INTERCULTURAL BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Profiling your intercultural competence

Student’s Name:

Student’s Specialisation

Date:

Aims:

+ Profile your own intercultural competence

+Develop a personal development plan on the basis of the profile you have created

At heart, intercultural effectiveness depends on an individual’s openness to those who are different.
This means being able to interact with others positively, avoiding negative emotions such as
irritation and defensiveness which so often arise during the challenge of having to deal with a person
who is different. If individuals can stay positive, they have the opportunity to experience diversity
not as a challenge but as an opportunity, to take the best from the ‘two worlds’ of self and other,
and create a synthesis of something better. This is the ultimate aim.

1. Read the descriptions of ten dimensions of intercultural competence below, which are based
on research conducted by UK-based consultancy WorldWork.
2. Decide how far they describe your intercultural working style by circling a number 1-4:
1=not very significant for you, 4= very significant for you). It is important to take your time,
consider the question, reflect and answer honestly. There are no right answers- there are
advantages to both high and low scores.
3. Afterwards, read the analysis of the results to find out the possible meaning of your scores.
The results analysis will be provided by your course instructor. Identify three main strengths
and three main weaknesses which your profile shows.
4. Look at the personal development guide (provided by your course instructor) and think
about the important strengths and weaknesses which you identified above.
5. Use the table below to note down three personal development targets, either to improve a
skill or to work on a weakness in some way.

Personal development target Action steps Schedule

1. a.
b.
c.

2. a.
b.
c.
 3. a.
b.
c

6. Review your personal development targets with someone who knows you well and who may
have insights to offer on your targets and recommendations on actions and schedule.

Profiling Your Intercultural Competence Tick Tick Tick Tick

Intercultural Competence Dimension 1 2 3 4
(not very (very
significant significant
for you) for you)
1. Meeting new people

I take a very strong interest in meeting new

people from different and unfamiliar cultural
backgrounds. I like to be the one who makes
the first introduction, start conversation and
begins building the relationship.

2. Being flexible
I adapt very easily to many different social and
cultural situations. I often experiment with
different behaviours and change to those which
are acceptable and comfortable for others.
3. Focusing on targets

I like to set specific goals when working

interculturally and internationally and work
very hard to achieve them despite any
problems or pressure to compromise from
others
4. Dealing with uncertainty

I enjoy variety, change and stimulation in life. I

frequently push myself into uncomfortable and
ambiguous situations, even if I am unsure if I
have the skills needed to succeed.
5. Understanding how others see me
I know how others see me. I am sensitive to
how my own communication style and general
working behaviour can be interpreted-
positively and negatively- by my (international-
if applicable) co-workers and partners.
6. Listening effectively/actively
 I think it is important to clarify what others say
when communicating
interculturally/internationally. I often ask
‘What do you mean?’ or ‘Do you mean that…?’
to check that I understand what others have
said.
7. Speaking clearly

I explain ideas with simple words and

sentences. I often explain the positive
motivation behind my message so that others
do not misunderstand my communication
negatively.
8. Learning about culture

I invest time in learning about different cultures

(national, organisational, corporate). I get the
information in different ways, for example,
reading, asking colleagues and clients about
culture, observing and reflecting,
9. Influencing decisions

I can influence what happens around me at

university or at work because I understand and
manage the ‘politics’ of the organisations, for
example who the real decision makers are, who
I need to build relationships with, etc.
10. Managing diverse groups

I link people together in discussions and

meetings. I help people listen to each other so
that different points are respected and can be
used to solve problems creatively.

Cultural tip: Consider the skills you need to be effective in an international role in your organisation.
Define a realistic personal development plan with clear targets to improve your communication
skills. Make sure you are able to measure the success of each action.

Can do: I can profile my own intercultural competence and set realistic targets to develop it.