A Skill to Learn in 2021: Intercultural Competency
Tags: Culture, Relationships, Recruiting, Advice, Business

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019, the travel industry was the second-fastest growing industry in the world, right behind healthcare — for a good reason.

Global connectedness is inextricably linked to business growth, and there has been an increasing push for diversified curriculums in classrooms from a young age and a trend towards promoting internationalism in the workplace.

For those of us who have traveled outside our borders, we can start by honing in on both positive and negative details from our past experiences with people and particular situations during our trips. After all, there is much more to gain from your perspectives once you appreciate how they relate to your place in the world.

Here are a few questions you can think about:

What did you learn about yourself after traveling to this location?

Were there are significant moments during which you felt uncomfortable? If so, why?

Did you make attempts to speak to any of the local residents? If so, what did you learn from them?

How do you view your own culture in relation to the one you just experienced after your trip?

“Travel does not automatically make you a better person,” — Travis Levius, National Geographic

Ruth Terry wrote a fantastic article for National Geographic here on how having empathy for people from another culture while traveling can exacerbate one’s impression of their exoticism.

This term draws inspiration from European works of art and literature (eg. Charlotte Brontë) that glamorized the images of women who typically descended from non-Western cultures and drew attention towards their physical or temperamental attributes in ways that were detrimental to their being.

Instead of focusing on the differences between yourself and individuals from other cultures, intercultural competency relates to pointing out similarities.

If you’ve ever visited a developing area of a country such as Indonesia or Thailand and taken a “slum tour” or visited an animal conservatory, it is important to remember that you are viewing the sights through the lens of a tourist, which should prompt you to examine the environment you are experiencing in connection to its history.

“I think we can develop empathetic feelings and sort of crack open our sense of self to include other people’s experiences in it. We can only deepen our own understanding of who we are in an unequal world and how that makes us feel and how that motivates us to shift our life in some way or another.” — Anu Taranath

Both examples of the experiences listed above are eye-opening as first-time encounters, but perhaps, we can view them more introspectively by asking ourselves:

How does my participation in this activity affect the employees of the industry?

Is there a framework for regulation around the industry?

Do the practices of this industry appear to be ethical by my standards? If yes/no, how does this compare to the industry/ethical standards in my own country?

How am I being treated by the local residents of the places I am visiting — does this have any historical relevance to how they were governed?

Are the people around me being treated differently than how I am being approached? If so, why?

Dive into the history of where you are, strike up a conversation with your tour guide, or research the small things that excite you. You’ll be surprised at how much more you can absorb in the present by reflecting on the past.

To share a personal story, as an example — food is a passion that brings me closer to the world. I remember learning about how the Peruvian fried rice that I had been ordering from a local Hartford restaurant during my college years was tied to the roots of Chinese immigration in the early 19th century from a Spanish class that I had taken during one semester. I’d never had any previous ties to the continent, but realizing that elements of my culture were embedded in the history of Peruvian cuisine made me infatuated with wanting to visit South America ever since.

Regardless of where you grew up or how old you are, challenging yourself to think differently will be uncomfortable. To take the first step in overcoming this hurdle is a true display of your aptitude to learn and adapt, and adaptability is power if you plan on advancing in the long term.