INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE & CULTURAL ORIENTATIONS AT WORKPLACE

Abdul Aziz Popal. MD. MA.Pashto B-UML

OBJECTIVES

INTERCULTRAL COMPETENCE & WORKPLACEINTERCULTURAL DEVELOPMENT CONTINUUMCULTURAL ORIENTATIONS CONCLUSIONSBUT WHY?

LAYERS OF DIVERSITY Personality

Internal Dimensions• Age• Gender• Race• EthnicityExternal Dimensions• Religion• Income• Marital Status• Appearance• Work & Education• HabitsOrganizational• Position• Department• Seniority • Union• Management

INTERCULTRAL COMPETENCE & WORKPLACE

DiversityCross-cultural UnderstandingLiability? Building Successful Organizations?

CHECKING CULTURAL ORIENTATION

What Kind of Mindset Cause This?

CHECKING CULTURAL ORIENTATION

• Born in USA• Associate

Professor of Arabic in Kuwait

• Author in Arabic Language

• Converted to Islam

What Kind of Mindset Cause This?

INTERCULTURAL DEVELOPMENT CONTINUUM

Denial

Defense Reversal

Minimization

Acceptance

Adaptation

Monocultural

Intercultural

CULTURAL OREINTATIONS

Monocultural

• Ethnocentricity• Dominant

Culture• Stereotypic

Transitional

• Focus on Unifying Frameworks

Intercultural

• Global Mindset• A Genuine

Desire to Learn & Adapt

CULTURAL OREINTATIONSMONOCULRAL OREINATION

DENIAL

Spare Cult. ExperienceStereotypic PerceptionSense of DisinterestAvoidanceLow UnderstandingLow Adaptation Ability

Polarization

JudgmentalDefense vs. ReversalUs vs ThemSense of SuperiorityDiversity as an ObstacleAdopt our Ways

Monocultural Mindset

Minimization• Awareness of Culture-specific & Culture-general• Focus on Shared Commonalities• Mask Underlying Differences• Foster Equity rather than Bias & Discrimination• A Strategy to Get Things Done• “GO ALONG TO GET ALONG”

Intercultural Mindset

CULTURAL OREINTATIONS

TRANSITIONAL

CULTURAL OREINTATIONSINTERCULTURAL OREINATION

AcceptanceDeep Exploration of DifferencesUnderstand others’ PerspectiveAppreciate Complexity of DiversitySelf-reflexivenessCurious & InterestedUnclear to adaptationWeigh One’s Values with Others

Adaptation

Shifting PerspectiveAdapting BehaviorsExperience the Culture of OthersBi- or Multi-cultural CapacityNo Bi- or Multi-cultural Identity

CHECKING CULTURAL ORIENTATION

What is the mindset behind such an act?A. Mono-culturalB. InterculturalC. NeutralD. UnbiasedE. Disengagement

CHECKING CULTURAL ORIENTATION

Monocultural

Monocultural

Acceptance

CHECKING CULTURAL ORIENTATION

• Born in USA• Associate

Professor of Arabic in Kuwait

• Author in Arabic Language

• Converted to Islam

Adaptability

Disengagement

CHECKING CULTURAL ORIENTATION

I don’t like Pashto, English, Russian, German etc. They are so…

Our new procedures, policies are much better than theirs

In Honor Of Your Religious Holiday, Please Take A 59 Minute Admin Leave

I Support The Notion Of An Emphasis On Newly Hired “Diverse” Members To Fit In The Culture Of Organization.

My advice to you is to “learn the organization.”

“Our” way of doing things is the best way.

CHECKING CULTURAL ORIENTATION

I am not feeling comfortable when he/she is around me; we areso different from each other.

Go Along to Get Along

I know for sure that we are different from each other, but still we both are human beings

CONCLUSIONInter-cultural Awareness – Diversity IgnoredUs vs. Them – Diversity Feels UncomfortableMinimization – To Get the Job Done – Diversity Nor

HeardCuriosity to Lean & Start Adapting – Diversity

UnderstoodInteract Effectively with People of Different Culture

- Diversity feels “valued and involved.”Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI)

REFERENCES

Moodian, M.A. (2009). Contemporary leadership and intercultural competence: Exploring the cross-cultural dynamics within organizations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

iDi (Intercultural Development Inventory, 2016). The Roadmap to Intercultural Competence Using the IDI, Products: The Intercultural Development Continuum (IDC™). Retrieved from: https://idiinventory.com/products/the-intercultural-development-continuum-idc/