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Darla Deardorff has developed a very compelling model of IC, which can work without long lists of attributes. If you look at the figure, you will see why it is called the “Pyramid Model of Intercultural Competence”. As with any Pyramid you might want to build, we will start with the base on the individual level of IC. But even before that you will need a foundation. In this model, the foundations are the attitudes. It has been argued before that attitudes are the foundation of any learning process. You can read as many books as you like and learn all there is to learn about IC, in the end it will depend on your attitudes as to how effectively you can make use of that knowledge. Related to IC, attitudes refer to the respect and valuing of other cultures and cultural diversity, the openness to intercultural learning in the first place and to people from other cultures and the curiosity and wish for discovery. In other words, if you do not want to engage in intercultural interaction, you will most probably not be able reach certain level of competence. Some other scholars call this aspect of IC motivation ([12] p. 259). You have read this chapter this far, so I assume you have to some degree the right attitudes. Let us begin our descent on the Pyramid of IC - at its base: Knowledge & Comprehension and Skills.
Part of Knowledge & Comprehension would be the knowledge of other cultures, including specific information. This includes a certain cultural self-awareness, meaning the understanding of your own cultural background. This is indeed very hard to achieve. Let me ask the question from our beginning once more: What are the most important characteristics of your culture? Some readers will have found a fast answer to that and name a few attributes. Others might have struggled longer. You might have thought about the problem that not all people whom you count to your culture will answer the question in the same way you do.
But why then are you counting them to your culture? What is normal after all? Our concept of normality relies on the way we have been socialised in our family, school and society as a whole.
I will call this your cultural background. Furthermore, it includes the knowledge and (deep) understanding of culture – cultural awareness. This involves the knowledge of other world views or mental models of the world. Cultural awareness relates to the awareness that there can be cultural differences (I will give you an example of different perceptions a little later) You will hardly be able to understand cultural differences and be culturally self-aware if you have not experienced other concepts. ([8] p. 247) Seafarers are right at the source of intercultural experience, due to the international nature of the shipping industry.
Part of Knowledge & Comprehension would be the knowledge of other cultures, including specific information. This includes a certain cultural self-awareness, meaning the understanding of your own cultural background. This is indeed very hard to achieve. Let me ask the question from our beginning once more: What are the most important characteristics of your culture? Some readers will have found a fast answer to that and name a few attributes. Others might have struggled longer. You might have thought about the problem that not all people whom you count to your culture will answer the question in the same way you do. But why then are you counting them to your culture? What is normal after all? Our concept of normality relies on the way we have been socialised in our family, school and society as a whole ([21] p. 166). I will call this your cultural background. Furthermore, it includes the knowledge and (deep) understanding of culture – cultural awareness. This involves the knowledge of other world views or mental models of the world. Cultural awareness relates to the awareness that there can be cultural differences (I will give you an example of different perceptions a little later) You will hardly be able to understand cultural differences and be culturally self-aware if you have not experienced other concepts. ([8] p. 247) Seafarers are right at the source of intercultural experience, due to the international nature of the shipping industry.
The Skills involved in IC are the skills required to interact and communicate with people effectively. I believe that they are universal from culture to culture, although there might be variations in how important certain aspects are. But while communicating with people most people will say that the ability to listen, to observe and interpret as well as the ability to analyse, evaluate and relate are traits that you basically need. Some people are very good at listening, others are not, but the basic capacity to listen to others is inherent in all humans.
Attitudes, Knowledge & comprehension and Skills belong to the Individual level of IC. They are necessary to address in IC development. Looking again at our way up the Pyramid, you will see that the next parts belong to the interaction level of IC. The Model emphasizes on a distinction between desired internal outcomes and desired external outcomes. Simply speaking, outcomes mean the outcomes of IC development.
The internal outcomes include to the adaptability to different communication styles and behaviours and the adjustment to new cultural environments. Furthermore, they include flexibility in choosing communication styles. This seems like a logical result from the idea, that interculturality refers to the concept that all individuals involved are part of the process – even you, not only the others. Being adaptable and flexible is a requirement which makes the integration of different mental models possible in the first place. Helpful here is empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of other. Without this internal outcome, the evaluation of appropriateness of your communication styles will not be possible. Finally, on the tip of our Pyramid we reach the external outcomes of IC. These are, in the words of Darla Deardorff, the “effective and appropriate behavior and communication in intercultural situations” based on one’s intercultural knowledge, skills and attitudes ([9] p. 66).
The Pyramid Model of intercultural Competence shows us how different aspects of our self (individual level) and the outcome in interactions are a process, rather than isolated skill items. It is a whole. Depending on you, some of these parts will be more strongly developed then others. It also emphasizes that mere knowledge of other cultures is not enough to be interculturally competent. On the contrary it seems that the development of skills for thinking interculturally are more important than actual knowledge ([9] p. 68).
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