Addressing Other Through Intercultural Competence

There are different frameworks to con­sider in developing awareness of how we understand cultural similarities and differ­ences. As mentioned earlier, Fisher-Yoshida and Geller (2009) identify the five paradoxes of communicating transnationally, such as paradox of knowing, which is knowing self and honoring others as the core awareness that underlies all other types of cultural dimensions.

Ting-Toomey and Oetzel (2001) identify four criteria of what they term intercultural conflict competence and that is appropriate­ness and effectiveness paired with satisfaction and productivity. The core of successfully acting on these criteria is mindfulness of communication through paraphrasing what you hear your conversation partner say; of reframing to create alternatives to under­stand the behavior in different and novel ways; of being reflexive in identifying our own assumptions we bring with us and that affect our interactions with others. In addi­tion, it is important to continually validate our own identities and the identities of others because so much conflict is caused by inten­tionally or unintentionally violating identity boundaries; doing facework to manage the giving and receiving of face so as not to lose face; and balancing the power dynamics as much as possible.

Some of this work can be done on our own and in direct relations with others. There are times when we are not ready or able to do this work without the support of a third-party facilitator. In addition, there are many cultural orientations that require the use of a third- party intervener, because it is inappropriate to be face-to-face with the party with whom we are in conflict. There are different ways of assessing the role of this third-party person or the qualifications they bring. Following are some suggestions as to how this can work in action. This is not a comprehensive list, so spe­cific cultural differences will need to be taken into consideration as context is an important influencing factor.