Intercultural Competence, Self-Reflection, and Learning Transfer
In a business environment as complicated as the one in which we all function today, communication skills are of the utmost importance, relating to all levels of leadership, management and performance.
Interestingly enough, as scientists study the homogenisation of global culture, intercultural competence increases in value while becoming increasingly difficult. Developing knowledge about the beliefs, experiences, and values of the people with whom we conduct business allow for more complete, competent, and comprehensive communication which will, in turn, benefit organisational outcomes.
At the same time, it is necessary for communicators to fully understand themselves – their own beliefs, experiences, and values – and how components of personality impact the ability to properly perform within an organisation.
Reflection is at the heart of learning transfer, and when the research proves that reflection is playing an important role in developing critical communication skills and intercultural capacities, then its importance cannot be undervalued.
Let’s use the academic paper by Mesut Akdere and Louis Hickman –
As the abstract details: Self-reflection is a common component of the theoretical underpinnings of self-efficacy and intercultural competence, suggesting that critical self-reflection may be an inexpensive and highly effective method for developing intercultural leadership competency….The findings indicate that critical self-reflection method increased participants’ generalized self- efficacy and intercultural communication skill, a component of intercultural competence. Improving self-efficacy and intercultural competence should improve both leadership effectiveness and employee productivity by increasing their willingness to engage in difficult tasks with a diverse set of stakeholders.
Self-Reflection
We often refer to Socrates’ “Know thyself” to understand the complications that develop in the transfer of learning. Not until we understand the developmental events which colour our own perceptions and impact our intellectual capacity can we successfully transfer learning.
While the term “self-reflection” can invoke thoughts of meditation and retreats, as it relates to the transfer of learning, self-reflection develops into self-efficacy*. The awareness of one’s own strengths and weaknesses introduces the concept of growth and development. Using the transfer of learning as a goal, one can increase the level of self-efficacy to facilitate the process by which learning becomes an accomplishment, beyond an intellectual exercise.
The Socratic philosophy above extends beyond the self to understanding others. Not until you know your own self, can you relate to others you work with – people who share the same goal but approach the task via backgrounds that extend well beyond your own personal experiences. Which brings us to….
Intercultural Competence
For a very long time, when cultures were more separated and leaders were taught to lead by example, communication between people from various cultures was simple, if not necessarily effective. It was “Do as I do, know as I know, understand as I understand”. People had to conform to the background and approach of the leader.
Such an approach is no longer accepted. Science and research show us that the ability to communicate with people from various backgrounds in different and specific ways leads to greater and easier understanding. More recently, leadership has stopped being a blunt instrument; instead, it has become a pathway to the desired result, leading to an improved bottom line for organisations.
Intercultural competence is the ability to successfully communicate in a global environment. It is the ability to function well within a diverse team, and to develop intercultural competence among those team members as well.
Intercultural competence is no longer seen as just an asset for executives and leaders – it is a necessity. Few communities today, be they social or business, remain homogeneous. Intercultural competence is a requirement in all pursuits.
One leads to the other
As the study suggests, self-reflection leads to self-efficacy, which then leads to intercultural competence. The study does not suggest that any of the three steps (self-reflection, self-efficacy, and the ability to be competent interculturally) are particularly easy, although there are many methods to achieve the first step. Coach M and the pathway of learning transfer is one such method.
The goal is to be able to communicate efficiently in a global setting. To do so, the communicator must be able to draw from within to develop the self-efficacy that can lead to intercultural competence. A more effective leader translates to more successful organisational outcomes, which, for any learning and development professional, must be our ultimate goal.
We encourage you to look at our website to see how we approach accelerating results from your leadership programs and how learning transfer can help leaders purposefully build self-reflection – a proven key to self-efficacy and intercultural competence.