Ignorant Mistake Dims the Luster of Gold

The following is a guest blog post on Athletes and Intercultural Competency by Arayael E. Brandner

This is America. Speak American.

This ethnocentric line of thinking might resonate with some people or it might make others uncomfortable. There are people who feel as though they do not have to adapt to other cultures and everyone should adapt to theirs. Cultural ignorance. People that never have an opportunity to change their worldview through study abroad, cultural programming through educational opportunities, or living in a super diverse area, might not have the understanding of why it is important to have some kind of intercultural competence.

In recent events, a United States swimmer and Olympic gold medalist, made a culturally incompetent mistake. You might be familiar with the Rio scandal that involved Ryan Lochte making a false report to Brazilian authorities about being robbed near a gas station. Instead, video surveillance showed the swimmers were not harmed, but instead vandalized the gas station bathroom. (See USA Today link for full story)

Did the Olympic athletes have some sort of cultural training before heading down to Rio de Janeiro to compete? If Ryan Lochte received some sort of intercultural training, do you think the scenario would have played out differently? Maybe, maybe not. These are valid questions, and one would think that these high profile athletes, who are representing nations, would receive some type of preparation before entering into a different culture to compete on a global platform. Darla Deardorff, a leading scholar-practitioner in the field of International Education, created a cultural competency framework, and it mentions skills that can be learned to help individuals become more culturally and globally competent when found in environments different than their own. The framework displays how one acquires global competency skills, attitudes, global knowledge, and internal and external outcomes (Deardorff, 2009). In her model she has illustrated the process an individual goes through to gain competency skills. It starts with the individual and the attitude and previous knowledge/experience one has acquired on their own in their normal living environment. Then through an international or cultural experience, the individual then moves into the interaction stage where internal and external outcomes come into play. A likely internal outcome would be something like adaptability to new environments, people, food, customs or developing empathy and understanding of your own background to this new culture you are immersed into. A desired external outcome would be proper communication and behavior in an intercultural setting. This external outcome would have been very useful and relevant for Mr. Lochte to have had in his trip down to Rio. 

I would argue that if the Olympic athletes were required to complete some kind of cultural competency training before embarking on their road to Rio, this scenario would have played out differently, or not even occurred. As globalization increases, cultural programming should become an integral part of professional development and trainings, along with infusing these themes in an educational setting through curriculum and study abroad opportunities to change worldview perspectives and enhance intercultural competency skills. We want to move away from an ethnocentric way of thinking to become interculturally sensitive and open to new opportunities and environments.

References

Deardorff, Darla (2009). Theory reflections: intercultural competence framework/model.  The SAGE Handbook of Intercultural Competence at https://www.nafsa.org/_/File/_/theory_connections_intercultural_competence.pdf

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/rio-2016/2016/08/21/investigation-ryan-lochte-rio-olympics-authorities/89082232/

Photo credit:  Toby and Tai Shan

IHEC Blog Interview with Christi Hunter from Global Leadership Excellence, LLC

Today on IHEC Blog I’m pleased to be posting my first interview! I’ve been planning on conducting and posting interviews for several months now (and I still need to get back in touch with a few colleagues about interview requests I made through LinkedIn) and I am very happy to be posting this interview with Christi Hunter! Christi is the Director of Global Leadership Excellence, LLC and you can learn more about their work here.

1. What is global competence?

Global Competence is "having an open mind while actively seeking to understand cultural norms and expectations of others, and leveraging this gained knowledge to interact, communicate and work effectively outside one's environment" (Hunter, 2004). The Internal Readiness components are attitudinal in nature; they are: Self-Aware, Open-Minded, Willing to Take Risks, and Perceptive and Respectful of Diversity. External Readiness components are based on one’s knowledge gained from education or life experience; they include: Knowledgeable about World History, Globally Aware, Interculturally Competent, and Effective across Cultures

When the research on Global Competence began in 1999, there were 12 published definitions of the term and they varied widely. With that in mind, a primary goal of the research became to derive a consensus definition of the term. With the help of a number of international educators, Human Resources managers with Fortune 500 corporations, UN representatives, and others with extensive international experience, a Delphi Technique was employed. Following several rounds, first beginning with all published definitions of the term, a consensus definition for global competence was reached.

2. What’s the difference between global competence and intercultural competence? Are they the same thing?

No, global competence and intercultural competence are not synonymous terms; however, intercultural competence is one of the eight components of global competence. Our friend and colleague Darla Deardorff defined intercultural competence as “the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately in intercultural situations based on one’s intercultural knowledge, skills and attitudes.” However, the Global Competence Model™ expands to include a willingness to take personal risks outside one’s comfort zone, global awareness (including cross-border interactions, trade, geography, etc.), knowledge of world history, and being effective across cultures, so as to collaborate and work effectively within and across perceived or actual cultural barriers.

3. There are a lot of assessments available. What makes the Global Competence Aptitude Assessment® (GCAA®) different from the others?

There are several key distinctions between the GCAA® and its competitors. First of all, the Global Competence Aptitude Assessment® is one of the most widely piloted assessments in the world; it has been researched in more than 40 countries. The GCAA® is currently being used by students and educators around the world. As the global competence research population and the GCAA® deployment pilot group included Human Resources managers in transnational corporations, the instrument measures the skills that employers around the world seek in the workforce. Therefore, employers are actively seeking means of implementing the GCAA®, too.

While other assessments claim to measure global competence, they are not capturing all the components identified in the research and presented in the Global Competence Model™:
http://www.globalcompetence.org/model/

The GCAA® is far more insightful and revealing than many assessments that use question repetition or mere self appraisal. The Assessment challenges participants with a wide range of question styles, and most importantly, requires thinking on one’s feet, not just static responses.

Scoring is immediate, and provides an extensive report spanning both the Internal and External Readiness categories for global competence. The report also includes definitions of each component, and a series of recommendations, training and published resources to guide one’s growth and maturation. Since the participant receives the report directly, there is no costly overhead associated with training assessment administrators to deliver feedback. The report clearly delineates an individual’s strengths and growth opportunities across each of the eight components of global competence in understandable terms for personal improvement.

4. How does global competence impact education and employment marketability?

The American Council on Education has noted “the United States has a dangerous shortfall of individuals with global competence,” and went as far as to say that “America’s future depends upon our ability to develop a citizen base that is globally competent.” (1998)

Global competence isn’t just for those studying abroad, majoring in international relations or hoping to work for a transnational company. There are very few sustainable jobs in the global marketplace that don’t require effective communication and cooperation with international partners, counterparts, suppliers, or customers.

According to US Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, “We're competing … around the globe for jobs of the future” (2009). The research on global competence identified the necessary skills for the global workforce, so being globally competent dramatically increases one’s ability to compete in the global talent pool.

5. Can’t one just study about the destination country before departure and expect to be successful?

While there are many traveler’s guides and How To books and websites, they rarely prepare people for any experience deeper than language tidbits, common customs, tipping suggestions and food expectations. It would be naïve to assume that everyone one encounters in another country is a native or shares the majority culture identified in reference materials. As the world becomes more intermixed, so do the cultural norms and expectations.

In addition, no matter where one lives, one cannot always anticipate when one will encounter a person with a different cultural background -- leaving no opportunity to study in advance. A globally competent person can parachute to anywhere in the world, prepared with the foundational skills for effective interchanges with people from any cultural background. Basic skills for success begin with a mindset where one is willing to step outside one’s comfort zone, and has the ability to accept and embrace differences in a non-judgmental manner when in a new environment.

The SAGE Handbook of Intercultural Competence

I’m posting today about a forthcoming book that I’mvery excited to purchase and read. The SAGE Handbook of Intercultural Competence is edited by Darla K. Deardorff and will be available in October 2009. I know many of the authors and have worked closely with some on various committees and I have presented with Darla (the editor) at several conferences the past few years.

Following is the Table of Contents that I copied from the SAGE webpage for the book:

Foreword by Derek Bok

PART I. CONCEPTUALIZING INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE
1. Conceptualizing Intercultural Competence by Brian Spitzberg, Gabrielle Changnon
2. The Identity Factor in Intercultural Competence by Young Yun Kim
3. The Interculturally Competent Leader by Margaret D. Pusch
4. The Moral Circle in Intercultural Competence: Trust Across Cultures by Gert Jan Hofstede
5. Intercultural Conflict Competence as a Facet of Intercultural Competence Development: Multiple Conceptual Approaches by Stella Ting-Toomey
6. Cultivating Intercultural Competence: A Process Perspective by Janet M. Bennett
7. Developing Globally Competent Citizens: The Contrasting Cases of the United States and Vietnam by Mark A. Ashwill, Duong Thi Hoang Oanh
8. Understanding Africans' Conceptualizations of Intercultural Competence by Peter Ogom Nwosu
9. An Associative Approach to Intercultural Communication Competence in the Arab World by R.S. Zaharna
10. A Chinese Model of Intercultural Leadership Competence by Guo-Ming Chen, Ran An
11. Intercultural Competence in German Discourse by Alois Moismueller, Michael Schonhuth
12. India: A Cross-Cultural Overview of Intercultural Competence by Ranjini Manian, Shobha Naidu
13. Interculturality versus Intercultural Competence in Latin America by Adriana Medina-López-Portillo & John Sinnigen

14. Synthesizing Conceptualizations of Intercultural Competence: A Summary of Emerging Themes by Darla K. Deardorff

PART II. APPLYING INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE15. Passing It On: Intercultural Competence in the Training Arena by Craig Storti
16. Leading Global Projects: Bridging the Cultural and Functional-Divide by Robert T. Moran, William E. Youngdahl, Sarah V. Moran
17. Developing the Intercultural Competence of Educators and Their Students: Creating the Blueprints by Kenneth Cushner, Jennifer Mahon
18. The Intercultural Speaker and the Pedagogy of Foreign Language Education by Michael Bryam

19. Cultural Mentoring: International Education Professionals and the Development of Intercultural Competence by R. Michael Paige, Matthew L. Goode
20. Culturally Competent Practice in Social Work by Rowena Fong
21. Global Competence for Engineers by John M. Grandin, Norbert Hedderich
22. Neither Jew nor Gentile: Lessons About Intercultural Competence in Religious Organizations by George Yancey

23. Developing Skills for Interculturally Competent Care by Rohini Anand, Indra Lahiri

PART III. ASSESSMENT AND RESEARCH IN INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE
24. Methodological Issues in Researching Intercultural Competence by Fons J. R. van de Vijver, Kwok Leung
25. Applying Theory and Research: The Evolution of Intercultural Competence in U.S. Study Abroad by Michael Vande Berg, R. Michael Paige
26. Research Application: Towards a General Framework of Competence for Today's Global Village by Fons Trompenaars, Peter Wooliams
27. Assessing Intercultural Competence: Issues and Tools by Alvino E. Fantini
28. Implementing Intercultural Competence Assessment by Darla K. Deardorff
29. The Real Cost of Intercultural Competence: An Epilogue by Joseph E. Trimble, Paul B. Pedersen, Eduardo S. Rodela

You can purchase The SAGE Handbook of Intercultural Competence here.

Last week I posted to IHEC Blog about a call for proposals for a new project entitled "Innovative Approaches to Training and Talking about Culture" that Darla is working on with her colleague Kate Berardo from Culturosity.com. Check out that post here.

Applying Intercultural Concepts to Academic Integrity

…is the title of a chapter written by my colleague Michael Smithee, President of Smithee Associates, for a new book entitled Pedagogy, not Policing: Positive Approaches to Academic Integrity at the University (2009) edited by Tyra Twomey, Holly White, and Ken Sagendorf. In his chapter, Smithee “explores some cultural and behavioral issues related to academic integrity” which are often times left out of the academic literature and discussion on this topic. Smithee’s chapter is a very good read and one I recommend for all faculty to read as well as for administrators who are tasked with the responsibility of working with students on matters related to academic integrity.

You can access Smithee’s chapter here. You can also order entitled Pedagogy, not Policing: Positive Approaches to Academic Integrity at the University from Syracuse University Press here.

Additional information on Michael Smithee and his great work in the field is available here.

Project Go – The ROTC Language & Culture Project

Project GO announces that the FY09 Institutional Grants cycle is now open.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, Project Go (Global Officers) is a collaborative effort pooling the financial and intellectual resources of the National Security Education Program , the Naval ROTC, Cadet Command (Army ROTC), and Air Force ROTC, a dozen U.S. Universities, and the Institute of International Education to promote global awareness and language proficiency among future military officers.[1]

Project GO FY07 & FY08 Institutional Grant Recipients were:

FY07 Indiana University
University of Mississippi
University of Texas at Austin
San Diego State University

FY08 Arizona State University
Georgia Institute of Technology
Louisiana State University
North Georgia College and State University
Texas A&M
The University of Utah
University of South Florida
Virginia Military Institute

[1] Program description taken from the Project Go website.

Obama’s Top Advisers – A Team of Expatriates

I came across a very interesting article from the January 26, 2009 issue of Newsweek on the importance of and value placed on the international experiences of many of President Obama’s top advisers. The international living experiences of retired Marine General James Jones (incoming national security adviser), Timothy Geithner (Secretary of the Treasury) retired Major General J. Scott Gration (potential NASA Administrator) and Valerie Jarrett (top Domestic Policy Adviser) and Barack Obama played an important role in shaping their view of the world and their understanding of and respect for different perspectives. Our diplomacy efforts extend well beyond the Department of State…

You can access the Newsweek article here.

Bibliographies on Public Diplomacy and Assessing Intercultural Competence

During my recent research efforts I stumbled upon the following two bibliographies that are think are excellent. They are as follows:

Literature on Public Diplomacy by Ali Molenaar (2008)
http://www.clingenda...public-diplomacy.pdf

Assessment Tools of Intercultural Communicative Competence by Alvino E. Fantini (2006)
http://www.worldlearning.org/SITOccasionalPapers/feil_appendix_f.pdf