Jørgen Mouridsen is Senior Consultant and Associate Professor at Aarhus University lecturing in communication studies. Jørgen has great experience working and studying in Canada, France and Japan as well as sailing in the Caribbean and South America for almost 25 years. Jørgen was originally educated as an electrical engineer, but has since then acquired several business executive degrees and diplomas. If you would like to hear more from Jørgen contact him at jorgenmo@hih.au.dk.
With the Globalization process still in progress after it’s acceleration several years ago, the migration streams at a level never witnessed in history, we can use the following statement for most countries in the world:
“The world in Denmark, Denmark in the world” (You can replace the word Denmark with most other countries and still have a true statement)
Even small and medium sized companies today operates globally, producing goods and services, sourcing and selling in a global context. The workplace has become multicultural, where you will have to work with and communicate with, a broad representation of different cultures.
Excellent language competencies in a world language such as English, is not sufficient in an intercultural communication setting. Intercultural Communication Competencies is necessary and probably the most important competencies the global player must master.
What kinds of knowledge, motivations and skills constitute “competence” in the business context? The very nature of competence itself may differ across cultures. That is, cultures often can hold fundamentally different expectations about how competence ought to be displayed. Compare, for example, the organizations with which you are familiar to the typical Thai organization. In Thai companies, people are perceived as communicatively competent only if they know how to avoid conflict with others, can control their emotional displays (both positive and negative), can use polite forms of address when talking to others, and demonstrate respect, tactfulness, and modesty in their behaviors.
Most people recognize, that the cultural heterogeneity of the workforce brings with it special challenges and opportunities, both for companies and for individuals who work in them. Work teams that are culturally diverse, for example, are often more innovative than homogeneous work groups, but only if the team can use its differences to its advantage.
Those who recognize the importance and necessity of acquiring Intercultural Communication Competencies will be the winners on the Global Playground!
J. Mouridsen
Associate Professor
Aarhus University, IBT
