text belonging to presentation travel to learn updated competence model

Erik van ‘t Klooster www.getupandgo.nl [email protected]

Dear guests of the 25th anniversary cooperation between Rotterdam Business School & Bielefeld

University of Applied Sciences,

In the following 20 minutes, I will highlight the need for developing international competencies, what

these should include according to my research, address current learning effects and provide some

points for improvement for learning programs. In this presentation I build upon the findings of my

PhD research which I defended in June.

The content of my presentation is as follows. First I will briefly touch upon the increasingly

international context that we operate in, its opportunities and threats. Then I will define the

international competencies that are needed to adopt to this context, in terms of cross-cultural

competencies, management competencies and personal development. Next, I discuss some of the

learning effects that have been registered by researchers among participants of study abroad programs,

and contrast these with the learning effects found in other educational travel programs such as

international internships, international research projects and study tours. Finally, I will share some

concerns with regard to the optimization of learning effects and provide recommendations for learning

programs.

The imperative for my research is the fact that over the past two decades, innovations in transportation

and information communication technology have resulted in an ever expanding global perspective

among people and companies. On the one hand this offers opportunities for international business.

Also, more and more people travel abroad to gain new experiences and get in touch with other

lifestyles, other cultures. However, this new playing field doesn’t solely offer advantages. The world

has also become much more dynamic, competitive and more uncertain due to international supply

chains, global restructuring, and interdependent markets. Global power is shifting from West to East.

Cultural differences increase the chance of conflicts in international business and politics. Hence, this

uncertainty doesn’t merely apply to the world of work and material things but also refers to deeper

feelings of uncertainty about who we are and what we can expect from others (e.g. other cultures).

Educational institutes play an important role in preparing students for this new reality. One way of

doing this is for students to engage in educational travel experiences. Indeed, over the past two

decades increasing numbers of students participated in study abroad programs, study tours,

international internships and relatively new short-term programs such as international research

projects. Yet, at the same time, globalization seems to have reduced some of the traditional benefits of

educational travel, as the challenge of adapting to a different cultural environment has become easier

than it has been in the past. Equally, there is a need to reconsider the competencies that educational

travel should develop, as there is a noticeable shift towards pointing out the professional relevance of

these experiences. As a result the following research questions become relevant:


What international competencies should be learned?

What competencies are actually learned?

What are the implications for learning programs?

Answering these questions is relevant for different actors related to higher education, for the following

reasons:

1. Educational institutes will be able to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the learning

experience.

2. Students are better able to articulate their learning experiences to recruiters.

3. The industry benefits from students with more international and profession-related work

experience.

4. From a government perspective, students are better prepared for an uncertain, international

society.

In my research I used both a literature study and empirical research to come up with the following

competence framework, consisting of three components: Cross-cultural competencies, management

competencies and personal development.

Regarding cross-cultural competencies, I can make a distinction between relationship and perception

aspects, similar to the popular visualization of culture as an iceberg. Immediately visible at the surface,

are relationship competencies such as business etiquette, foreign language skills or factual cultural

knowledge that are needed to bridge differences between people of different cultures. The less visible

part relates to perceptual competencies, such as understanding cultural values that form the basis for

behavior. Often in a conflict we first look at the surface, thinking that our viewpoints are the same.

However, below the surface are different values and attitudes which can differ greatly. For example,

values related to hierarchy, individualistic or collective cultures.

For management competencies, a similar division can be made. First there are technical competencies

which include quantitative skills, disciplinary management knowledge (e.g. finance, marketing) and,

most important in an international context, international business knowledge (e.g. international

marketing, international law and political issues). Second, there are competencies which are more

difficult to define such as problem solving and collaboration.

Finally, I define personal development based on (1) more behavior-related competencies such as

independence and flexibility, and (2) perception- and reflective competencies such as self-awareness

and an expanded worldview. Often, when students enter a new environment (for example through

study abroad) they discover something new about themselves.


With regard to the learning effects of study abroad, my research confirms that students learn a

considerable amount of international competencies. Amongst different types of educational travel, the

study abroad compares favorably, however individual longer term work assignments such as

international internships are likely to offer student more work related international experiences (when

designed well). As such the central question becomes how to optimize the learning experience of study

abroad, in light of the international business context.

Also, in general several factors can impede the learning process of students during their study abroad

experience:

The short duration of the experience, which doesn’t allow cultural differences to “sink in”.

The retreat into an "expat bubble" diminishes the learning experience or gives a false sense of

developing international competencies.

A moderate learning environment.

A better support structure would help students to get more out of their experience abroad. Regarding

this last point, my practical recommendations for educational institutions in particular emphasize the

importance of reflective learning, in order to:

1. Measure the progression made with respect to the different competencies and to make

sure no international competencies are neglected.

2. Understand initial vague concepts such as underlying cultural values.

3. Asses the learning process in a more realistic way.

4. Upon return, apply new insights into the familiar ‘home country’ surroundings.

Thank you for your attention and should you like to know more about my research, please visit my

website www.getupandgo.nl.

For more information:

Erik van ‘t Klooster

Puntegaalstraat 45

3024 EB Rotterdam

The Netherlands

Telephone: +31654386822

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.getupandgo.nl