How to Improve The Cultural Competence in Your Company:

Easy to Use Program

Cynthia James
Arizona State University at Lake Havasu City Fall 2014

Communication is part of everyday interaction and knowing how to communicate

effectively helps to foster relationships in many ways. The hospitality industry depends greatly
on positive relationships between customers and employees. Mastering the art of intercultural
communication allows a company to improve its standing in the hospitality industry.
What is intercultural communication?
Intercultural communication is communication between people of different cultures. The
goal of intercultural communication is to share information between people of different cultural,
social, or ethnic backgrounds. Lustig and Koester state, Intercultural communication occurs
when large and important cultural differences create dissimilar interpretations and expectations
about how to communicate competently (2013, p. 50).
What is competence?
Competence is the ability to complete a task successfully and without difficulty. In order
to complete something successfully, one must have appropriate knowledge, understanding, or
abilities in that subject area.
What is cultural competence?
Cultural competence is defined in Segens Medical Dictionary (2011) as, The ability to
understand, appreciate, and interact with persons from cultures and/or belief systems other than
ones own, based on various factors.
Why is cultural competence important?
According to Shapero (2006):
People looking for a career in hospitality and travel must be prepared for a
multicultural environment comprising both objective facts and subjective
behavioral considerations This means that frontline employees must develop

crosscultural competence at the interpersonal level and achieve successful

interactions with customers from many cultures. (p. 3)
Cultural Taxonomies:
A cultural taxonomy is used to describe cultural variations. Edward Hall created his highcontext and low-context taxonomy and placed cultures on a scale. Geert Hofstede created his
taxonomy based on 6 dimensions in which cultures vary. There are many dimensions that
highlight the differences between cultures, but I chose 3 that I feel are the most applicable to this
program. By understanding these basic differences, a person can become more culturally
competent.
1) High-Context vs. Low-Context
a. High-Context Cultures, most of the meaning is either implied by the physical setting
or is presumed to be part of the individualized beliefs, values, norms, and social practices
(Lustig & Koester, 2013, p. 103). Examples: Japanese, African American, and Mexican
b. Low-Context Cultures, the majority of the information is vested in the explicit code
(Lustig & Koester, 2013, p. 103). Examples: German, European American, and Swedish
2) Time Orientation Dimension, refers to a persons point of reference about life and work. It
ranges from long-term to short-term (Lustig & Koester, 2013, p. 111).
a. Long-Term cultures value persistence and humility. Examples: Germany, Japan, and
Russia.
b. Short-Term cultures expect quick results after doing anything. Examples: Australia, Iran,
and Columbia.
3) Individualism vs. Collectivism, the degree to which a culture relies on and has an allegiance
to the self or the group (Lustig & Koester, 2013, p. 108).

a. Individualistic cultures believe in independence, privacy, and speaking out for what they
believe in. Examples: United States, Netherlands, and Belgium
b. Collectivist cultures believe in loyalty to a group whether that group is family, work, or
friend related. Examples: West Africa, Pakistan, and Japan
Informational Videos:
These are a few videos that help explain the importance of intercultural
communication, cultural competence, and nonverbal communication.
1. Introduction to Cultural Competence JCPS Employee
2. American Hand Gestures in Different Cultures- 7 Ways to Get Yourself in
Trouble Abroad Pimsleur Approach
3. A Class Divided PBS Frontline
Activities & Games:
These are a few activities and games that help demonstrate the importance of
intercultural communication, cultural competence, and nonverbal communication.
1. Barnga: A Game on Cultural Clashes- Ashland University
2. Nonverbal Listening Test- Cortland University
3. What Do You Know Or What Have You Heard? - Pennsylvania State University
Country-specific nametags:
Each crewmember must have the name and flag of the home country displayed on
their nametag. This will allow passengers to identify which crewmember may speak their
native language.
Flipbook:
The flipbook contains 15 symbols that are commonly found on a cruise ship.

Many of the symbols were found on the International Organization for Standardization
(ISO) website. Each employee will be given a flipbook free of charge to carry with them
in case a passenger does not speak the same language as them. The symbols included in
the flipbook are; bathroom, restaurant, bar, elevator, pool, fire extinguisher, wheelchair
accessible, stairs, first aid, lifeboat, gym, gift shops, wet floor, emergency exit, and nosmoking.
Plan for implementation:
This program will be available beginning April of 2015. Once the program has
been finalized, I will send out an announcement via email to the cruise lines in the Cruise
Line International Association (CLIA). All new employees will attend a mandatory 3hour training session upon hire. All current employees will also attend a mandatory 3hour training session offered in April, May, and June of 2015. Once all employees have
been trained, there will be a mandatory 2-hour refresher training session every year to
keep up to date on cultural competence. Each cruise line that wants to use this program
will need to hire an instructor that has taken classes and been certified as culturally
competent. The program will cost $10 per person per year. The cost of the program will
cover the instructor fee, a flipbook, and a new nametag with the name of their home
country and flag on it. Once the packets are assembled, I will contact the training
department of the cruise line and ship them.

References
cultural competence. (n.d.) Segen's Medical Dictionary. (2011). Retrieved September 14 2014
from http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/cultural+competence
Garber, P. R. (2008). 50 communications activities, icebreakers, and exercises., 51-58.
Ingram, P. D. (2008). Diversity activities for youth and adults. The Pennsylvania State
University,

Lustig, M. W., Koester, J. (2013). Intercultural competence: Interpersonal communication

across cultures (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Pittenger, K. K., & Heimann, B. (1998). Developments in business simulation and experiential
learning: BARNGA: A game on cultural clashes. 25, 253-254.

Shapero, M. A. (2006). Crosscultural training for hospitality and tourism: Improving service
encounters through industry-targeted critical incidents. 1-9.