Uncertain Times Call for Interculturally Competent Educators

As we head into a new academic year, I want to know:  How are you doing? I mean, how are you really? Are you starting the year feeling heavy? Hopeful? Run-down? Reluctant? Re-energized?

Last year ended on a challenging note for many universities, as leaders navigated student protests of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and calls for divestment from companies with Israeli ties (which I wrote about here). In addition, DEI-related work has come under increasing fire at higher education institutions across the country in the past year or two. Add to that the uncertainty surrounding the upcoming U.S. presidential election in November, which is sure to be historic but also polarizing.

This year, higher education faculty, staff, and leaders will face a lot of uncertainty, ambiguity, complexity, and volatility—a phenomenon known as VUCA. I’ve written another post about this and how developing intercultural competence prepares us to better navigate such a world.

Developmental psychologists Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey point out that the complexity of the world in which we’re living demands more complex mindsets. They explain:

“‘Complexity’ is really a story about the relationship between the complex demands and arrangements of the world and our own complexity of mind. When we look at this relationship, we discover a gap: our own mental complexity lags behind the complexity of the world's demands. We are in over our heads.”

- Kegan & Lahey, 2009, Immunity to Change, p. 30

Developing intercultural competence involves increasing the complexity of our mindset, specifically around how we experience and can navigate cultural differences and similarities.

I define intercultural competence as the capacity to engage effectively, appropriately, and authentically across cultural differences, locally and globally. It’s needed not only when interacting with people from other countries, but with anyone who is different from us. And it’s not something we possess (or not), but a developmental process and on-going practice.

The Intercultural Development Continuum (IDC) (Hammer, 2009, 2012; based on M. Bennett 1986, 1993) is a model of increasingly complex ways of experiencing cultural difference and similarity—moving from less complex, monocultural mindsets to more complex, intercultural mindsets. Understanding and approaching intercultural learning as a developmental process is a paradigm shift for many. It’s not how we’ve typically talked about or approached diversity, equity, and inclusion—locally or globally. But it’s necessary if we want to develop complex mindsets that can tackle the challenges of the 21st century and beyond.

For one, developing our own intercultural competence as educators can help us better handle the complex situations in which we find ourselves. If you familiarize yourself with the IDC, you’ll likely recognize that educators navigating today’s challenges from the intercultural mindsets of Adaptation and Acceptance are likely to be more successful in doing so. Because as we develop along the continuum, we increase our capacity to shift perspective and see things—including our own beliefs and behaviors—from other points of view (Acceptance). Eventually, we can learn to adapt our behaviors in ways that are both appropriate and authentic, to be effective in various cultural contexts (Adaptation).

Second, understanding intercultural competence as a developmental process helps us meet students (and colleagues) where they are and facilitate growth. For example, if people are polarizing around cultural differences—navigating from a binary us/them, good/bad mindset—their developmental opportunity is to begin to appreciate similarities they share with those they otherwise identify as “other,” and recognize their shared common humanity. We’re more likely to achieve our goals and help others grow when we take a developmental approach.

However, intercultural competence doesn’t come simply through experience and isn’t tied to any particular identities. Developing our capacity to engage effectively, appropriately, and authentically across cultural differences requires intentional work.

Therefore, as we head into this new academic year, I encourage any educators feeling in over their heads to learn about the intercultural development process and commit to developing your own intercultural competence this year. Below are a few resources to help you do so.

In addition, if you’re interested in preparing for the year with other interculturally-minded educators, I invite you to attend this month’s Intercultural Leadership Forum. This is a free monthly event that brings together educators from around the world to discuss and strategize about timely topics related to intercultural teaching and learning. The topic for our next Intercultural Leadership Forum, on August 22nd, is “Preparing for a Polarizing Year in Higher Education.”

Learn About The Intercultural Development Process

Video Overview of the Intercultural Development Continuum (IDC) by IDI, LLC:  https://idiinventory.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/19392618631443-The-Intercultural-Development-Continuum-Video

Blog Post, A Developmental Approach to Intercultural Learning:  www.truenorthintercultural.com/blog/developmental-approach

Blog Post, The #1 Thing You Can Do To Help Students Navigate Cultural Differences:  www.truenorthintercultural.com/blog/the-1-thing-you-can-do-to-help-students-navigate-cultural-differences

Free Training, Interculturally Competent U: The What, Why & How of Building Intercultural Competence in Higher Education:  www.truenorthintercultural.com/freetraining

Develop Your Own Intercultural Competence

True North Intercultural’s programs and services are designed to help educators (1) develop their own intercultural competence, and (2) learn to facilitate others’ intercultural learning.

Navigating Cultural Differences is a self-paced online course focused on helping educators develop their own intercultural competence. The course is open to individual educators and available for bulk purchase by institutions.

Facilitating Intercultural Learning is a 12-week cohort-based learning experience that helps educators develop their own intercultural competence and integrate intercultural learning into their work. As part of the program, everyone takes the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), participates in a one-on-one debrief, and receives an Individual Development Plan (IDP) to identify their strengths and challenges when navigating cultural differences and what to focus on to develop along the continuum. Public cohorts are offered every fall and spring semester, and private cohorts are available year-round.

We also offer customized workshops, retreats, and professional development programs for institutions looking to build intercultural capacity among faculty, staff, and leaders.

 
Photo credit: Nicholas Seagrave, Unsplash