Qué es la competencia intercultural

Las necesidades básicas son sensitivas y seguridad de sí mismo: el entendimiento del comportamiento de los otros y las formas de pensar, así también la habilidad de expresar el propio punto de vista en una forma clara con la certeza de ser entendido y respetado siendo flexible donde es posible y siendo claro y transparente cuando es necesario.

La competencia intercultural es la competencia de la comunicación exitosa con gente de otras culturas. Esta competencia puede existir desde que se es joven o ser desarrollada e improvisada, refiriéndose a la fuerza de voluntad y habilidad. La base para una comunicación intercultural es la competencia emocional, junto con la sensitividad intercultural.

La meta de valorar la competencia intercultural es encontrar si una persona tiene la habilidad o el potencial para esto.

Las culturas pueden ser diferentes no sólo entre continentes o naciones, pero incluso dentro de la misma compañía o incluso familia: cada ser humano tiene su propia historia, su propia vida y por lo tanto incluso (en cierta extensión) su propia cultura o afiliación cultural (geográfica, étnica, moral, ética, religiosa, política, histórica).

Promover y aprovechar

las competencias interculturales

El CICB Center of Intercultural Competence ayuda usar y aprovechar las competencias interculturales y de su potencial para personas en empresas internacionales.

Fundamento y capacidad

siempre que se quiere utilizar las potencias de la diversidad cultural

Éxito en el extranjero

siempre que se quiere conseguir finalidades al otro lado de la fronteras

Integración

siempre que diversas culturas cooperan

Nada puede dar una im'agen m'as precisa de una iempresa que su capacidad de tratar a diversas culturas en el interior de su pa'is y en el extranjero.

Por eso el CICB se propone ayudar y aprovechar el potencial de competencias interculturales de la empresa y de las personas que la componen.

• Qué es la competencia intercultural?
• Por qué la competencia intercultural?
• Cómo valorar la competencia intercultural?

Por qué la competencia intercultural

La competencia intercultural es necesaria como la base para cualquier interacción! No es sólo necesario tener destreza, sino también improvisar  la sensitividad y el entendimiento para otros valores, vistas, formas de vida y pensamientos, así como ser seguro de sí mismo en transferir nuestros propios valores y vistas en una forma clara, pero apropiada.

La competencia intercultural ayuda a entender a otros y a archivar  metas.

Typical Examples of cultural differences

The perception is different and often selective:

• Expressions are differentiated according their importance: for the Inuits (Eskimos) snow is part of their everyday life, therefore many words (e. g. over 10 substantives) exist to describe it. Similarly the Zulus use 39 different descriptions (singular words) for the color „green”.
• In Arabic countries the odors (of condiments, coffee etc.) are often perceived in more differentiated ways than e. g. in northern America.
• In Asian countries the perception of time is rather past-oriented (ancestors, values), in Latin American countries as well as southern European countries rather present-oriented, and in western Europe as well as Noth America rather future-oriented.

Behavior and gestures are interpreted differently:

• Shaking the head in a horizontal direction in most countries means „no”, while in India it means „yes”, and in hindi language the voice lowers in pitch at the end of a question.
• Showing the thumb held upwards means in Latin America, especially Brazil, but also in many other countries „everything’s ok”, while it is understood in some Islamic countries as well as Sardinia and Greece as a rude sexual sign. Furthermore, the sign of thumb up may signify the number "one" in France and a few other central european countries.
• „Everything ok” is shown in western European countries, especially between pilots and divers, with the sign of the thumb and forefinger forming an „O”. This sign means in Japan „now we may talk about money”, in southern France the contrary („nothing, without any value”), in Spain, some Latin American countries, Eastern Europe and Russia it is an indecent sexual sign.
• In North America as well as in Arabic countries the pauses between words are usually not too long, while in Japan pauses can give a contradictory sense to the spoken words by the meaning of pauses. Enduring silence is perceived as comfortable in Japan, while in Europe and North America it may cause insecureness and embarrassment. Scandinavians, by Western standards, are more tolerant of silent breaks during conversations.
• Laughing is connoted in most countries with happiness - in Japan it is often a sign of confusion, insecureness and embarrassment.
• In the UK Ireland and Commonwealth countries, the word „compromise” has a positive meaning (as a consent, an agreement where both parties win something); in the USA it may rather have negative connotations (as both parties lose something).
• In Mediterranean European countries, Latin America and Sub Saharan Africa, it is normal, or at least widely tolerated, to arrive half an hour late for a dinner invitaiton, whereas in Germany and Switzerland this would be extremely rude.
• If invited to dinner, in many Asian countries and Central America it is well-mannered to leave right after the dinner: the ones who don’t leave may indicate they have not eaten enough. In the Indian Sub-Continent, European and North American countries this is considered rude, indicating that the guest only wanted to eat but wouldn’t enjoy the company with the hosts.
• In Africa, saying to a female friend one has not seen for a while that she has put on weight means she is physically healthier than before or had a nice holiday, whereas this would be considered as an insult in Europe, North America and Australia.