Edwin Hoffman en Arjan Verdooren - Diversity competence

Introduction

and learning about intercultural communication and competence. It is our pro found hope that this book will bring something valuable to all readers.

4 What is the main approach of this book? The following aspects form the main elements of the approach followed in this book: Focus on intercultural interaction, not cultural transitions The focus of this book is on intercultural interaction : encounters between peo ple of different cultural backgrounds. This means that we do not take culture as such as a starting point, but rather the interactions between individuals with different cultural backgrounds. We look at the potential barriers that can arise in those situations, and at approaches and interventions to deal with them. This is different from an approach that, for example, takes cultural transitions as a starting point. Such an approach looks at the individual who comes into con tact with another culture and society, often by moving or travelling there, and faces the challenges of having to adjust to that new society. This distinction is obviously not absolute – someone who moves to another country will unavoidably engage in interactions with local people. We believe, however, that cultural transitions provide quite different challenges as com pared to interacting with people of a wide variety of nationalities or ethnicities in changing settings – which is often the case in today’s business, governmental and educational environments. In these cases, it is not so much a matter of ad justment (which furthermore raises the question: who should adjust to whom?) as of identifying, pursuing and achieving mutual goals. Consequently, this also requires a somewhat different competence than one aimed at adjustment. Dynamic and multifaceted approach to culture When considering the impact of culture on interactions, we take its dynamic and multifaceted nature as a starting point. Culture is indeed a very significant social force, but its impact is not always very straightforward. Cultures host dif ferent possible positions, are subject to change and incorporate influences from other cultures. People are therefore both products and producers of culture. At the same time, cultures provide its members with an experience of stability and familiarity; with its consistencies as well as its inherent differences. In a way, feeling at home in a culture means being familiar with its contradictions and conflicts. In the words of Klaus Hansen: ‘ We know (…) the (differing) points of views, and when we hear them, we know we are at home’ (Hansen, 2000, p. 232 quoted in Rathje, 2009).

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