Staatl. gepr. Euro-Management-Assistent/in - ESO

10
Intercultural Competence
All over Europe people of different cultural backgrounds
live side by side. No European state is, or has ever been,
a closed national entity. This multicultural reality, however,
has not yet resulted in political or social equality for
immigrants living in EU countries.
As preparations are being made for a joint Europe with
a shared European identity, ideas are being discussed for
real cross-cultural education. Cross-cultural learning with
the aim of developing a multicultural attitude enables
enough people of all ages to cope with cultural diversity
in their own countries. This will also assist them in handling
international business situations, both within
Europe and throughout the world.
Learning cross-cultural communication occurs in three
phases:
✚ Becoming aware of the ethnocentric patterns we
grew up with.
✚ Acquiring knowledge of the symbols and customs of
other cultures, especially those that are different from
our familiar values.
✚ Learning those skills which allow us to operate within
different cultural systems.
It is essential for people to receive education and training
relevant to life, both in a Europe evolving into a unified
multicultural society and in multicultural societies all
over the world.