An Introduction to Intercultural Competence in the Workplace

Overview

Intercultural competence is much more than simply learning facts about other countries. It’s a willingness to see the world through someone else’s eyes, developing deep cultural knowledge, curiosity, and empathy, all while exploring your own cultural self-awareness. 

You’ll explore how various cultural backgrounds within a team can result in different working preferences and communication styles and, by developing your own intercultural competence, you’ll improve your communication skills for the modern workplace, enhancing your career and beyond.

After successfully completing this short course, you’ll receive a digital badge. This can be shared on social media, added to email signatures or act as a certificate.

Throughout this An Introduction to Intercultural Competence in the Workplace short course at The Open University UK you will learn

By the end of this course, you will:

• understand the implications of simplistic and reductionist definitions of culture
• be aware of how to accommodate for different communication styles
• be able to recognise and prevent ‘othering’ and stereotyping
• have critically evaluated narratives that appear to be objective and ‘normal’
• understand how recognising someone’s frame of reference is crucial to mediate between cultures
• be more aware of how your own attitude is crucial in becoming an effective and empathetic communicator at work.