Organizational Communication

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Intercultural Communication Paper

This assignment demonstrates your professional writing skills as well as your intercultural communication competency.

It consists of two parts:

Part 1:

Complete the INCA Survey and develop a 1 to 2 page reflection summarizing your ideas. The survey and scoring key are attached.

Directions: Complete all of the INCA Survey questions. When you are done, use the INCA survey student manual to help you analyze your results. Read about the different dimensions of intercultural competency and what they mean. All supporting docs can be found at attached. Note that a total score for the INCA survey is not important for the purpose of this assignment. (You will not get a total score).

Part 2:

Select 3 (THREE) critical incidents from document Critical Incidents (see ASSIGNMENT RESOURCES)- Student Directions and analyze them. Frame your analyses of each incident using the dimensions from the INCA survey. Your analysis should contain at least three scholarly references that pertain directly to the incident. Your analysis should be complete and supported by the literature not an opinion.

Complete both parts in a SINGLE formal written paper using APA format. Use headings to mark each part: Part 1 and Part 2. Use subheadings to indicate the discussion of each critical incident. Please review the requirements for all written assignments on page 3 of the syllabus.

Optional: include a chart or graph to support your written analysis. Just be sure to explain the information presented in the chart or graph.

About INCA:
INCA is an acronym for Intercultural Competency Assessment. The purpose of the INCA survey is for you to examine your intercultural awareness and assess your cultural sensitivity. This activity is designed to help you become aware of your own attitude towards cultural diversity. The dimensions of cultural competence measured by the INCA survey are:1) Tolerance of ambiguity, 2) Behavioral flexibility, 3) Communicative awareness, 4) Knowledge discovery, 5) Respect for Otherness, and 6) Empathy.

Note: This project and the instrument created was funded by the Council of Europe and the Leonardo da Vinci II Program. You can read more about this project, if you are interested, here:

http://ec.europa.eu/ewsi/en/resources/detail.cfm?ID_ITEMS=9372

There are six categories in this survey which correspond to six dimensions of cultural competence.

BF = Behavioral Flexibility

= Knowledge Discovery

CA = Communicative Awareness

RO = Respect for others

TA = Tolerance for ambiguity

E = Empathy

Part 1

For questions 1 – 7 score yourself in the following way:

Never (1 pt)

Sometimes (2 pts)

Frequently or always (3 pts)

1. In restaurants I often eat dishes with ingredients that I don’t know. BF

2. I often seek contact with other people in order to learn as much as possible about their culture. KD

3. When other people don’t feel comfortable in my presence, I notice it. CA

4. I find it easy to adapt to people from diverse origins. RO

5. I am comfortable with not understanding things if I am in a strange place or foreign country. TA

6. When there are colleagues in my work area who constitute an ethnic minority, I try to involve them in the majority group. E

7. When colleagues or superiors from different cultures criticize my work, I consider changing my work habits accordingly. BF

Part 2

For questions 8-12 score yourself using the number of points beside the option you chose. The highlighted initials represent which dimension those scores go into.

You have been selected to take part in an international work project with an associate European company. This will involve you spending 3–4 months in a country which you have not visited before (although it is possible that you learnt some of the language at school).

8. What kind of information do you think you would need before departure?

I don’t know, I would wait until I got there. (1)

I would use a guide book or other sources to find information about housing, healthcare, travel.(2)

I would learn or review the language and look for official sources on history and culture (3)

You have been appointed to a placement in another country for training purposes. Early in your placement, you discover that the system of hierarchy is totally different from that practiced in your own country. For example, you are used to people dressing informally, using first names, eating in the same canteen. Here there is much more formality, rules and regulations, and people don’t even speak the same way to each other. It is very strange and you cannot help feeling that your own way is much better.

9. What are some things you might do? (RO)

Make an effort to maintain familiar practices, Try and change things, Explain that our ways are better (1)

Admit homesickness, Look for positive side, even though own way is best (2)

Seek explanation from superiors in order to understand reasons, Make an effort to be patient, tolerant, Try out a different way of behaving to fit in, co-operate, adapt self to others (3)

A young person from a different country comes to work at your firm for 6 months. You are aware that he is rather isolated and you consider the idea of inviting him to join you and your friends. The problem is that your group of friends have known each other for a long time and a stranger would find it difficult to fit in. (E)

10. What would you probably do?

Ask friends whether they would welcome a stranger before taking action, Find out from conversation whether the person would have similar interests, Invite if interests are similar (2)

Invite even if interests are different, Tell friends that you are bringing a stranger and explain why, Find out whether the person would like to join your group of friends, Invite because you would like to be invited if you were in the same position. (3)

Mention the problem to a colleague, Wait to see whether the person suggests meeting (1)

You have been working in a foreign country for six months and you speak the language well enough for everyday needs. At work, difficult procedures are explained to you in your own language, so there are no problems here. However, it is almost impossible to understand your colleagues when they talk to each other as they talk quickly about situations you do not understand. It is also difficult to understand jokes and casual remarks where people seem to speak in a local dialect. Therefore you often feel out of your depth and confused.

11. How do you feel? (TA)

I would feel unhappy, I would feel very left out, I couldn’t deal with that (1)

I would talk only to fellow nationals (2)

As long as I wasn’t being deliberately excluded it would be OK (3)

12. How would you describe a familiar but complicated task involving the use of a piece of machinery as if to a foreigner who did not speak the language very well? (CA)

Speak slowly and loudly (1)

Use gestures (2)

Have him/her demonstrate understanding at the end (3)

Part 3

For questions 13 – 16 score yourself using the number of points beside the option you chose, just like you did for part 2. The highlighted initials represent which dimension those scores go into.

Question EM (Empathy)

Mr Parker is interrupted in his description of the problem:

Wang: Mr Parker, if you should have any problems whatsoever, please let Mr Wang know. We will do our best.

What could Mr Wang mean by this ?

a. Mr Wang will talk to Mr Li about the problems, but doesn’t think they need to be discussed at executive level. If the problems persist, Mr Parker should get back to Mr Wang as soon as possible (1)

b. Mr Wang doesn’t think this meeting is the place to talk business. He only wants to get to know Mr Parker, but doesn’t take him seriously as a negotiation partner. (3)

c. Mr Wang can’t really help with the hotel problems, but he is being polite with his guest. So Mr Parker should not discuss his problems further. (2)

Question KD (Knowledge discovery)

14) ) Comment on Mr Wang’s question: ‘Have you any children yet?’

a. Mr Wang is just being curious. (1)

b. Perhaps a man’s status is higher in China if he has children. (2)

c. He wants to get to know Mr Parker better because that makes business easier. (3)

Question AT (Tolerance for Ambiguity)

In the conversation the following dialogue occurs:

Wang: Therefore Mr Wang hopes that our … that the negotiations will take place on the basis of mutual trust and that they will be fruitful due to our joint efforts. Parker: So do I. You know that our company has a high level of expertise in technological products. Since we are convinced that our Chinese partners will appreciate this, I hope that we will be able to conclude our negotiations successfully and soon.

15) Why does Mr Wang laugh when Mr Parker makes this remark?

a. Mr Wang is embarrassed because Mr Parker is so eager to conclude a deal. (3)

b. Mr Wang is hiding his irritation that Mr Parker may think his company can’t keep to deadlines. (2)

c. Perhaps Mr Wang is nervous because he may not be able to keep to deadlines. (1)

Question RO (Respect for otherness)

Mr Wang and Mr Parker briefly discuss cultural activities:

Wang: Mr Parker, have you had a chance to get to know the Chinese culture in more detail yet ? Parker: No, I’m afraid not. But I am not here on holiday. This is strictly a business visit.

16) Which statement best describes this situation in your opinion?

a. Mr Wang is just trying to keep the conversation going, but he knows that Mr Parker has no time for cultural activities on such a short business trip. (1)

b. Mr Parker knows that culture is important to the Chinese, but he is under pressure. He would like to discuss Chinese culture, but only after the deal has been concluded. (2)

c. Neither Mr Wang nor Mr Parker are aware that they have completely different expectations. The meeting would be more successful if each of them tried to adapt to the other’s priorities. (3)

Question BF (Behavioral flexibility)

17) Why does Mr Wang repeatedly tell the English manager to discuss business issues with Mr Li?

a. Mr Wang isn’t aware of the details of the contract. Mr Parker should give Mr Wang more information and ask him to make the most important decisions. The details can then be worked out with Mr Li. (1)

b. Mr Wang expects Mr Parker to negotiate with a Chinese colleague of his own status, as is customary in China. Mr Parker should not feel offended, but accept it and negotiate with Mr Li. (2)

c. Mr Wang has delegated the negotiations to Mr Li and does not want undermine Mr Li by discussing the contract with Mr Parker. Mr Parker should respect this and try to solve any problems with Mr Li. (3)

Question CA (Communicative awareness)

18) What statement best expressed the difficulties between Mr Parker and Mr Wang?

a. Mr Parker acted as you would normally act in a business meeting, and he expected Mr Wang to do the same. But the Chinese don’t say what they mean, and it’s hard to read between the lines if you don’t speak Chinese. (1)

b. Mr Parker and Mr Wang each followed the rules of their own culture. Mr Parker should have explained himself better and asked Mr Wang to say more clearly what he means. (2)

c. The different cultures are not a problem, but Mr Wang and Mr Parker should have known that communication works differently in each culture. They should have tried to talk about these differences instead of trying to talk business. (3)

Interculturalcompetence

INCA questions for each Intercultural Competence

Score

Add your results for the 3 questions from the INCA survey

Based on your score, enter “Basic”, “Intermediate” or “Full”

Intercultural competence	INCA questions for each Intercultural Competence	Score Add your results for the 3 questions from the INCA survey	Based on your score, enter “Basic”, “Intermediate” or “Full” 3-4 indicates basic level 5-7 indicates intermediate level 8-9 indicates full level
Communicative awareness	Questions 3, 12 and 18
Knowledge discovery	Questions 2, 8, 14
Respect for otherness	Questions 4,9, 16
Empathy	Questions 10-12
Tolerance of ambiguity	Questions 5,11, 15
Behavioural flexibility	Questions 1,7, 17

Interpreting your INCA survey scores:

Using the results from your INCA survey, complete the table above. You may wish to make a copy of the table by downloading the document or recreate the table in another program.

The goal is to determine your level for each of the 6 Intercultural Competencies. Note that a total score for the INCA survey is not important for the purpose of this assignment. When you are done, read the information below to help you interpret your results.

Intercultural competence – what does it mean?

Intercultural competence enables you to interact both effectively and in a way that is acceptable to others when you are working in a group whose members have different cultural backgrounds. The group may consist of two or more people including yourself. ‘Cultural’ may denote all manner of features, including the values and beliefs you have grown up with, your national, regional and local customs and, in particular, attitudes and practices that affect the way you work.

Three strands of cultural competences include:

• Openness

• Knowledge

• Adaptability

Openness includes respect for otherness and tolerance of ambiguity. > To be open means to be open to the other and to situations in which something is done differently. You can tolerate your partner as being different and doing things differently.

Knowledge includes knowledge discovery as well as empathy. > You not only want to know the ‘hard facts’ about a situation or about a certain culture, but you also want to know, or you know something about, the feelings of the other person. You also know how your interlocutor feels.

Adaptability includes behavioral flexibility and communicative awareness. > You are able to adapt your behavior AND your style of communication

Intercultural competence – what does it consist of?

It has been observed how people in groups of mixed cultural background recognise and deal with the differences that emerge as the group works together. From such observations, it has been possible to identify a number of ‘elements’ of competence that people bring to bear on the situation. These elements are not definitive. Intercultural competence can include other ‘elements’ of competence, but the INCA project ‘elements’ provide a snapshot, useful as an assessment tool, to provide a baseline to inform training programmes. If you are interculturally competent, you may demonstrate the following characteristics:

‘Tolerance of ambiguity’ Tolerance of ambiguity is understood as the ability to accept lack of clarity and ambiguity and to be able to deal with it constructively. In other words, you find the unexpected and unfamiliar an enjoyable challenge and want to help resolve possible problems in ways that appeal to as many other group members as possible.

‘Behavioural flexibility’ Behavioural flexibility is the ability to adapt one’s own behaviour to different requirements and situations. In other words, you adapt the way you work with others to avoid unnecessary conflicts of procedure and expectation. You will tend to adopt other people’s customs and courtesies where this is likely to be appreciated, accept less familiar working procedures where this will raise the level of goodwill, and so on.

‘Communicative awareness’ The ability in intercultural communication to establish relationships between linguistic expressions and cultural contents, to identify, and consciously work with, various communicative conventions of foreign partners, and to modify correspondingly one’s own linguistic forms of expression. In other words, you are alert to the many ways in which misunderstanding might arise through differences in speech, gestures and body language. You may, where this helps, be prepared to adopt less familiar conventions. To be effective, you will always be ready to seek clarification and may need, on occasion, to ask other members of the group to agree on how they will use certain expressions or specialised terms.

‘Knowledge discovery’ The ability to acquire new knowledge of a culture and cultural practices and the ability to act using that knowledge, those attitudes and those skills under the constraints of real-time communication and interaction. In other words, you are willing both to research in advance and to learn from intercultural encounters. You will take the trouble to find out about the likely values, customs and practices of those you are going to work with, and will note carefully, as you interact with them, any additional points that might influence the way you choose to work with them.

‘Respect for otherness’ Curiosity and openness, readiness to suspend disbelief about other cultures and belief about one’s own. In other words, you are ready to regard other people’s values, customs and practices as worthwhile in their own right and not merely as different from the norm. While you may not share these values, customs and practices, you feel strongly that others are entitled to them and should not lose respect on account of them. You may sometimes need to adopt a firm but diplomatic stance over points of principle on which you disagree.

‘Empathy’ The ability to intuitively understand what other people think and how they feel in concrete situations. Empathic persons are able to deal appropriately with the feelings, wishes and ways of thinking of other persons. In other words, you are able to get inside other people’s thoughts and feelings and see and feel a situation through their eyes. While this competence often draws on knowledge of how you would expect others to feel, it goes beyond awareness of facts. It often shows itself in a concern not to hurt others’ feelings or infringe their system of values.

Each intercultural competence framework has three levels. These levels are related to your INCA survey results.

Level 1 – Basic Competence

You are already willing to interact successfully with people of other cultures. You tend to pick things up and learn from them as you go along, but you haven’t yet got the experience to work out any system of dealing with intercultural situations in general. You respond to events, rather than planning for them. At this stage you are reasonably tolerant of other values, customs and practices although you may find them odd or surprising and approve or disapprove.

Level 2 – Intermediate Competence

As a result of experience and/or training, you are beginning to view more coherently some of the aspects of intercultural encounters you used to deal with in a ‘one-off’ way. You have a mental ‘map’ or ‘checklists’ of the sort of situations you are likely to need to deal with and are developing your skills to cope with them. This means that you are more prepared for the need to respond and adapt to the demands of unfamiliar situations. You are quicker to see patterns in the various experiences you have and you are beginning to draw conclusions without having to seek advice. You find it easier to respond in a neutral way to difference, rather than approving or disapproving.

Level 3 – Full Competence

Many of the competences you developed consciously at level 2 have become intuitive. You are constantly ready for situations and encounters in which you will exercise your knowledge, judgement and skills and have a large repertoire of strategies for dealing with differences in values, customs and practices among members of the intercultural group. You not only accept that people can see things from widely varying perspectives and are entitled to do so, but you are also able to put yourself in their place and avoid behaviour you sense would be hurtful or offensive. At this level of operation you are able to intercede when difficulties arise and tactfully support other members of the group in understanding each other. You are confident enough of your position to take a polite stand over issues, despite your respect for the viewpoint of others.

How to complete your assignment, part 1:

Write a 1 page reflection of your INCA Survey results. You are encouraged to include additional resources to support your reflection. Answer the following questions in your reflection:

1. Describe your results for each of the 6 Intercultural competencies.

2. What does the data tell you?

3. Do you agree with the results? Why/ why not? Explain your answer in detail.

INCA SURVEY

Please answer honestly what you think or would do. There is no “correct” answer.

Afterwards, use the INCA Survey key to calculate your scores.

Part 1 (Questions 1-7)

Choose:

Never

Sometimes

Frequently or always

1. In restaurants I often eat dishes with ingredients that I don’t know.

2. I often seek contact with other people in order to learn as much as possible about their culture.

3. When other people don’t feel comfortable in my presence, I notice it.

4. I find it easy to adapt to people from diverse origins.

5. I am comfortable with not understanding things if I am in a strange place or foreign country.

6. When there are colleagues in my work area who constitute an ethnic minority, I try to involve them in the majority group.

7. When colleagues or superiors from different cultures criticize my work, I consider changing my work habits accordingly.

Part 2 – Scenarios (Questions 8 – 12)

8. What kind of information do you think you would need before departure?

I don’t know, I would wait until I got there.

I would use a guide book or other sources to find information about housing, healthcare, travel.

I would learn or review the language and look for official sources on history and culture

9. What are some things you might do?

Make an effort to maintain familiar practices, Try and change things, Explain that our ways are better

Admit homesickness, Look for positive side, even though own way is best

Seek explanation from superiors in order to understand reasons, Make an effort to be patient, tolerant, Try out a different way of behaving to fit in, co-operate, adapt self to others

10. What would you probably do?

Ask friends whether they would welcome a stranger before taking action, Find out from conversation whether the person would have similar interests, Invite if interests are similar

Mention the problem to a colleague, Wait to see whether the person suggests meeting

11. How do you feel?

I would feel unhappy, I would feel very left out, I couldn’t deal with that

I would talk only to fellow nationals

As long as I wasn’t being deliberately excluded it would be OK

12. How would you describe a familiar but complicated task involving the use of a piece of machinery as if to a foreigner who did not speak the language very well?

Speak slowly and loudly

Use gestures

Have him/her demonstrate understanding at the end

Part Three : Roleplay (Questions 13-18)

Mr Parker, a department director of a company in Southern England, has traveled to China in order to conduct negotiations. He is welcomed by the Managing Director of the Chinese company. But Mr Parker is not satisfied with the way the negotiations are going…

For three days Mr Parker has been negotiating with Mr Li, Mr Wang’s department director. These negotiations have been quite difficult and tiring. So Mr Parker is looking forward to this meeting and wants to seize the opportunity to clarify a few issues face to face with the director of the company.

Parker: I am delighted to meet you.

Wang/Interpreter:
(takes his business card and hands it over to Mr Parker) Here is Mr Wang’s business card.

Parker:
(takes Mr Wang’s card and puts it in his pocket) And here is mine. (he hands Mr Wang his card)

Wang/Interpreter:
(Wang reads the card very attentively) Oh, you have even got Chinese characters on your visiting card! That’s most kind of you. We have a saying in China: ‘When a friend has come from very far away, then that is a very joyful event.’ Mr Wang is therefore very glad to be able to welcome you here today.

Mr Parker, what would you like to drink? Tea or coffee?

Parker: Coffee please.

Wang/Interpreter: Mr Wang would like to know how you have spent the past few days in Shanghai. Have you been able to settle in and get used to the climate? Parker: Thank you for asking. I do have a few problems with my hotel. The air conditioning doesn’t really work, so I’ve caught a cold. And also there are … some problems with the negotiations with your company…

Wang/Interpreter: Mr Parker, if you should have any problems whatsoever, please let Mr Wang know. We will do our best.

Parker: Thank you very much.

Mr Parker is interrupted in his description of the problem:

Wang/Interpreter: Mr Parker, if you should have any problems whatsoever, please let Mr Wang know. We will do our best.

Wang/Interpreter: Mr Parker, are you married?

Parker:
(slightly surprised) Yes.

Wang/Interpreter: Have you any children yet?

Parker: No, I don’t have any children yet … You know, with all this travelling I have to do … (forces a smile)

Wang/Interpreter: Mr Parker, Mr Wang has been reading your business card. And he has noticed that you are sales director, and you are still so very young. There is, as we say in China, a bright future lying ahead of you.

Therefore Mr Wang hopes that our … that the negotiations will take place on the basis of mutual trust and that they will be fruitful as a result of our joint efforts.

Parker: So do I. You know that our company has a high level of expertise in technological products. Since we are convinced that our Chinese partners will appreciate this, I hope that we will be able to conclude our negotiations successfully and soon.

Wang:
(laughs)

Parker: What I would particularly like to know, Mr Wang, is how your company performs on delivery dates? Will you manage to keep to deadlines?

Wang/Interpreter: Oh, Mr Parker, there is your coffee. It is getting cold.

Parker: Thank you. (drinks) But what about the delivery dates?

Wang/Interpreter: You are welcome to discuss these questions tomorrow with Mr Li in more detail.

Wang/Interpreter: Mr Wang would like to know why you have not brought your wife with you this time?

Parker: Well, my wife is not all that interested in my business, and then she doesn’t really like long journeys.

Wang/Interpreter: Mr Wang thinks that is a pity, since Shanghai is a very nice city. There are many beautiful sights in the Shanghai area. So you really must bring your wife next time.

Parker: I will try to convince her. But that is going to be very difficult.

Wang/Interpreter: Mr Parker, have you had a chance to get to know the Chinese culture in more detail yet?

Parker: No, I’m afraid not. But I am not here on holiday. This is strictly a business visit.

Wang/Interpreter: Mr Parker, I am sure you have heard that the Chinese have a very long cultural tradition. So Mr Wang will tell Mr Li to take you to the ‘Yuyuan’ tomorrow for a visit. There you will find also many shops that sell objects of cultural interest.

Parker:
(growing rather impatient) Thank you very much, Mr Wang. But … perhaps we can return to that later?

Wang/Interpreter: Mr Wang has been very glad to welcome you here today. He hopes that our co-operation will be fruitful. The car that we have ordered for you has just arrived. Mr Wang would like to show you out.

Parker: Now, that’s a bit sudden. We haven’t talked about business yet.

Wang/Interpreter: As Mr Wang just said, you will be able to talk business with Mr Li tomorrow.

Parker:
(disappointed) All right.

Mr Parker is interrupted in his description of the problem:

Wang: Mr Parker, if you should have any problems whatsoever, please let Mr Wang know. We will do our best.

What could Mr Wang mean by this ?

a. Mr Wang will talk to Mr Li about the problems, but doesn’t think they need to be discussed at executive level. If the problems persist, Mr Parker should get back to Mr Wang as soon as possible

b. Mr Wang doesn’t think this meeting is the place to talk business. He only wants to get to know Mr Parker, but doesn’t take him seriously as a negotiation partner.

c. Mr Wang can’t really help with the hotel problems, but he is being polite with his guest. So Mr Parker should not discuss his problems further.

14) Comment on Mr Wang’s question: ‘Have you any children yet?’

a. Mr Wang is just being curious.

b. Perhaps a man’s status is higher in China if he has children.

c. He wants to get to know Mr Parker better because that makes business easier.

In the conversation the following dialogue occurs:

Why does Mr Wang laugh when Mr Parker makes this remark?

a. Mr Wang is embarrassed because Mr Parker is so eager to conclude a deal.

b. Mr Wang is hiding his irritation that Mr Parker may think his company can’t keep to deadlines.

c. Perhaps Mr Wang is nervous because he may not be able to keep to deadlines.

Mr Wang and Mr Parker briefly discuss cultural activities:

Wang: Mr Parker, have you had a chance to get to know the Chinese culture in more detail yet ? Parker: No, I’m afraid not. But I am not here on holiday. This is strictly a business visit.

Which statement best describes this situation in your opinion?

a. Mr Wang is just trying to keep the conversation going, but he knows that Mr Parker has no time for cultural activities on such a short business trip.

b. Mr Parker knows that culture is important to the Chinese, but he is under pressure. He would like to discuss Chinese culture, but only after the deal has been concluded.

c. Neither Mr Wang nor Mr Parker are aware that they have completely different expectations. The meeting would be more successful if each of them tried to adapt to the other’s priorities.

17) Why does Mr Wang repeatedly tell the English manager to discuss business issues with Mr Li?

b. Mr Wang expects Mr Parker to negotiate with a Chinese colleague of his own status, as is customary in China. Mr Parker should not feel offended, but accept it and negotiate with Mr Li.

c. Mr Wang has delegated the negotiations to Mr Li and does not want undermine Mr Li by discussing the contract with Mr Parker. Mr Parker should respect this and try to solve any problems with Mr Li.

18) What statement best expressed the difficulties between Mr Parker and Mr Wang?

b. Mr Parker and Mr Wang each followed the rules of their own culture. Mr Parker should have explained himself better and asked Mr Wang to say more clearly what he means.

Directions for part 2 of your assignment:

Select 3 of the critical incidents below and analyze them. Your analysis should contain at least

three scholarly references each that pertain directly to the incident. Your analysis should be
completed as formal written report in APA format. You can take the format of an executive
briefing or a training session. The analysis should be complete and supported by literature, not
an opinion piece.

After you select three critical incidents, choose from the following cultural orientations and
themes as they relate to your critical incidents (may be more than one). Explain how your
chosen critical incident relates to one or more cultural orientation(s) and theme(s) in your report:

Universalism/Particularism

Power Distance

Hierarchy/Equality

Individualism/Collectivism

Space: Private/Public

Face

Communication: High/Low Context

Communication: formal/ informal

Communication: direct/indirect

Communication: non-verbal

Competitiveness

Thinking

Learning Style

Interpersonal Distance and Touch

Time

Death/dying

Cheating

Customs

Knowledge

Teacher/student

Relationship building

Discipline

Apology

Work ethic

Conflict

Respect

Parenting

Negotiating

Gender roles

What is cultural competency?

Culture is commonly defined as a shared system of beliefs and values that shapes a group’s
behavior. People interpret the behavior and communication of others through their own cultural
biases and typically will identify anything that is different from their own values as “wrong” or
“inappropriate.”

Communication styles are based largely on cultural values. One researcher who helps us
understand cultural values around the world is Geert Hofstede. He lists the following five cultural
dimensions and describes how they vary across cultures (Hofstede, 1967–2009).

Power distance is the extent to which a group of people accept the unequal distribution of power
among different segments of their society. Venezuela, the Philippines, and Mexico have high
power distance and accept the inequality in their societies, whereas Denmark, Austria, and the
United States are among the countries that have low power distance, or low tolerance for
inequality.

Individualism is the value that a culture places on individual rights and well-being, as opposed to
collective rights and well-being. Australia, the United States, and Great Britain tend to be
individualistic countries, whereas Colombia, Japan, and Nigeria tend to be collectivist.

Masculinity is the value that a culture places on assertiveness and competitiveness. Japan,
Mexico, and Austria are among the more masculine societies, whereas Denmark, Sweden, and
Norway are among the more feminine societies. Typically, the more masculine cultures will also
stress a greater difference between gender roles in the society.

Uncertainty avoidance is the degree to which a culture is comfortable with doubt and ambiguity.
Cultures that tend toward high uncertainty avoidance will seek to avoid multiple choices or
positions. Greece, Portugal, and Japan tend to be high on uncertainty avoidance, whereas
Singapore, Sweden, and the United States tend toward low uncertainty avoidance and are more
comfortable with choice and ambiguous situations.

Polychronic cultures tend to value tradition and long-term goals over short-term goals. Countries
such as Brazil, Spain, and China are more patient and less interested in time management,
whereas in monochronic countries such as Germany and the United States, the focus is on
“saving time,” “making time,” or “not wasting time.”

Additional information about cultural competency is located in our course and at this web site:

http://geert-hofstede.com/dimensions.html

You will want to conduct your own research to learn more information about cultural
competencies for the purpose of this assignment.

____________________________________________________________________________
________________________________

Critical Incidents

What are critical incidents?

Critical incidents are tools for increasing our awareness and understanding of human attitudes,
expectations, behaviors, and interactions. They are intended to engage participants at a
meaningful, personal level as they examine attitudes and behaviors that might be critical to their
effectiveness in the roles they are already performing or pre- paring for (in the workplace, in
educational settings, and in society at large).

Critical incidents in intercultural communication training are brief descriptions of situations in
which a misunderstanding, problem, or conflict arises as a result of the cultural differences of
the interacting parties, or a problem of cross-cultural adaptation and communication.

Choose 3 of the following critical incidents for your assignment:

1. A student was not satisfied with her new class. She wanted to move to a higher class. First,
she consulted the student advisor who said that she could not move up at this time. The
student, still unsatisfied with this answer, asked the other student advisor. The second student
advisor gave her the same answer. Next, she made an appointment to see the coordinator of
the Language Training Program. The coordinator consulted the student’s teacher and the
student’s test scores and explained to the student that, according to the guidelines, she was
unable to move to the next level at that time. The student was still not satisfied and made an
appointment to see the dean and then intended to talk to the president of the college.
Meanwhile, the teacher couldn’t under- stand why the student did not just accept her decision.
She also could not understand why the student could not see that there were policies in place

so that no matter how high up she went in the college hierarchy, it would not change the
outcome for her.

2. Jane entered her classroom after the morning coffee break and saw a group of students
looking at photos. A young woman in her twenties was showing the photos. The photos were of
a three-month-old infant. The teacher commented that the baby was very cute. Then the teacher
noticed that the baby was in a coffin and, after a pause, commented that the baby had died. The
woman said yes, and then the teacher asked her a few more questions about the child. The
teacher was surprised. This group of students had been together for only two weeks. Later, the
word “undertaker” came up as a vocabulary word in the same class. When the teacher
explained the meaning, the student went on to describe in detail the process of preparing her
baby’s body for burial. The teacher wondered if she should talk to the student privately to
explain that some people might be uncomfortable with this topic. The teacher certainly was!

3. Sandra gave her students a grammar test. During the test, a student was looking at another
student’s answers and writing them on his paper. The teacher asked him to do the test on his
own. The student continued to look at the other student’s answers. The teacher took his paper
away and threw it into the garbage in full view of all the other students to make the point that the
student’s answers were not an indication of his under- standing of the grammar and that it was
pointless to write the test if he was just going to cheat. The student was very upset and went to
the office to complain.

4. My friend liked her class, but she felt that the teacher was very cold. She said the teacher just
taught grammar and never asked about the students’ families or talked about her own.

5. Mark entered his LINC (Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada) class on the first
day and introduced himself to the class. The first lesson was designed to work on all four skills
and to give students the chance to get to know their teacher. Mark began by telling the students
that he, too, was an immigrant to Canada and that he was going to share his biography with the
class. Their first assignment was to ask him questions and take notes about what they heard.
Next, they had to write several paragraphs about him and hand it in later that week. On the day
that it was due, all the students had done the work except for one. Mark asked her why she had
not done her home- work, and she answered that she did not need to know about him. Mark
explained that the assignment was designed to work on a variety of specific English skills that
she needed to improve her ability to communicate in English. After that, she did not really
participate in class. She did her own work and paid attention only when there was something
that interested her.

6. Sandra is a fun-loving teacher teaching in the LINC program. At the beginning of every
course, she explains the classroom and school guidelines, including the rule about being late.
After about a week and a half, one of her students started to arrive late for class every morning.
Sandra likes to treat things in a light- hearted manner, and so when the student walked in late
one morning, Sandra said “good evening” to her and everyone laughed. Sandra had done this
before with other students. The student ignored Sandra and went and sat down. Sandra felt a
little annoyed and so she asked the student about being late. The student then yelled at Sandra
and said, “You don’t talk to me like that!” Sandra told her that she should apologize for being
late. Later, Sandra approached her privately and apologized to her even though she felt that the
student should apologize first. The student also apologized but later stopped coming to class
altogether.

7. Len teaches the evening TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) class. One day
there was a conflict between a student who wanted to do more listening practice in class and a
student who wanted to focus only on grammar. The next day, one of the two students came to
Len’s office to talk to him about the class. She told him that she thought they had studied
enough grammar and that they needed more listening practice. She assured him that she was
not trying to tell him what to teach. A week later she invited Len to come to her home so that she
could show him some- thing. He did not go. Then she sent him an e-mail, thanking him for his
teaching and complimenting him on his looks. This made him very uncomfortable, so he made a
conscious attempt to avoid her outside of class.

8. Jacquie taught English for 10 years in China and Japan. When she returned to Canada, she
started teaching in the LINC program. She really enjoyed the multicultural classroom and felt
challenged to meet the learning needs of her diverse class. She was, however, having a lot of
trouble with one student who seemed very glum and critical. This student, 45, had a doctoral
degree (also called Ph.D.) from her country. She never smiled in class and seemed to test
Jacquie every time she taught grammar or vocabulary. In fact, Jacquie felt that the student
enjoyed upsetting her. One day, Jacquie confronted the student in class and told her that she
should change to another class if she was not satisfied. The student didn’t leave after this
confrontation but seemed more content and did not second- guess Jacquie after that.

9. There is a student in my class who is always late. That is not the only problem. When I ask
him a question, he goes on and on and on and makes the rest of the class wait and wait. I want
to tell him to get to the point. Finally, I have to cut him off because he loses track of the time he
is taking up in class on his issue. I tell him that if he wants to continue talking about it, he’ll have
to do it on his coffee break. He doesn’t understand our concept of time. We are on a strict
schedule and things have to be done by a certain time; as well, things are scheduled to take a
certain amount of time. I don’t like it either—I hate it.

10. It was break time and two students were having a conversation in the hallway. When the
break was over, Janet called everyone back to class. The two students continued their
conversation. When Janet asked them to come in, one of the students looked at her as if to say,
“you are so abrupt and rude. You want me to return to class? Can’t you see that I am in the
middle of a social conversation?” Janet felt annoyed.

11. George really infuriated me because when it was time to hand in his assignment, he gave
me a whole bunch of lame excuses. It really upset me because I felt that he was not taking his
work seriously and did not pay attention to the deadlines. I explained the assignment very
carefully and put the deadlines up on the board—so when he made up excuses to cover
himself, he really made me mad. I felt bad, though, because there was another student who
didn’t have his assignment done either, but he apologized and said he’d hand it in later that day.
He never did hand it in on that day; he handed it in a few days later, but since he had
apologized, somehow I accepted that and was nice to him.

12. A man in his early twenties was walking home from school one day when he passed by a
small group of girls of junior high school age. The girls laughed at him, and he felt very upset
and disrespected. If he had been at home, he would have disciplined them right there in the
street and then taken them home to their fathers and the fathers would have supported him. He
knew that he couldn’t do that here.

13. A young woman had recently arrived in Canada ready to start a new life. She found the
weather a little cold but still enjoyed wearing the same style she wore at home—tight skirts and
tight tops that had low neck- lines. After about a month, she began to notice people staring at
her. She thought they were looking at her because she was a foreigner. Then one day some-
one told her that only prostitutes dressed that way. She felt angry and insulted.

14. A man was walking past a cemetery when he noticed something very odd. To make sure he
wasn’t mistaken, he went in to take a closer look. He was very surprised to see two names on
the tombstone he was looking at. One was the name of someone who had already died, and
next to it was the name of someone who was still living. The tombstone had a birth date but no
death date on it. He just couldn’t believe it!

15. Two women in their late fifties were walking along the street holding hands when a truck
drove by and the passenger shouted “lesbo”13 at them. They were very upset that people
thought they were lesbians, and so they stopped holding hands like that. They couldn’t
understand why some people had a problem with two women holding hands. It is a normal thing
to do.

16. Irene and her husband recently met a couple that had just immigrated to Canada. Irene and
her husband were having a party at their house, so they decided to invite their new friends.
When the couple arrived, there were three other couples there already. The man entered and
shook hands with the men but not with any of the women. Irene was insulted.

17. A man commented one day that the reason there are so many single women in Canada is
that they are lazy. His female friend was surprised and insulted by his attitude.

Workplace

18. Peter went downtown to an office to pick up some documents. When he arrived, he went to
the front desk and talked to the receptionist. The receptionist was very helpful and seemed to go
out of his way to make sure Peter wouldn’t have any trouble getting what he needed. Peter was
very happy with the service and thought about how different it was from the service in his
country. About half an hour later, he was just getting ready to leave the office when he real- ized
that he had one more question. The receptionist was not at his desk, but Peter saw him in the
hallway so he rushed out to catch him. Instead of helping Peter, the man told him that he was on
his break and that Peter would have to wait until he got back. Peter was surprised by the
receptionist’s response.

19. Mary was working in a laboratory at the university as part of a work placement program. She
really enjoyed her job and felt that things were going very well. She worked hard and took her
job very seriously. Her work placement supervisor thought things were working out well until he
talked to the professor in charge of the lab. The professor said things were not going well. He
also felt he would have to let Mary go because there had been a lot of interpersonal problems
since her arrival.

20. A woman who was new to Canada was placed in a teaching assistant position at a junior
high school. One of the tasks she was asked to do was to mark a sex education assignment in
which students had to categorize behaviors as sexual intimacy or not. The teaching assistant

had to approach her cooperating teacher and explain that she could not mark the assignment
without being given some benchmarks to go by because the standards for sexual behavioral
norms are very different in this culture.

21. I have a lot of resistance to learning English because I didn’t really choose to be here. I had
to leave my home because my life was being threatened and my family’s life was being
threatened. I never really wanted to leave, but I had to because I was doing an investigation into
some people who had gone missing. I can’t help feeling resistant to being here; I feel like I am
losing my identity. I am a mathematics professor, but here I can barely express simple thoughts
in English. I feel stupid. All I want to do is teach math again. In class I like to translate new
words into Spanish—it feels comfortable, but my teacher gets annoyed when I do that. It is so
frustrating to feel like I am starting all over again from nothing. I just want to speak my language
and teach math.

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