Contrary to some myths of assimilatrion, globalization has actually generated more emphasis on cultural diversity. Organizations face increased cultural variation in both external markets and internal workforce issues. To paraphrase the Harvard Business Scholl professor Rosabet Moss Kanter, “Every organization in the 21st century will have access to global diversity, but successful organizations will know how to turn that access into an asset.” (Moss Kanter, 1995). This presentation will suggest how organizations can maintain competitive performance by developing intercultural viability – the capacity to co-evolve in changing social ecosystems. It demands that leaders become more conscious and that organizations become more agile. >> read more

This reading is an edited compilation of two articles by Milton J. Bennett: “Developing Intercultural Competence for Global Managers” in Reineke, Rolf- Dieter (Editor) (June, 2001) Interkulturelles Managment. Wiesbaden: Gabler Verlag, ISBN: 3-409-11794-6 and “An Intercultural Mindset and Skillset for Global Leadership” from Conference Proceedings of Leadership Without Borders: Developing Global Leaders. Adelphi, MD: National leadership Institute and the Center for Creative Leadership, University of Maryland University College, 2001. Revised 2016, >> read more

Abstract:

Referencing the original definition of intercultural communication by E.T. Hall in The Silent Language, culture is the process of communication whereby groups of people coordinate meaning and action, and intercultural communication is the process whereby members of different groups coordinate meaning and action across cultural boundaries. It follows that intercultural communication competence (ICC) is the ability to do just that – to engage in a kind of meta-coordination that yields increased intercultural comprehension and collaboration.  >> read more

This informal paper is an overview of some topics of interest in measuring intercultural competence. It is not meant to constitute a complete statement regarding either the potential subjects of measurement or the methodology of measurement in intercultural relations. Further, the perspective taken here is derived from intercultural communication rather than from cross-cultural psychology or cultural linguistics, two related but distinct fields. >> read more

If you do not already think so, the articles in this volume will convince you that study abroad has changed. At the university level, it has transcended its history as a “grand tour” for the leisure class and the more plebian “junior year abroad.” Now university study abroad encompasses massive mobility of students among European Union universities and to and from the United States and other countries through a myriad of school-based and consortia-based programs. At the secondary (high school) level, the traditional AFS year in the US or Europe has been expanded by AFS and other organizations to include shorter programs to and from a broader range of countries. Added to the change in format and destination are educational foci that go well beyond traditional study to include internships, service-learning, and other learning opportunities. >> read more