Intercultural skills are of key importance to employers, this British Council report – produced in partnership with Booz Allen Hamilton and Ipsos Public Affairs – finds. It shows that employers value intercultural skills as highly as formal qualifications. They recognize the tangible business benefits of having a workforce with such skills and see the clear risks associated with employees lacking them.
Research Findings: The Value of Intercultural Skills in the Workplace by Dianne Hofner Saphiere, Creator and Principal at Cultural Detective
The Report’s Conclusions
“Our ability to engage successfully with other countries, organisations and people will depend to a large extent on whether we possess the necessary intercultural and foreign language skills to make fruitful connections, whether in trade and investment, charity/NGO programmes or as government and international organisations. This is fundamentally changing the way in which employers value and seek to develop intercultural skills in the workplace.”
“More and more business leaders are identifying real business value in employing staff with intercultural skills. These skills are vital, not just in smoothing international business transactions, but also in developing long term relationships with customers and suppliers. Increasingly they also play a key role within the workplace, enhancing team working, fostering creativity, improving communication and reducing conflict. All this translates into greater efficiency, stronger brand identity, enhanced reputation and ultimately impact on the bottom line.”
“Employers believe that intercultural skills are integral to the workplace.”
“A common challenge shared by employers around the world is finding employees with adequate intercultural skills. Given that the operating environments of all organisations is increasingly global, it comes as no surprise that employers need employees who can understand and adapt to different cultural contexts.”
How do the organisations surveyed define “intercultural skills”?
The graphic shows the words employers used, with size of the block equating to frequency of use.
This research suggests that there is significant opportunity for employers, policy makers and education providers to work together to strengthen the development of intercultural skills to meet the needs of an increasingly global workforce.