family is also a good basis for social learning of <b>cross-cultural skills<\/b> and the development of <b>language diversity<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Openness to change<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Finally, looking into personality traits, the study suggests that openness to change is a particularly good predictor of <b>cross-cultural competencies<\/b>. Individuals high on the trait are thought to be curious, innovative, willing to take risks and hence readily approach new situations, and open to explore and adapt. Thinking about cross-cultural encounters, it is easy to agree that being curious about a new culture, willing to engage in new relationships, and having a non-judgmental approach may be rather helpful.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b><i>Practical implications<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p>Given the main factors found to benefit <b>cross-cultural competence<\/b>, it is evident that people with several cultural backgrounds and with extensive international experience, such as <b>ATCKs<\/b>, possess good initial conditions for developing these competencies. As such, <b>multicultural individuals<\/b> and <b>ATCKs<\/b> could be viewed as a good pool of potential expatriate candidates. Apart from recruiting individuals with the discussed set of criteria, the study findings also provide global companies with guidance for training and development of their potential international assignees.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Further reading:<\/p>\n<p>Tarique, I. &amp; Weisbord, E. ( 2013). Antecedents of dynamic cross-cultural competence in adult third culture kids (ATCKs). <i>Journal of Global Mobility<\/i>, 1(2), 139-160.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of the most important topics in the area of global mobility concerns the cross-cultural competencies (CC) that are required when abroad. Be it for the population of global leaders, international expatriates and inpatriates, their spouses and kids, or global nomads, we look for characteristics, abilities and skills that help people to adjust and function [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":345,"featured_media":1758,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44832],"tags":[72788,72742,18375,72790,72789,44781],"class_list":["post-1754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-research","tag-adult-third-culture-kids-atcks","tag-cross-cultural-competencies","tag-international-experience","tag-language-diversity","tag-multicultural-individuals","tag-third-culture-kids"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/expatriatus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/expatriatus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/expatriatus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/expatriatus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/345"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/expatriatus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1754"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/expatriatus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1754\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1760,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/expatriatus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1754\/revisions\/1760"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/expatriatus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1758"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/expatriatus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/expatriatus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/expatriatus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}