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7/28/2019 DOSSIER Culture at Work Research March 2013
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CultureAt WOrK
The value o intercultural skills in the workplace
www.britishcouncil.org
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AbOut IpsOsIpsos is the third largest market research company in the world, with o ces in over85 countries and research coverage in over 140 countries. Ipsos o ers unparalleledlocal knowledge paired with a networked global approach to project managementand quality control. Ipsos o ers expertise in advertising, customer loyalty, marketing,media and public a airs research, as well as evaluation, orecasting, modelling andconsulting. Ipsos has a ull line o custom, syndicated, omnibus, panel, and onlineresearch products and services, guided by industry experts and bolstered byadvanced analytics and methodologies. The company was ounded in 1975 andhas been publicly traded since 1999. In 2011, Ipsos generated global revenues o approximately €1.4 billion.
AbOut bOOz AllenHAmIltOnBooz Allen Hamilton has been at the ore ront o strategy and technology consultingor nearly a century. Today, the rm provides services to US and internationalgovernments in the de ence, intelligence and civil sectors, and to major corporations,institutions and not- or-pro t organisations. Booz Allen Hamilton o ers clients deepunctional knowledge spanning strategy and organisation, engineering and operations,technology and analytics – which it combines with specialised expertise in clients’mission and domain areas to help solve their toughest problems. Booz Allen Hamiltonhas its headquarters in McLean, Virginia, US and employs more than 25,000 people
around the world.
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AbOut tHebrItIsH COunCIlThe British Council creates international opportunities or the people o theUK and other countries and builds trust between them worldwide. We are aRoyal Charter charity, established as the UK’s international organisation oreducational opportunities and cultural relations.
We work in more than 100 countries, and our 7,000 sta – including 2,000 teachers – work with thousands o pro essionals and policy makers and millions o youngpeople every year through English, arts, education and society programmes.
We earn over 75 per cent o our annual turnover o £739 million rom serviceswhich customers pay or, education and development contracts we bid or androm partnerships. A UK Government grant provides the remaining 25 per cent.We match every £1 o core public unding with over £3 earned in pursuit o ourcharitable purpose.
For more in ormation, please visit: www.b shc c . You can also keepin touch with the British Council through h p:// w .c m/b shc c and h p://b .b shc c .
COntentsForeword 2Executive summary 3About the research 4Employers ace diverse challenges 5An increasingly globalised workplace 7De ning the right skills 9The business value o intercultural skills 12Finding employees with the right skills 14
Addressing intercultural skills needs 15Conclusion 19Appendix 20
Culture at Work 1
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We are delighted to be writing the oreword or this reportwhich shares results o ascinating new research lookingat the value that employers place on intercultural skills.
The increasing competitiveness andinterdependencies in the world economy,
the pressing need to nd e ectivesolutions to global challenges andthe interconnectedness o ered by theinternet and social media pose challengesas well as opportunities to us as citizens,businesses and organisations. Our abilityto engage success ully with othercountries, organisations and people willdepend to a large extent on whetherwe possess the necessary interculturaland oreign language skills to make ruit ulconnections, whether in trade and
investment, charity/NGO programmesor as government and internationalorganisations. This is undamentallychanging the way in which employersvalue and seek to develop interculturalskills in the workplace.
More and more business leaders areidenti ying real business value inemploying sta with intercultural skills.These skills are vital, not just in smoothinginternational business transactions, butalso in developing long term relationships
with customers and suppliers. Increasinglythey also play a key role within theworkplace, enhancing team working,ostering creativity, improvingcommunication and reducing confict.All this translates into greater e ciency,stronger brand identity, enhancedreputation and ultimately impact onthe bottom line.
The challenge now or employers,governments, skills providers and
employees alike is to better recogniseand develop these vital skills – be itlearning a oreign language or beingopen to di erent outlooks and worldviews. These skills will be particularlyimportant in the UK and the US at a timewhen the economies are in need o a shotin the arm rom increased internationaltrade and investment. Indeed it isinteresting that the research highlightsthat both countries are behind many o the currently ast growing economies in
recognising the importance o developingintercultural skills.
We hope this report will act as awake-up call or greater recognitiono the importance o these skills to theeconomy and society o the uture.
FOreWOrd
D d l. P ssS V c P s dB z a H m
D J BD c ed c d S cB sh C c
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The modern workplace is increasingly globalised and competitive.Communicating with customers, colleagues and partners acrossinternational borders is now an everyday occurrence or many workersaround the world. Consequently, employers are under strong pressureto nd employees who are not only technically pro cient, but also
culturally astute and able to thrive in a global work environment.The research shows that there is realbusiness value in employing sta whohave the ability to work e ectively withindividuals and organisations rom culturalbackgrounds di erent rom their own.In particular, employers highlight theollowing as important intercultural skills:
• the ability to understand di erentcultural contexts and viewpoints
• demonstrating respect or others• knowledge o a oreign language.
Employees with these skills are seento bene t organisations through theirability to:• bring in new clients• work within diverse teams• support a good brand and reputation
or their organisation.
Conversely, employees who lack theseskills may leave their organisations
susceptible to risks including:• loss o clients• damage to reputation• confict within teams.
While ew employers report activelyscreening or intercultural skills, they doactively observe candidate behaviourin order to identi y attributes closelyassociated with these skills. Employerslook or the ollowing in job candidates:• demonstrating strong
communication skills• speaking a oreign language• showing cultural sensitivity.
Most employers report encouraging theirsta to develop intercultural skills throughin-house training, meetings and events.However, employers also say thateducational institutions could do moreto equip students with intercultural skills.
The ndings suggest that policy makersand education providers could domore to contribute to the developmento a work orce with the necessaryintercultural skills through interventions,
such as prioritising:• teaching communication skills• o ering oreign language classes• availability o opportunities or students
to gain international experience• development o international
research partnerships.
The research implies that employerswould bene t rom ormalisingand improving the ways in which
job candidates’ intercultural skillsare assessed through therecruitment process.
For job seekers the research ndingssuggest that they must pay attentionto the intercultural skills needed byemployers. Job seekers would also
bene t rom presenting evidence o strong communication skills, oreignlanguage abilities and internationalexperiences when competing or jobs.
exeCutIve
summAry
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AbOut tHe
reseArCH
As a result o global economic realities, which are driving continuouschange in the workplace, employers’ needs and expectations areconstantly shi ting. This means that employers increasingly look or jobcandidates with skills that go beyond the traditionally de ned technicalskills and knowledge necessary or a given role.
While ormal quali cations and traditionalskills remain important, employers saythat they are looking or candidates whocan navigate a workplace that transcendsnational and cultural borders, particularlyor positions that require interactionwith individuals and organisations romnationalities and cultural backgroundsdi erent rom their own.
What is perhaps less understood – andthe impetus or this research – is thequestion o why employers value theseskills. Which speci c skills are theyseeking? What do employers de ne asintercultural skills? What is the businessbene t o having employees withintercultural skills, and what are the riskso not having them? Which skills are mostvalued? How are these skills weighedagainst the necessary technical skillsand ormal quali cations?
To answer these questions, and to betterunderstand how intercultural skills areconsidered, assessed and developed inthe modern workplace, the British Council,Booz Allen Hamilton and Ipsos PublicA airs conducted a survey o HRmanagers at 367 large employers innine countries: Brazil, China, India,Indonesia, Jordan, South A rica, theUnited Arab Emirates (UAE), the UnitedKingdom (UK), and the United States (US).
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emplOyers FACe
dIverse CHAllenges
In addition to economic concerns, employers identi y ndingappropriately quali ed candidates as a top business challenge.
Employers today ace a wide range o business challenges. The study beganby asking employers about the major
business challenges acing theirorganisations. While economic andmarket-related challenges wererequently reported by employers,three other key issues rose to thetop o challenges reported by employers:nding appropriately quali ed candidates,government regulation and competingglobally. These ndings are displayedin Chart 1, listing the countries orwhich each challenge is a top concern.
Ch 1: M s p ss b s ss ch s(sh w b p c d p c ch s)
0
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
Competing globallyGovernmentregulation
Finding qualifiedcandidates
29%
IndonesiaChinaUSUAESouth Africa
BrazilUKJordanIndia
UKIndiaUAE
23%
20%
Source: Telephone/ ace-to- ace surveys o public sector, private sector and NGO employers responsible or employmentdecisions. Base: Brazil (n=43), China (n=40), India (n=40), Indonesia (n=40), Jordan (n=40), South A rica (n=40), UAE (n=44),UK (n=40), US (n=40)
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The research also asked employersabout the major HR challenges acingtheir organisation. These results aredisplayed in Chart 2. The mostrequently cited issues are ndingcandidates with the right ormalquali cations and retaining good
employees. Employers in India, Brazil,South A rica and the US report the
most problems nding quali edcandidates. Retaining employees is alsoa concern in India and Brazil as well asJordan, China, the UAE and the UK.
Among the top challenges, employersalso mention concerns about ndingcandidates with good communicationand oreign language skills. Nearly aquarter o employers report that nding
candidates with good communicationskills is challenging. This is particularlytrue in India, the UAE, Indonesia andJordan. Nearly one third o employersin the UAE, Jordan and India also eelthat nding candidates with adequateknowledge o oreign languages is
a challenge.
Ch 2: M s p ss h m s c ch s (sh w b p c h p Hr ch s)
0 10%10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Finding candidates withgood foreign language skills
Finding candidates whounderstand the market
Training employeeson new processes
Finding candidates withgood communication skills
Retaining good employees
Finding candidates with theright formal qualifications
45%
31%
22%
18%
16%
14%
Source: Telephone/ ace-to- ace surveys o public sec tor, private sector and NGO employers responsible or employment decisions. Base: Global (n=367)
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An InCreAsIngly
glObAlIsed WOrKplACe
International communication is acentral unction o today’s workplace.
The research shows that employeesin most large companies surveyedengage in extensive interaction across
international borders. More than twothirds o employers report that theiremployees engage requently withcolleagues outside o their country,and over hal say that their employeesengage requently with partners andclients outside o their country. Theprivate sector engages with partnersand clients overseas more requently
than public and not- or-pro t organisations.Chart 3 shows the requency o international communication by country.
Organisations in India, Jordan andIndonesia have the highest levels o interaction with business partners andsuppliers overseas. Other countries – with the exception o the US – also reportrequent interaction with partners andsuppliers outside o their country. Thepattern is similar or customer interactions.India and Jordan have the highest level
o overseas customer interactions, whilethe US has the lowest, with just one inve organisations reporting requent
interactions with customers overseas.Employers in most countries alsoreport a great deal o interactionwith colleagues overseas. Nearly allemployers in Indonesia and Jordanreport that their employees interactrequently with colleagues overseas.Ninety per cent o UK employers andour in ve employers in the UAE
Ch 3: F q c mp c w h c s m s d p s c s v s s(sh w p c b c p c )
0
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Colleagues
Customers or partners
USBrazilChinaSouth AfricaUAEUKIndiaJordanIndonesia
83%
100%
80%
100%
78%82%
65%
91%
61%
82%
60%
67%70%
44%
56%54%
28%26%
Source: Telephone/ ace-to- ace surveys o public s ector, private sector and NGO employers responsible or employment decisions.Base: Brazil (n=43), China (n=40), India (n=40), Indonesia (n=40), Jordan (n=40), South A rica (n=40), UAE (n=44), UK (n=40), US (n=40)
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and India also report similar levels o overseas interaction with colleagues.However, just over a quarter o US employers report that theiremployees interact requentlywith colleagues overseas.
The data suggests that English ispositioned as the day-to-day languageo business in most o the countriessurveyed. More than three quarters o the organisations surveyed report thatEnglish is in everyday use in their
organisation. This is highest in the privatesector, closely ollowed by the not- or-pro t sector and by the public sector.In addition to the countries whereEnglish is the predominant language,all o Jordan’s employers report the useo English day-to-day. Chinese employers
are the least likely to use English day-to-day, with less than a quarter reportingdoing so. Chart 4 shows the percentageso English spoken regularly in theworkplace by country.
Although English is the predominantlanguage spoken in the US, a quartero employers say that Spanish is alsocommonly spoken day-to-day. In Indiaand South A rica, where English isrecognised as a national language, locallanguages are also spoken regularly in
the workplace (93 per cent and 38 percent respectively). Local languages arealso spoken in addition to English in nearlyall organisations surveyed in Brazil,China, Indonesia, Jordan and the UAE.
Ch 4: P c s s wh e sh s sp d(sh w p c b c )
0
20%
40%
60%
80%
00%
ChinaBrazilIndonesiaUAESouth AfricaIndiaJordanUSUK
100% 100% 100%98% 98%
77%
48%
44%
23%
Source: Telephone/ ace-to- ace surveys o public sec tor, private sector and NGO employers responsible or employment decisions.Base: Brazil (n=43), China (n=40), India (n=40), Indonesia (n=40), Jordan (n=40), South A rica (n=40), UAE (n=44), UK (n=40), US (n=40)
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Ch 6: th ms mp s s d f c s s
R E S P E C T F U L
M U L T I L I N G U A L
F L E X I B L E
B U I L D S T R U S T
ACCEPTS CULTURALDIFFERENCES
ADJUSTS COMMUNICATION
UNDERSTANDSCULTURAL DIFFERENCES
AWARE OFOWN CULTURE
T O L E R A T E S
A M B I G U I T Y
W O R K S I N D I V E R S E
T E A M S
C O N T I N U O U S L E A R N E R
O P E N T O N E W I D E A S
ADAPTS TODIFFERENT CULTURES
LISTENS AND OBSERVES
Source: Telephone/ ace-to- ace surveys o public sec tor, private sector and NGO employers responsible or employment decisions. Base: Ipsos Public A airs, 2012: Global (n=367).
Note: The term most used by employers to de ne intercultural skills appears in the largest box and the term least used in the smallest box.
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Ch 7: H w mp s d s s ms mp c
Ranked value of technical and soft skills tested (globally)
Demonstrates respect for others
Builds trustWorks effectively in diverse teams
Open to new ideas/ways of thinking
Seeks opportunities forcontinuous learning
Listens/observes todeepen understanding
Strong leadership skills
Adapts easily to differentcultural settingsAdjust communication to suit
different cultural contextsUnderstands different culturalcontexts and viewpoints
Awareness of own cultural influence
Tolerates ambiguity
Qualifications related to job
Expertise related to field
CollaborativeSelf motivated
Time management
Analytical thinking
Comfortable with complex situations
Flexibility
Creativity
Entrepreneurship
Communicates in other languages
IT skills
Understanding the marketplace
MOSTVALUED
Note: Respondents were given multiple sets o skills and asked to indicate the most and least impor tant skills within each set.Results show the relative ranking o skills a ter each skill’s relative importance was calculated using a MaxDi analysis.
Source: Telephone/ ace-to- ace surveys o public s ector, private sector and NGO employers responsible or employment decisions. Base: Ipsos Public A airs , 2012: Global (n=367).
Culture at Work 11
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tHe busIness vAlue OF
InterCulturAl sKIlls
Intercultural skills provide businessvalue and help mitigate risk.
The research shows that HR managersassociate intercultural skills withsigni cant business bene ts. Overall,
the organisations surveyed are mostinterested in intercultural skills or thebene t they bring to keeping teamsrunning e ciently. Other signi cantbene ts are seen as building trust withclients and developing relationshipswith new clients. These bene tsalso carry signi cant monetaryvalue to employers.
Private sector employers cite bringing innew clients, building trust and relationshipswith new clients and reputation-building
as the most positive business bene tso employees possessing interculturalskills. Chart 8 shows the business valueo intercultural skills by sector.
Employers in the UAE, India and Brazilare more likely than employers in othercountries to consider ability to work witha diverse set o colleagues as a bene t
o intercultural skills. Organisationsin Jordan identi y the most signi cantbene t o having employees with
intercultural skills as the positive impacton brand and reputation. Employersin the UAE see the value o these skillsin terms o e ciency and winningnew clients.
Ch 8: th b s ss b f s mp s h v c s s(sh w p b f s b s c )
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50% NGO
Public
Private
Keep teamsrunning
efficiently
Able to workwith diversecolleagues
Communicatewith overseas
partners
Build trustwith clients
Bringing innew clients
Good forreputation
Outward effects Inward effects
Source: Telephone/ ace-to- ace surveys o public sec tor, private sector and NGO employers responsible or employment decisions.Base: Private (n=198), Public (n=86), NGO (n=83)
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The research suggests that whileorganisations in South A rica and theUS are generally less likely to identi y
signi cant business value in havingemployees with intercultural skills,one in ve employers identi es teame ciency and workplace harmony asbene ts. UK employers are also lesslikely than those in many other countriesto recognise the bene ts o interculturalskills. However, nearly hal o UK employersthink that these skills help build trust andrelationships with clients.
Employers also see signi cant risk totheir organisations when employeeslack intercultural skills. Approximately
one third o employers see organisationalrisks such as miscommunication andconfict within teams as top risks. Morethan a quarter o organisations surveyedare concerned about a loss o clientsand damage to brand and reputation.Roughly one in ve organisations isalso concerned about cultural insensitivityand project mistakes. Chart 9 showsemployers’ perceptions o the business
risks o not having intercultural skillsin the workplace.
Private sector organisations are muchmore likely than their public sectorcounterparts to cite loss o clients andsales as risks. One in our employers in thepublic sector considers themselves moresusceptible to mistakes when employeesdo not possess intercultural skills.
Ch 9: th b s ss s s ss c d w h h v mp s w h c s s
(sh w p s s b s c )
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50% NGO
Public
Private
Conflict withinteams
Cultural insensitivityto clients/
partners overseas
Loss of clientsGlobal reputationaldamage
Outward effects Inward effects
Source: Telephone/ ace-to- ace surveys o public s ector, private sector and NGO employers responsible or employment decisions.Base: Private (n=198), Public (n=86), NGO (n=83)
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While employers value intercultural skills, they do noto ten screen or them in the recruitment process.
In addition to the business bene ts o intercultural skills, the research shows thatemployers perceive sta members with
intercultural skills to be at an advantagewithin the organisation. Employees whopossess intercultural skills are at a greateradvantage than their colleagues in anumber o areas, such as increasedvisibility within their organisation. Othertop personal bene ts perceived globallyby employers include aster promotionand greater project variety.
Employer responses also indicate thatemployers perceive the individualstrengths o a sta member’s intercultural
skills di erently by type o role. Theresearch suggests a perception thatemployees in externally acing rolesdisplay intercultural skills more stronglythan those in internally acing roles. Theimportance o oreign language skills isalso greater or those with external roles(56 per cent versus 36 per cent).
While employers value intercultural skillsand can identi y both the business andpersonal bene ts o these skills in the
workplace, they do not o ten screen orthem in the recruitment process. In act,less than hal o employers surveyedglobally eel that their recruiting processsu ciently screens or these skills.There was a notable exception to thispattern in Jordan, India and the UAEwhere employers eel more con dentin their screening and recruiting orintercultural skills.
Even upon interviewing candidates, justover a third o employers report actively
screening or intercultural skills. Chart 10shows a comparison between howrequently employers screen orintercultural skills in the interviewprocess and how o ten prospectiveemployees display those skills.
Employers also nd it di cult to nd goodcommunication and oreign languageskills in their employees. Yet, less than a
quarter o employers screen or thesetwo skills in the application process.
Although many employers do not actively
screen or certain intercultural skills, theydo see international experiences – suchas study abroad, internships abroad orinternational work experience – asindicators o intercultural skills. This isespecially true in China and Indonesiawhere employers see a strong connectionbetween international study or workexperience and the intercultural skillsthey value in the workplace.
The research also suggests thatemployers observe other indicators incandidates that they associate closelywith intercultural skills. This includes theway candidates conduct themselvesduring the selection process – such asdemonstrating strong communicationskills (37 per cent), speaking in a oreignlanguage (33 per cent), or exhibitingcultural sensitivity (27 per cent).
FIndIng emplOyees
WItH tHe rIgHt sKIlls
Ch 10: P c s s mp s sc b p c s s d sp d b c d d s(sh w p s s sc d )
D o c a n
d i d a
t e s s e e
k i n g e m p
l o y m e n
t d i s p l a y
t h e
f o l l o w
i n g
i n t e r c u
l t u r a
l s k i l l s ?
Are there specific intercultural skills you screen for in an interview?
15% 16% 17% 18% 19% 20% 21% 22% 23% 24%30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Works effectivelyin diverse teams
Understands differentcultural contexts
Communicates inother languages
Open to new ideas andways of thinking
Demonstrates respect Flexibility
Source: Telephone/ ace-to- ace surveys o public sec tor, private sector and NGO employers responsible or employment decisions.Base: Global (n=333, or ‘displayed by candidates’; n=173, or ‘employers screed or’)
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AddressIng
InterCulturAlsKIlls needs
Education has a role to play in providing studentswith opportunities to develop intercultural skills.
More than hal o employers surveyedreport that they encourage sta todevelop intercultural skills. This gure
is much lower than the number o organisations surveyed that place valueon intercultural skills in the workplace,but in line with the responses o employers that screen or interculturalskills in the recruitment process. Chart11 shows employer responses to thequestion o o ering support to developintercultural skills.
The development o intercultural skillsis most strongly supported in Jordan,India and Indonesia. In the US and
South A rica, however, a third and aquarter o organisations respectivelyreport that they do not encourageemployees to develop intercultural skills.Employers in Brazil are most neutralon this issue with nearly two thirds o employers neither encouraging nordiscouraging the development o intercultural skills in the workplace.
When asked how the educationprovision in their home countrywas supporting their organisations’
needs or intercultural skills in theworkplace, just over a third o employersreport being satis ed. More than onequarter o employers globally see theeducation provision in their countryas inadequate in producing graduatesthat meet the intercultural skills needso their organisation.
Ch 11: P c mp s h c h d v pm c s s(b c , d b ‘ d ’)
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%Great deal
Somewhat
Not at all
BrazilUSUKSouth AfricaChinaUAEIndonesiaIndiaJordan
100% 85%
8%
8%
70%
18%
13%
68%
32%
48%
43%
10%
43%
25%
33%
48%
23%
20%
38%
35%
25%
19%
65%
16%
Source: Telephone/ ace-to- ace surveys o public s ector, private sector and NGO employers responsible or employment decisions.Base: Brazil (n=43), China (n=40), India (n=40), Indonesia (n=40), Jordan (n=40), South A rica (n=40), UAE (n=44), UK (n=40), US (n=40)
Note: Because o rounding and/or exclusion o ‘don’t know’ responses, percentages may not add up to 100%.
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The perception o education variesgreatly when looking at responses bycountry. Employers in Indonesia, Jordanand the UAE report being most satis edwith their country’s education systemsin meeting the intercultural skills needso their organisations. However, nearly
hal o employers in Brazil, China andSouth A rica were not satis ed withthe ability o their education system toproduce graduates with the interculturalskills needed.
Employer responses in India and the USare almost evenly divided, with a third o employers reporting being satis ed withtheir country’s education provision, a thirdo employers reporting dissatis action andthe remaining third remaining neutral onthe issue. Nearly hal o employers
in the UK were neutral on this issue.Chart 12 shows how employers respondedwhen asked i the education provision intheir country meets the intercultural skillsneeds o their organisation.
This demonstrates that there is signi cantopportunity to strengthen the roleeducation plays in the development o intercultural skills. This is particularly thecase in high-growth economies wherethere is pressure to stay competitiveon a global scale. Chart 13 shows
the top employer recommendationsto education systems or improving thedevelopment o intercultural skills.
Ch 12: P c mp s wh b v h d c s s m m s h c s s ds(b c , d b ‘ d ’)
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%A great deal
Somewhat
Not at all
BrazilChinaUKSouth AfricaUSIndiaJordanIndonesiaUAE
70%
27%
60%
33%
8%
55%
35%
10%
38%
33%
30%
30%
40%
30%
23%
30%
48%
16%
43%
41%
13%
40%
48%
9%
44%
47%
Source: Telephone/ ace-to- ace surveys o public sec tor, private sector and NGO employers responsible or employment decisions.Base: Brazil (n=43), China (n=40), India (n=40), Indonesia (n=40), Jordan (n=40), South A rica (n=40), UAE (n=44), UK (n=40), US (n=40)
Note: Because o rounding and/or exclusion o ‘don’t know’ responses, percentages may not add up to 100%.
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Ch 13: C b s h d c c m mp v c s s s s b mp s( p h s s s m mp s)
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Bring ininternational
faculty/students
Encourage/require classeson international
subjects
Teachleadership skills
Developinternational
researchpartnerships
Encourage/require studies
overseas
Encourage/require foreign
languages
Teachcommunication
skills
37%
32%
27%
24%23%
21% 21%
Source: Telephone/ ace-to- ace surveys o public s ector, private sector and NGO employers responsible or employment decisions. Base: Global (n=367)
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Ch 14: P c mp s wh b v s d b dsh d b c d mp v c s s
0
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
South AfricaUSUKIndiaJordanChinaUAEBrazilIndonesia
63%
51%
30%28%
23% 23%
15%
8%0%
Source: Telephone/ ace-to- ace surveys o public sec tor, private sector and NGO employers responsible or employment decisions.Base: Brazil (n=43), China (n=40), India (n=40), Indonesia (n=40), Jordan (n=40), South A rica (n=40), UAE (n=44), UK (n=40), US (n=40)
On the whole, employers say thateducation institutions could do moreto provide students with opportunitiesto develop intercultural skills. Morethan one third o employers recommendstrengthening the teaching o communication skills, and a quarter o
organisations suggested encouragingmore oreign language programmes,developing international researchpartnerships and increasing opportunitiesor overseas study.
Employers in India, Jordan and the UAEbelieve that their country’s educationsystem should ocus on improvingthe teaching o communications andleadership skills. Increasing oreignlanguage education is a priority oremployers in Brazil, India, Indonesia,
Jordan and the UAE. Employers inBrazil, India, Indonesia and the UAEalso recommend developing moreinternational research partnerships.Providing greater opportunities or
study abroad is the top recommendationin Brazil and Indonesia and one o thetop our suggestions by employers inChina. Chart 14 shows the level o supportor increasing opportunities or studentsto study overseas by country.
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COnClusIOn
eMPloyerS JoB SeekerS PoliCy MakerS/eDuCation ProViDerS
Employers understand the value o intercultural skills to their businesses.In act, they value these skills above manytechnical abilities and ormal quali cations.
The value o intercultural skills mani estsitsel in teams running e ciently, bringing innew clients, building trust and improvingbrand reputation.
Employers also see signi cant risks intheir employees lacking in interculturalskills. Without these skills, they earconfict within teams, loss o clients/sales,damage to reputation and brand, andcultural insensitivity. When employeeslack intercultural skills, employersrisk miscommunication between teamsand team confict.
To maximise business potential andminimise risk, employers would bene trom improving the ways in which they
identi y candidates with these skillsin the recruitment process.
Employers strongly value interculturalskills such as demonstrating respect,building trust and being open to newideas. In act, the research suggeststhat employers value these skills over
job-speci c quali cations and expertisein the eld. To best position themselvesor employment, job seekers should
present intercultural skills alongsidetheir ormal quali cations.
As there is o ten no ormal assessmentor intercultural skills by employers,it is up to job candidates to demonstratethese skills in the application andinterview process.
Top indicators o intercultural skillsor employers:
• international experiences (studyabroad, internships abroad orinternational work experience)
• strong communication skills• oreign language skills• cultural sensitivity.
Few employers report being satis edwith their national education system’sability to produce graduates with strongintercultural skills.
While there are variations acrosscountries, the research suggeststhat there is signi cant opportunityto strengthen the role education playsin the development o interculturalskills in the uture work orce.
Regardless o how employers eel aboutthe education system in meeting theirskills needs, employers have suggestionsor how to improve the development o intercultural skills. These include:• paying greater attention to the
teaching o communication skills• encouraging oreign
language programmes• increasing opportunities
or international study• developing international
research partnerships.
Employers around the world ace awide range o business challenges.
A common challenge shared by employersaround the world is nding employeeswith adequate intercultural skills. Given
that the operating environments o allorganisations is increasingly global, itcomes as no surprise that employersneed employees who can understandand adapt to di erent cultural contexts.
Employers place a high value onintercultural skills in the workplace andassociate having workers with strongintercultural skills with business bene ts,such as increased productivity and sales.They also associate a lack o interculturalskills with business risks, such as
miscommunication and team confict.
While employers universally valueintercultural skills, they do not o tenassess these skills in the application
or interview process. This lack o skillsassessment in the recruitment processmay indicate that HR recruitmentprocesses and sta are not alwaysaligned with the needs o the teamsthat interact internationally. This alsoimplies that employers could bene trom improving their ability to identi yand assess intercultural skills inprospective employees.
Employers also generally eel thateducation systems in their countries
could do more to provide students
with intercultural skills. To mitigatethe risk o having a work orce thatis unprepared or the global work
environment, employers o ten providetraining or their employees to developintercultural skills.
This research suggests that there issigni cant opportunity or employers,policy makers and education providersto work together to strengthen thedevelopment o intercultural skills tomeet the needs o an increasinglyglobal work orce.
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Country SaMPle (By organiSation tyPe) DeFinition oF a ‘large’ eMPloyer interVieW MetHoD
Brazil 20 private11 public12 NGO/charity
1,000 largest Brazilian companies Phone
China 20 private10 public10 NGO/charity
200+ employees Phone
India 22 private9 public9 NGO/charity
200+ employees Face-to- ace
Indonesia 20 private10 public10 NGO/charity
200+ employees Face-to- ace
Jordan 31 private4 public5 NGO/charity
200+ employees Face-to- ace
South A rica 20 private10 public10 NGO/charity
R25,000,000 yearly revenueor 250+ employees
Phone
UAE 25 private12 public7 NGO/charity
1,000,000AED yearly revenueor 200+ employees
Face-to- ace
UK 20 private10 public10 NGO/charity
£30 million per yearor 250+ employees
Phone
US 20 private10 public10 NGO/charity
$14 million per yearor 500+ employees
Phone
AppendIx
Research methodology
This survey was conducted with largeprivate, public and NGO/charity sectoremployers in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia,Jordan, South A rica, the UAE, the UKand the US. In total, 198 private sector,86 public sector and 83 NGO/charitysector employers took part.
Details o the research methodologyin each country can be ound in thetable below.
The individuals who participatedwere identi ed as being responsibleor strategic decision-making withregard to employment within theirorganisation. Speci cally, thismeans they:• take a lead role in developing
and executing a recruitmentand talent-management strategyor their organisation
• are heavily involved in developingand executing a recruitmentand talent-management strategyor their organisation.
The eldwork was carried out byIpsos Public A airs between Octoberand December 2012.
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