MODULE

INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE

Intercultural Communication Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer

16 October 2023/ 4
Intercultural competence – relevance for work/life?

• Multicultural teams
• Deployment for War and Peacekeeping
• Integration of immigrants
• International project coordination
• Collaboration with colleagues in foreign subsidiaries
• Purchasing department that sources globally
• Export: communication with international logistic companies, retailers, agencies

• Internship abroad
• Study abroad
• Extended travel

Intercultural Communication Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer

16 October 2023/ 5
Intercultural competence (1) - definition

“Intercultural competence is the ability to interact effectively and appropriately

in intercultural situations, based on specific intercultural knowledge, skills and
attitudes.” (adapted based on Boecker/Jäger 2006 in Rothlauf 2014)

Intercultural Communication Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer

16 October 2023/ 6
Intercultural competence (2) - model

Intercultural Intercultural
knowledge attitude
(Cognitive level) (Affective level)
Internal and
external
Intercultural outcomes
Contextual skills (conative
level)

Based on Rothlauf 2014, p. 122ff.

Intercultural Communication Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer
16 October 2023/ 7
Intercultural competence (3) – description of the
components

• Attitude/affective level:

?
curiosity, cognitive flexibility, motivation, open-mindedness

• Knowledge/cognitive level:
cultural self-awareness, culture-general knowledge, culture-specific This course?
knowledge, interaction analysis

• Skills/behavioral level:
relationship building skills, listening, problem-solving, empathy, information
gathering skills

Intercultural Communication Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer

16 October 2023/ 8
Intercultural competence (4) – description of the
components

Internal outcome External outcome

• adaptability
• flexibility behaving and communicating
• empathy appropriately and effectively in
 Ultimately adapting an ethno- intercultural situations
relative view

Individual Interaction

Intercultural Communication Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer

16 October 2023/ 9
Attitude: Intercultural Sensitivity

• Intercultural Sensitivity is the ability to accept and accommodate cultural differences

• 6 stages by Bennet (1993)

Intercultural Communication Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer

16 October 2023/ 10
Intercultural competence (5) – Process!

Intercultural Communication Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer

16 October 2023/ 13
Intercultural competence (6) – tool(s) for improving Int.
Comp.: D-I-E

Your own culture

Mental shorthand
Description Interpretation Evaluation

Input from
the
environment

Foreign culture

Description Interpretation Evaluation

Based on Lustig/Koester 2010, p. 76ff.

Intercultural Communication Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer
16 October 2023/ 14
Intercultural competence (7) – D-I-E (cont.)

Example:
…details the specific perceptual cues and
Ali arrived ten min. after
Description information one receives, without judgment or
the start of the class.
interpretation.

…provides a hypothesis about what the Ali doesn’t care about this
Interpretation
perceptual information might mean. particular class. OR…?

…indicates an emotional or affective judgment I am really offended by

Evaluation
about the information. that attitude. OR…?

D-I-E increases your choices for understanding (inter)actions, and

responding appropriately and effectively

Intercultural Communication Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer

16 October 2023/ 15
Cultural relocation is a transitional challenge

Cope

Transitional
Home culture challenge Foreign culture

Cop out

Intercultural Communication Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer

16 October 2023/ 16
Transitional experience challenge our identity

Home culture
Foreign culture

Who am I?
Who am I?
This can
threaten,
strengthen,
or change our
What do I know? What do I
identity!
know?

What should I do?

What should I do?

Intercultural Communication Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer

16 October 2023/ 17
Culture shock is a concept to describe intercultural
adaptation

Criticism?!

Ability to…
- establish interpersonal relationships
- deal with psychological stress
- communicate appropriately and effectively
…can speed up the adaptation process
Intercultural Communication Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer
16 October 2023/ 18
Culture shock

• …psychological reaction to a completely unfamiliar or alien environment (= a new cultural context)

• Our cultural ‘auto-pilot’ doesn’t work
• Neither good nor bad, neither necessary nor unnecessary

• Typical (negative) responses when culture shock occurs (Lustig/Koester, p. 319):

• Excessive washing of hands
• Excessive concern over drinking water, food, dishes, and bedding
• Fear of physical contact with attendants & acquaintances
• Absent minded, faraway stare
• Feeling of helplessness
• Desire for dependence on long-term residents of one’s own nationality
• Fits of anger over delays and other minor frustrations
• Delay, and outright refusal to learn the language of the host country
• Excessive fear of being cheated, robbed, or injured
• Great concern over minor pains and eruptions of the skin
• Terrible longing to be home, and experience typical everyday things

What helps? Interaction/Exchanges (chats, video calls..) with friends/acquaintances from one’s culture who are going through the
same experience. The opportunity to describe one’s feelings of alienation and homesickness while adjusting to a new culture
reduces the stress, and strains of the adaptation process new technology/social media

Intercultural Communication Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer

16 October 2023/ 19
(Inter-)Cultural adaptation (Kim 2001)

Deculturation

Enculturation Internal transformation Assimilation

Acculturation

Cultural adaptation Intercultural adaptation

Intercultural Communication Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer
16 October 2023/ 21
Strategies of intercultural adaptation for
individuals/groups (Berry 2010)

Maintenance of heritage culture and identity

+ -
+
Integration Assimilation

Relationship sought
among groups
Separation Marginalization

Intercultural Communication Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer

16 October 2023/ 22
Intercultural strategies in ethnocultural groups and in the
larger society

Maintenance of heritage culture and identity

+ -
+
Multi-
Integration Assimilation Melting Pot
culturalism
Relationship sought
among groups
Marginaliza-
Separation Segregation Exclusion
tion
-
Strategies of ethnocultural Strategies of larger society
groups/individuals

Intercultural Communication Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer

16 October 2023/ 23
Summary
Intercultural Competence and Adaptation

What is Intercultural competence? Tool to improve Intercultural competence: D-I-E

What happens when

we go abroad?
Intercultural Communication Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer
16 October 2023/ 24
 MODULE 2
Intercultural communication theories

Intercultural Communication Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer

16 October 2023/ 25
Intercultural Communication theories

Theories focusing on….

effective outcomes

accomodation and adaptation

identity management or negotiation

communication networks

acculturation or adjustment

Gudykunst (2002), Intercultural Communication Theories, in: Gudykunst/Mody (eds), Handbook of International and Intercultural Communication, Thousand Oaks: Sage, p. 183ff.
Intercultural Communication Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer
16 October 2023/ 26
Why do we communicate as we do with people from
different cultures?

• 2 theories that explain the factors that influence our communication in intercultural settings

#1 Anxiety and Uncertainty Management (AUM) Theory

by William B. Gudykunst (1995)

#2 Communication Accomodation Theory (CAT)

by Gallois, Ogay & Giles (2005)

Intercultural Communication Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer

16 October 2023/ 27
Anxiety and Uncertainty Management (AUM) Theory (1)

• Developed to explain effective communication with strangers

• A ‚stranger‘ is physically close (e.g. lives in the neighborhood) but far away culturally or emotionally

Uncertainty:
• When we meet a stranger for the first time, everything is new.

This ‚newness‘ creates uncertainty:

What beliefs, attitudes, behaviors will the stranger exhibit? How well can I explain and/or predict this
behavior/attitude…?
 How predictable is someone? How predictable is a situation?
 Minimum/Maximum thresholds of uncertainty
 To manage our uncertainty, we seek information or use categorization

Intercultural Communication Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer

16 October 2023/ 28
Hypothetical model of uncertainty over time

high

Maximum threshold

Amount of
uncertainty

Minimum threshold

low

Time
Source: Gudykunst/Kim (2003), p. 33.

Intercultural Communication Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer

16 October 2023/ 29
Anxiety and Uncertainty Management (AUM) Theory (2)

Anxiety:
• …refers to the feelings of being tense, worried, and uneasy about what might happen.
• Basis: anticipation of possible negative consequences

Intercultural Communication Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer

16 October 2023/ 30
Hypothetical model of anxiety over time

high

Maximum threshold

Amount of
anxiety

Minimum threshold

low

Time
Source: Gudykunst/Kim (2003), p. 36.

Intercultural Communication Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer

16 October 2023/ 31
Anxiety and Uncertainty Management (AUM) Theory (3)

• In order to communicate effectively with a stranger we must act consciously, i.e. be mindful of our
thoughts, actions, and messages.
• In everyday communication situations we act habitually, and don‘t pay much attention to our
communication behavior  ‚auto pilot‘
• Being mindful means: …making more, not fewer distinctions
…involves being open to new information and new perspectives
…focusing on the process of communication (not the outcome!)

 DIE-tool

Intercultural Communication Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer

16 October 2023/ 32
Anxiety and Uncertainty Management (AUM) Theory (3)

PRICA
Test

Uncertainty
Management

Effective
Mindfulness
Communication

Anxiety
Management

Source: adapted from Gudykunst/Kim (2003), p. 43.

Intercultural Communication Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer

16 October 2023/ 33
Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT)

• Accomodation means adjustment or adaptation

• CAT explains why we adjust (or not adjust) our nonverbal and verbal messages to others during initial
encounters
 Accomodation: Similar speech patterns, similar body language (= mirroring)
vs. Nonaccomodation

• CAT describes …the initial orientations people bring to an interaction

…their motivation during interaction
…the expectations of future interactions

Intercultural Communication Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer

16 October 2023/ 35
CAT –
examples

Intercultural Communication Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer

16 October 2023/ 36