Intercultural skills are important

Does your organisation value them more than professional qualifications?

The modern workplace is becoming increasingly globalised and multicultural.

Whether your average day involves a growing amount of cross-border communication with colleagues or clients, or working within a more culturally diverse team, intercultural skills are an important asset in any employee.

If fact, organisations now value intercultural skills just as highly as formal qualifications, according to an international study from the British Council, in partnership with consultants Booz Allen Hamilton and pollsters Ipsos.

When employers were asked to rank the importance of workers’ technical and soft skills, “demonstrating respect for others”, “building trust” and “working effectively in diverse teams” comprised the top three, beating “job-related qualifications” and “field expertise” into fourth and fifth place respectively.

Companies were surveyed across nine countries, and frequently defined intercultural skills as “the ability to understand different cultural contexts and viewpoints”.

The research found that HR managers associated intercultural skills with significant business benefits, such as the efficient running of teams and the development of new or existing relationships with clients – both of monetary value to companies.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor 

via The importance of intercultural skills – People Management Magazine Online.