Embracing Diversity at Work through Developing Employees in Intercultural Competencies.

Abstract

The increased globalisation in work has put to the forefront the importance of intercultural competencies among employees, including among new graduates entering the labour market. Yet, little is known about whether current graduates meet employer needs with respect to intercultural competencies and how employers can develop their staff in such competencies. We bridge this gap by studying the supply and demand of intercultural competencies from the perspectives of students and employers in Europe, drawing on a cross-national study of 102 interviews with students and employers in the UK, Belgium, Sweden and Turkey. We report on the key intercultural challenges faced by students and employers and on the intercultural competencies that employers need to develop within their workforce. We offer a curriculum map through which educators, such as business coaches, consultants, in-house trainers and managers, can develop employees’ intercultural competencies in an increasingly intercultural world of work.