In a multicultural environment, having intercultural competences is the most important determining factor between success and failure. This concise book introduces the topic for students and scholars. Building upon an accessible understanding of cultural differences, the author provides various models for understanding and framing culture. Theory is linked to practice by examining how to deal with intercultural conflicts via practical examples and advice. Students striving to perform well in intercultural environments, will benefit from reading this book which helps them convert models and cultural knowledge into practical skills.

If we are to build an inclusive institutional culture within the increasingly pluralist societies of 21st century Europe, focusing solely on the development of skills and knowledge is not enough. There have to be changes in the way in which administrative authorities and the organisations providing services to the public view their role and in the action they take. While it is essential for migrants to learn the language of their host country, understanding the codes of conduct, standards, allegiances, rules and exceptions is perhaps an even greater challenge. This clearer understanding of the institutional fabric is an inevitable part of what is termed "integration" and also applies to minorities. Since this process does not occur unassisted, this guide puts forward a number of proposals to help acquire the institutional skills which are vital for understanding, dialogue, guidance, negotiation and conflict resolution, to name but a few. These are all aspects inherent in interaction processes and essential for respecting diversity. This guide is an indispensable tool for public and private operators, social workers, mediators and all other stakeholders aware of the need to incorporate these aspects into their exchanges, particularly when rights and human dignity are at stake. This will help nurture confidence in public institutions and avoid the development of fear or any other barrier which could lead to unequal access - or indeed no access - to social, health-care or other services. Through this work, the Council of Europe reminds us that in pluralist societies the most effective guarantee of successful integration and harmonious co-existence is social justice.

Bringing together leading experts and scholars from around the world, this Handbook provides a comprehensive overview of the latest theories and research on intercultural competence. It will be a useful and invaluable resource to administrators, faculty, researchers, and students.

In a globalized world characterized by transnational migration flows as an inevitable consequence of the increased mobility of individuals, coping with differences and with cultural discontinuity has become the main challenge in the education and training sector at all levels. This book is addressed to professionals in vocational education and training in an attempt to provide suggestions on innovative methods and intercultural approaches for inclusive, continuous education. Starting from the achievements of the I-VET European project, led by an international consortium of Universities and training organizations, the book traces the broad, multi-disciplinary epistemological framework underlying the proposed innovative methodology, based on experiential learning and reflective practice and the didactic choices piloted with a group of VET teachers and trainers. The focus is intercultural competence achieved through a situated and contextualized exercise of awareness about the specific situations in which differences emerge, and mutual adjustment between different frameworks, in full accordance with the constructionist approach to social interaction at the basis of the whole study.

This book critiques models of intercultural competence, whilst suggesting examples of specific alternative approaches that will successfully foster intercultural competence in teacher education. Bringing together diverse perspectives from teacher educators and student teachers, this volume discusses the need to move beyond essentialism, culturalism and assumptions about an us versus them perspective and recognises that multiple identities of an individual are negotiated in interaction with others. Intercultural Competence in the Work of Teachers is divided into four sections: critiquing intercultural competence in teacher education; exploring critical intercultural competences in teacher education; reflexivity and intercultural competence in teacher education; and indigeneity and intercultural competence in teacher education, providing a methodological approach through which to explore this critical framework further. This book is ideal for teacher educators or academics of education specialising in global education who are looking to explore alternative perspectives towards intercultural competence and wish to gain an insight into the ways it can be utilised in a more effective and productive manner.

This book explores the concept of intercultural competence, focusing specifically on education. Intercultural competence can vary depending on the field of research or the context of application and has therefore developed over recent decades. As the world becomes increasingly global intercultural competence has become even more important but it is still not practiced satisfactorily. This book highlights views which are at odds with official and orthodox positions on intercultural competence to encourage fresh approaches to intercultural competence. It will be invaluable for researchers, practitioners and students interested in the global possibilities of education.

"This book presents a structured yet flexible methodology for developing intercultural competence in a variety of contexts, both formal and informal. Piloted around the world by UNESCO, this methodology has proven to be effective in a range of different contexts and focused on a variety of different issues. It therefore can be considered an important resource for anyone concerned with effectively managing the growing cultural diversity within our societies to ensure inclusive and sustainable development. Intercultural competence refers to the skills, attitudes and behaviours needed to improve interactions across difference, whether within a society (differences due to age, gender, religion, socio-economic status, political affiliation, ethnicity, and so on) or across borders. The book serves as a tool to develop those competences, presenting an innovative adaptation of what could be considered an ancient tradition of storytelling found in many cultures. Through engaging in the methodology, participants develop key elements of intercultural competence including greater self-awareness, openness, respect, reflexivity, empathy, increased awareness of others, and in the end, greater cultural humility. This book will be of great interest to intercultural trainers, policymakers, development practitioners, educators, community organizers, civil society leaders, university lecturers and students -- all who are interested in developing intercultural competence as a means to understand and appreciate difference, develop relationships with those across difference, engage in intercultural dialogue and bridge societal divides"--

Managing Competences: Research, Practice, and Contemporary Issues draws together theoretical and practical research in competence management. It provides a wealth of knowledge concerning emerging and contemporary issues, such as the multilevel approach to competence, the development of collective competence, the strategies of competence management, and the tools for managing competences as well as the organizational dynamics of competences. Moreover, the book provides a critical approach to research and practitioners’ continued engagement in competence management research and practice. Research in competence management has more recently entered an era more open to doubt and questioning: Is there a solid theoretical foundation that supports the concept of competence? What is the contribution of research on employees’ competences to human resources management in particular, and more generally to management? Is there not a risk of diluting the concept of competence by considering it at the individual, collective, organizational, and strategic levels? Today, is it still possible to manage competences in a world where the boundaries of the organizations are more and more porous? These questions, and many others, probably explain why a field that seemed well-identified and well-structured yesterday, has given way today to new, highly diverse analyses of competences by researchers and practitioners. This contributed volume seeks to answer these pressing issues and is a collective means for responding to them. The book brings together multiple streams of research in the field about emerging and contemporary issues, including multidimensional HRM systems, the rise of forms of collaborative management, the intensification of the use of digital and robotic technologies, the rise of the regime of remote and networked operations, the increasing heterogeneity of the status of workers, and changes in regulations concerning work and its recognition.

The book is considered a guideline for systemic personnel development in controlling of nationally and internationally active companies on the basis of a targeted development of competencies. In particular, the challenges posed by digitalization and globalization are considered and substantiated with the help of empirical studies. Employees and managers in controlling as well as HR managers in companies gain a deeper understanding of the necessity and the components of systematic personnel development. The goals are the formation of high-performance teams in controlling as well as the identification of personal career paths on the way to top management tasks as CFO. The focus of the personnel development model is on the transfer of the competence-oriented development approach, which, in addition to the traditionally considered technical and methodological competencies, also takes into account social and personal competencies as well as additional digital and intercultural competencies. The book is rounded off by a survey of the current situation, the definition of a target situation to be aimed at, the discussion of suitable further training measures and the monitoring of the level of competency achieved, and illustrates concrete career concepts.

This volume brings together a representative set of the papers given at the third annual Intercultural Horizons conference held in Siena, Italy, in October 2013. The conference attracted presenters and attendees from a variety of nations throughout five continents. The papers included in this volume are drawn from a series of conference sessions in which academicians and practitioners in the field offered theoretical analyses, case studies and other perspectives on intercultural studies, civic engagement and related topics. The volume is divided into four sections: Theoretical Considerations of Intercultural Competence and Interculturalism; Intercultural Development and Assessment: Practical Examples and Research; Civic Engagement in International and Culturally Diverse Contexts; and Intercultural Education and Training. The reader will find that most of the papers address a variety of intercultural topics beyond their specific chapter designations. In particular, the theme of second language acquisition, education and use was an overarching theme that emerged from a large number of papers and presentations, specifically with regards to the complexities now faced by intercultural educators and researchers as a result of the increasing dominance of English as a “lingua franca” both in academe and many nations.