INCA THE THEORY INTERCULTURAL COMPET.docx

INCA
THE THEORY
INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE ASSESSMENT
(INCA)
Produced with support from
© INCA, LdVII, 2004
INCA THEORY – AN OVERVIEW
July 2004
A) Motivation B) Skill/Knowledge C) Behaviour
i)
Tolerance for
ambiguity

Readiness to embrace
and work with
ambiguity
Ability to handle stress
consequent on ambiguity
Managing
ambiguous
situations
ii)
Behavioural
flexibility
Readiness to apply and
augment the full range
of one’s existing
repertoire of behaviour
Having a broad repertoire
and the knowledge of
one’s repertoire
Adapting one’s
behaviour to the
specific situation

iii)
Communicativ
e
awareness
Willingness to modify
existing communicative
conventions
Ability to identify different
communicative
conventions, levels of
foreign language
competencies and their
impact on intercultural
communication
Negotiating
appropriate
communicative
conventions for
intercultural
communication and
coping with different
foreign language
skills
iv)
Knowledge
discovery

Curiosity about other
cultures in themselves
and in order to be able
to interact better with
people
Skills of ethnographic
discovery of situation-
relevant cultural knowledge
(including technical
knowledge) before, during
and after intercultural
encounters
Seeking information
to discover culture-
related knowledge
v)
Respect for
otherness
Willingness to respect
the diversity and
coherence of
behaviour, value and
belief systems

Critical knowledge of such
systems (including one’s
own when making
judgements)
Treating equally
different behaviour,
value and
convention systems
experienced in
intercultural
encounters
INCA – Intercultural Competence Assessment –
www.incaproject.org 2
vi)
Empathy
Willingness to take the
other’s perspectives
Skills of role-taking
de-centring;
awareness of different
perspectives

Making explicit and
relating culture-
specific
perspectives to
each other
i) TOLERANCE FOR AMBIGUITY
The significance
In interaction with people of other cultures, people often have
concrete aims
they wish to achieve such as agreeing a contract, and in this
case otherness
is not only interesting but also a potential barrier. People who
are ‘tolerant of
ambiguity’ are able to meet this challenge and accept
ambiguity, whilst finding
a solution – and enjoying the experience of otherness.
Tolerance for ambiguity is the ability to accept ambiguity and
lack of
clarity and to be able to deal with this constructively.

Since members of foreign cultures show different ways of
behaviour, have
different standards and have different opinions, a lot of
uncertainty and
unpredictability emerges for an individual. The person who is
acting in such an
intercultural situation often does not know which behaviour is
expected and
how behaviour is evaluated. For instance, the temporal order of
action or the
division of labour in other cultures differ from those of one’s
own culture.
Tolerance for ambiguity means to be able to accept such
uncertainties and
ambiguities, and to find solutions to problems which they might
create.
In contrast, persons with a low degree of tolerance for
ambiguity experience
unstructured and ambiguous situations as unpleasant and
threatening. They
either try to avoid such situations or to get out of them as soon
as possible. If
this is impossible, they feel visibly uncomfortable, misinterpret
unclear
situations and simplify ambiguities. When trying to solve such
problems, they
often neglect a part of the problem and search for simple
solutions. When
confronted with contradictory and ambiguous opinions they
search for a
compromise and prefer a very clear and definite way of
proceeding.

Motivation
When persons with a high degree of tolerance for ambiguity are
confronted
with values, opinions, and ways of behaviour that contradict
their own, they
consider this situation interesting and a challenge. Persons with
tolerance for
ambiguity consider ambiguity as something positive and are
interested in
managing such situations in a constructive way.
Knowledge/skills
They are able to consider several perspectives and opinions
when looking at
a problem and they are able to find a solution that satisfies all
the people
involved.
Behaviour
They take into account all the differences and the various aims
of the partners
in a situation and, when appropriate, make them explicit. They
are calm in
ambiguous situations. They find constructive and satisfactory
solutions to
complex and ambiguous situations
ii) BEHAVIOURAL FLEXIBILITY

The significance
In interaction with people of other cultures, it is not possible to
achieve goals
effectively without taking into consideration the behaviour
considered ‘normal’
in the immediate environment, and the expectations one’s
partner has of what
‘good’ behaviour is. It is therefore necessary to be flexible and
to a certain
degree able to adapt to the immediate environment to achieve
co-operation
and understanding.
Behavioural flexibility is the ability to adapt one’s own
behaviour to
different requirements and situations.
In their own cultures, people usually know the behaviour that is
expected and
that is considered appropriate. Usually this would be a small
spectrum of
possible ways of behaving. When people from different cultures
meet, their
usual behaviour might not be appropriate for other people who
do not react to
behaviour in the way expected. Thus it is essential in
intercultural situations to
be able to expand and adapt one’s own repertoire of behaviour.
Persons with
intercultural competence thus show the ability to perceive
intercultural signals

and they are able to use different strategies of behaviour in
different
situations.
Persons with a high degree of behavioural flexibility are able to
use a broad
spectrum of behaviour adapted to specific situations. In the
same situation
they can act in different ways. They perceive even weak signals
in situations
and are able to adapt their behaviour accordingly. They also
take into account
how their own behaviour influences others, and are able to take
on the types
of behaviour of others.
Persons with a low degree of behavioural flexibility always act
in the same
way, even in situations when they meet persons from other
cultures. They are
unable to consider different alternatives of action in a situation.
They will not
deviate from a previously determined behavioural procedure. An
inflexible
person will not notice the negative effects of their own
behaviour on others.
Thus they cannot adapt their own behaviour to specific
situations or take on
types of behaviour from others.

Motivation
Having a wide repertoire of behaviour, they are willing to
constantly monitor
the effects of their own behaviour, and adapt it to the specific
requirements of
a given situation.
Knowledge/skill
They are generally able to apply a number of different types of
behaviour in a
given situation. They are able to perceive even weak signals of
a situation and
can adapt their behaviour in appropriate ways.
Behaviour
They take on the behaviour of others and use that in
intercultural situations if
their own behaviour is inappropriate.
iii) COMMUNICATIVE AWARENESS
The significance
Problems in intercultural communication often occur because
the
communication partners follow different linguistic conventions.
People from
different cultures associate different meanings with specific
terms; they
express their intentions in different linguistic forms, they
follow different
cultural conventions of how a conversation should take place
with regard to its

content or its structure. The meaning of gestures, mime,
volume, pauses, etc.
also differs from one culture to the other. This is all
exacerbated by the use of
foreign languages, when people are often not able to formulate
or interpret
intentions appropriately in given contexts.
People often do not notice such problems but when they do,
they make
‘psychological’ assumptions, and attribute the differences to
different
character traits, to different ‘cultural mentalities’. A speaker
who speaks with a
low voice, for instance, is often described as ‘shy’, although
he/she may only
want to behave in a polite manner or to indicate that the
message is very
important.
Communicative awareness is the ability to recognise different
linguistic
conventions, different foreign language skills and their effects
on
discourse processes, and to negotiate rules appropriate for
intercultural
communication.
Communicative Awareness focuses on the following areas:
Dealing with different communicative conventions

Communicative awareness is the ability to recognise different
communicative
conventions and their impact on discourse processes, and to
attune to the
communicative conventions that seem to govern the behaviour
of discourse
partners. Based on these assumptions, each person tries to adapt
his own
discourse behaviour to these conventions or to explain his own
conventions
and situational preferences to others.
Dealing with the effects of different communicative conventions
Communicative awareness also means assessing the discourse
situation and
the potential impact of one’s own discourse behaviour in the
ongoing
intercultural situation. Based on this assessment of how
utterances can
provoke misunderstandings, partners try to negotiate and agree
upon
common discourse rules.
Dealing with communicative difficulties
Communicative awareness is also the ability to cope with
problems in
communication that result from non-native-language skills. This
means to
adapt to different levels of foreign language competence, e.g.
by simplifying
utterances, by explaining/avoiding technical terms or by trying
for clear

articulation.
Furthermore, communicative awareness includes the use of
meta-
communicative strategies that address the discourse situation,
e.g. by
mentioning problems of word meaning (‘Maybe I did not
understand XX
correctly’), speakers' intentions (‘I promise you…’, ‘What I
actually mean…’),
discourse conditions (‘I feel that we are running out of time’),
by explicitly
asking for clarification (‘What do you mean by…’) or by giving
feedback ‘(If I
understand you correctly, by saying that XX you mean YY’?).
Motivation
They are willing to suspend immediate attributions when
confronted with
different linguistic conventions. They are curious to find out
about the
meanings and intentions of their communication partners. They
are ready to
modify given communicative conventions and to behave
correspondingly.
Knowledge /skill
They have knowledge of different communicative conventions
and levels of
foreign language competencies and are able to recognise the
impact of these
differences on discourse processes. They know how to modify
their
communicative behaviour by adapting to the behaviour of
communication

partners or by negotiating appropriate rules for the intercultural
situation.
Behaviour
They build and test hypotheses about different communicative
conventions
and appropriate language levels. They negotiate and agree upon
common
rules for discourse interaction. They cope with problems that
result from non-
native-language skills by adapting to different levels of foreign
language
competence or by using meta-communicative strategies for
clarification.
iv) KNOWLEDGE DISCOVERY
The significance
It is not always possible to predict where and how people will
find themselves
in an unfamiliar situation, interacting with people of another
culture. People
cannot always prepare in advance for a new situation. It is thus
important to
have the skills of finding out new knowledge and integrating it
with what one

already knows. People need especially to know how to discover
practical
information, and also how to observe how people of other
cultures act in
accordance with their underlying and often unconscious beliefs,
values and
behaviours.
The skill of knowledge discovery is the ability to acquire new
knowledge
of a culture and cultural practices and the ability to act using
that
knowledge, attitudes and skills under the constraints of real-
time
communication and interaction
When two or more people interact with each other, either face
to face or at a
distance, they have certain expectations of each other based on
previous
knowledge. If they know that they are to meet ‘an English
person’, ‘ a woman’,
or ‘a teenager’, they will use knowledge of that person or of
that type – and
sometimes it is a stereotype – to anticipate the nature of the
interaction and
communication. Even when they meet for the first time, and
have no previous
knowledge of each other, their expectations will form
immediately – based for
example on the apparent age, gender, ethnicity and social class
of the other
person. In situations of interaction which are not face to face –

reading a letter
or e-mail – there are other clues that lead to formation of
expectations,
sometimes deliberately given but sometimes evident from the
paper used, the
style of writing etc.
Even if we have been prepared or taught in advance about the
people in
question, this can never be complete or anticipate all
circumstances, and we
need to know how to ‘find out’ about others and what they
assume to be
‘natural’.
The main difficulty is that other people are not aware of what
we need to
know. They are not aware for example that some allusions in
what they say
are recognised by people of their own culture but not shared by
us. We need
to be aware of what kinds of differences there might be, what
the common
hindrances to understanding are, and then develop skills of
asking
appropriate questions. In other words, we need the skills of
‘reading’ the
environment, for example the signs and symbols of the street
scene, the
significance of modes of dress, the styles and types of

newspaper texts.
Where we cannot read, we have to know how to ask and how to
interpret
answers.
When we know in advance that we will be interacting with
people in a new
environment, then we can do some prior research, using
particular sources of
information, for example travel books, websites, tourist
information, even
novels based in the new environment. In this case we need to be
able to
differentiate between, for example, information intended for
tourism and what
will really help with living and working in a new environment.
Motivation
They have a curiosity to find out about other cultures both in
themselves and
in order to be able to interact better with people of other
cultural identities
Knowledge/skill
They have the ability to acquire new knowledge of a culture and
cultural
practices and the ability to act using that knowledge under the
constraints of
real-time communication and interaction
Behaviour
They use skills of asking questions, interpreting documents to,
for example,
elicit from an interlocutor the concepts and values of documents
or events,

identify significant references within and across cultures,
identify similar and
dissimilar processes of interaction, verbal and non-verbal, and
negotiate an
appropriate use of them in specific circumstances, identify and
make use of
public and private institutions which facilitate contact with
other countries and
cultures.
v) RESPECT FOR OTHERNESS
The significance
The basis of intercultural competence is in the attitudes of the
person
interacting with people of another culture. This means a
willingness to
relativise one's own values, beliefs and behaviours, not to
assume that they
are the only possible and naturally correct ones, and an ability
to see how
they might look from an outsider's perspective who has a
different set of
values, beliefs and behaviours. This can be called the ability to
'decentre'. If
people do not have this respect for the way other people act and
for what they
believe, then there is no basis for successful communication and
achievement
of joint objectives.

Respect for otherness is manifested in curiosity and openness,
readiness to suspend belief about (the ‘naturalness’ of) one’s
own
culture and to believe in (the ‘naturalness’ of) other cultures.
Communication is often about creating a shared understanding
about a topic,
from the weather to the humour of a story, to what action to
take next.
Successful communication does not necessarily mean agreement
or even
compromise. Success means that each understands what the
other wishes to
say as fully as possible. So it is possible for people to
understand each other
and disagree, and it is also possible for people to agree but not
realise that
they have misunderstood each other.
Understanding other people from the same language and culture
group as
oneself is not easy and is perhaps never complete. It is far more
difficult when
speaking with someone from another culture, i.e. they have:
- a different set of beliefs (what they assume is true e.g. about
what is
classed as edible and inedible or what is thought polite

behaviour);
- a different set of values (what they assume is important in
their lives
e.g. they value honesty more than politeness, or they consider
that
older people’s views are more valuable than those of the
young);
- and a different set of behaviours (the routine, often
unconscious, ways
of acting e.g. they always avoid looking older people directly in
the
eyes or they always keep a fast at a given period in the year –
whatever they ‘always’ do, without reflection).
A shared understanding is hindered by this because each starts
from a
different set of assumptions. Success depends on two things:
- being able to ‘decentre’ from one’s own culture, i.e. become
aware of
what is usually unconscious;
- being able to take the other person’s perspective, and
accepting that
their ways also seem ‘natural’ to them.
This requires ‘unlearning’ what seems natural, and this requires
a basic
attitude of respect for otherness.
Motivation
They are willing to suspend usual assumptions and seek out new
knowledge

from others in a relationship of equality and, as a consequence,
to question
their own existing assumptions.
Knowledge/skills
They have knowledge of their own assumptions and those of
their society,
and the ability to critically assess the logic of a system of
beliefs, values and
behaviours.
Behaviour
They show interest in the other’s experience and in the daily
experience of a
range of social groups within a society, and not only that
represented in the
dominant culture
They actively seek the other’s perspectives and evaluations of
phenomena
which are taken for granted in their environment, and take up
the other’s
perspectives in order to contrast and compare with the dominant
views in their
own society

vi) EMPATHY
The significance
Although respect for otherness is a basic condition for
successful interaction,
it has to be complemented by the skills of taking up another
perspective, of
being able to grasp the ideas, feelings and intentions of other
people. It is
possible to accept and respect other people’s beliefs, values and
behaviours
without grasping the impact this may have on their actions and
the way they
respond to our beliefs, values and behaviours.
People have to take into consideration in real situations that the
same
situation is often perceived and evaluated by people from
different cultures in
very different ways, and they have to be able to show empathy
towards
people from other cultures by applying the skills of changing
perspective and
showing real interest in what other people feel and how they
perceive
situations.
Empathy is the ability to project oneself into another person’s
perspective and their opinions, motives, ways of thinking and
feelings.
Empathic persons are able to relate and respond in appropriate
ways to

the feelings, preferences and ways of thinking of others.
Empathetic persons have the skills to describe what others feel
in certain
situations. They observe others carefully, are able to notice
emotions that are
hardly made explicit and are able to understand them. They are
able to see
the relationship with their own feelings and thoughts, the
similarities and
differences, and to analyse the possible effects of different
perspectives on
the mutual understanding between themselves and their
partners. In their own
actions, they consider the perspectives of others and avoid
hurting them.
People with low degrees of empathy cannot recognise and
describe the
feelings of other people. They are not interested in how other
people think or
feel and are thus unable to detect when others don’t feel at ease
in a certain
situation. They cannot emulate the way others think and how
they perceive a
situation. They cannot imagine how their own behaviour could
impact others,
and thus from time to time they hurt other people’s feelings,

and are
unsuccessful in intercultural communication.
Motivation
They wish to take up other perspectives, to put themselves into
the ways of
feeling and thinking of other people and to analyse them.
Knowledge/skills
They are able to show empathy towards people from foreign
cultures with
their feelings and thoughts. They show interest in what other
people feel and
how they perceive situations.
Behaviour
They describe what others feel in certain situations. They
observe others
carefully and recognise emotions that are hardly made explicit,
and
understand them in their respective contexts. In their own
actions, they
consider the perspectives of others and avoid hurting them, for
example by
asking about their feelings, and taking these into consideration
in their own
actions.
(Michael Byram, on behalf of Torsten Kühlmann, Bernd Müller-
Jacquier and
colleagues)

INCA SURVEY
Please answer honestly what you think or would do. There is no
“correct” answer.
Afterwards, use the INCA Survey key to calculate your scores.
Part 1 (Questions 1-7)
Choose:
(a) Never
(b) Sometimes
(c) Frequently or always
1. In restaurants I often eat dishes with ingredients that I don’t
know.
2. I often seek contact with other people in order to learn as
much as possible about their culture.
3. When other people don’t feel comfortable in my presence, I
notice it.
4. I find it easy to adapt to people from diverse origins.
5. I am comfortable with not understanding things if I am in a
strange place or foreign country.
6. When there are colleagues in my work area who constitute an
ethnic minority, I try to involve them in the majority group.
7. When colleagues or superiors from different cultures criticize
my work, I consider changing my work habits accordingly.
Part 2 – Scenarios (Questions 8 – 12)
You have been selected to take part in an international work
project with an associate European company. This will involve
you spending 3–4 months in a country which you have not
visited before (although it is possible that you learnt some of
the language at school).

8. What kind of information do you think you would need
before departure?
a. I don’t know, I would wait until I got there.
b. I would use a guide book or other sources to find information
about housing, healthcare, travel.
c. I would learn or review the language and look for official
sources on history and culture
You have been appointed to a placement in another country for
training purposes. Early in your placement, you discover that
the system of hierarchy is totally different from that practiced
in your own country. For example, you are used to people
dressing informally, using first names, eating in the same
canteen. Here there is much more formality, rules and
regulations, and people don’t even speak the same way to each
other. It is very strange and you cannot help feeling that your
own way is much better.
9. What are some things you might do?
a) Make an effort to maintain familiar practices, Try and
change things, Explain that our ways are better
b) Admit homesickness, Look for positive side, even though
own way is best
c) Seek explanation from superiors in order to understand
reasons, Make an effort to be patient, tolerant, Try out a
different way of behaving to fit in, co-operate, adapt self to
others
A young person from a different country comes to work at your
firm for 6 months. You are aware that he is rather isolated and
you consider the idea of inviting him to join you and your
friends. The problem is that your group of friends have known
each other for a long time and a stranger would find it difficult

to fit in.
10. What would you probably do?
a) Ask friends whether they would welcome a stranger before
taking action, Find out from conversation whether the person
would have similar interests, Invite if interests are similar
b) Invite even if interests are different, Tell friends that you are
bringing a stranger and explain why, Find out whether the
person would like to join your group of friends, Invite because
you would like to be invited if you were in the same position.
c) Mention the problem to a colleague, Wait to see whether the
person suggests meeting
You have been working in a foreign country for six months and
you speak the language well enough for everyday needs. At
work, difficult procedures are explained to you in your own
language, so there are no problems here. However, it is almost
impossible to understand your colleagues when they talk to each
other as they talk quickly about situations you do not
understand. It is also difficult to understand jokes and casual
remarks where people seem to speak in a local dialect.
Therefore you often feel out of your depth and confused.
11. How do you feel?
a) I would feel unhappy, I would feel very left out, I couldn’t
deal with that
b) I would talk only to fellow nationals
c) As long as I wasn’t being deliberately excluded it would be
OK
12. How would you describe a familiar but complicated task
involving the use of a piece of machinery as if to a foreigner
who did not speak the language very well?
a) Speak slowly and loudly
b) Use gestures
c) Have him/her demonstrate understanding at the end
Part Three : Roleplay (Questions 13-18)
Mr Parker, a department director of a company in Southern

England, has traveled to China in order to conduct negotiations.
He is welcomed by the Managing Director of the Chinese
company. But Mr Parker is not satisfied with the way the
negotiations are going…
For three days Mr Parker has been negotiating with Mr Li, Mr
Wang’s department director. These negotiations have been quite
difficult and tiring. So Mr Parker is looking forward to this
meeting and wants to seize the opportunity to clarify a few
issues face to face with the director of the company.
Parker: I am delighted to meet you.
Wang/Interpreter: (takes his business card and hands it over to
Mr Parker) Here is Mr Wang’s business card.
Parker: (takes Mr Wang’s card and puts it in his pocket) And
here is mine. (he hands Mr Wang his card)
Wang/Interpreter: (Wang reads the card very attentively) Oh,
you have even got Chinese characters on your visiting card!
That's most kind of you. We have a saying in China: ‘When a
friend has come from very far away, then that is a very joyful
event.’ Mr Wang is therefore very glad to be able to welcome
you here today.
Mr Parker, what would you like to drink? Tea or coffee?
Parker: Coffee please.
Wang/Interpreter: Mr Wang would like to know how you have
spent the past few days in Shanghai. Have you been able to
settle in and get used to the climate? Parker: Thank you for
asking. I do have a few problems with my hotel. The air
conditioning doesn’t really work, so I’ve caught a cold. And
also there are … some problems with the negotiations with your
company…

Wang/Interpreter: Mr Parker, if you should have any problems
whatsoever, please let Mr Wang know. We will do our best.
Parker: Thank you very much.
Mr Parker is interrupted in his description of the problem:
Wang/Interpreter: Mr Parker, if you should have any problems
whatsoever, please let Mr Wang know. We will do our best.
Wang/Interpreter: Mr Parker, are you married?
Parker: (slightly surprised) Yes.
Wang/Interpreter: Have you any children yet?
Parker: No, I don’t have any children yet … You know, with all
this travelling I have to do … (forces a smile)
Wang/Interpreter: Mr Parker, Mr Wang has been reading your
business card. And he has noticed that you are sales director,
and you are still so very young. There is, as we say in China, a
bright future lying ahead of you.
Therefore Mr Wang hopes that our … that the negotiations will
take place on the basis of mutual trust and that they will be
fruitful as a result of our joint efforts.
Parker: So do I. You know that our company has a high level of
expertise in technological products. Since we are convinced that
our Chinese partners will appreciate this, I hope that we will be
able to conclude our negotiations successfully and soon.
Wang: (laughs)
Parker: What I would particularly like to know, Mr Wang, is
how your company performs on delivery dates? Will you
manage to keep to deadlines?

Wang/Interpreter: Oh, Mr Parker, there is your coffee. It is
getting cold.
Parker: Thank you. (drinks) But what about the delivery dates?
Wang/Interpreter: You are welcome to discuss these questions
tomorrow with Mr Li in more detail.
Wang/Interpreter: Mr Wang would like to know why you have
not brought your wife with you this time?
Parker: Well, my wife is not all that interested in my business,
and then she doesn’t really like long journeys.
Wang/Interpreter: Mr Wang thinks that is a pity, since Shanghai
is a very nice city. There are many beautiful sights in the
Shanghai area. So you really must bring your wife next time.
Parker: I will try to convince her. But that is going to be very
difficult.
Wang/Interpreter: Mr Parker, have you had a chance to get to
know the Chinese culture in more detail yet?
Parker: No, I'm afraid not. But I am not here on holiday. This is
strictly a business visit.
Wang/Interpreter: Mr Parker, I am sure you have heard that the
Chinese have a very long cultural tradition. So Mr Wang will
tell Mr Li to take you to the 'Yuyuan’ tomorrow for a visit.
There you will find also many shops that sell objects of cultural
interest.
Parker: (growing rather impatient) Thank you very much, Mr
Wang. But … perhaps we can return to that later?

Wang/Interpreter: Mr Wang has been very glad to welcome you
here today. He hopes that our co-operation will be fruitful. The
car that we have ordered for you has just arrived. Mr Wang
would like to show you out.
Parker: Now, that’s a bit sudden. We haven't talked about
business yet.
Wang/Interpreter: As Mr Wang just said, you will be able to
talk business with Mr Li tomorrow.
Parker: (disappointed) All right.
13) Mr Parker is interrupted in his description of the problem:
Wang: Mr Parker, if you should have any problems whatsoever,
please let Mr Wang know. We will do our best.
What could Mr Wang mean by this ?
a. Mr Wang will talk to Mr Li about the problems, but doesn't
think they need to be discussed at executive level. If the
problems persist, Mr Parker should get back to Mr Wang as
soon as possible
b. Mr Wang doesn't think this meeting is the place to talk
business. He only wants to get to know Mr Parker, but doesn't
take him seriously as a negotiation partner.
c. Mr Wang can't really help with the hotel problems, but he is
being polite with his guest. So Mr Parker should not discuss his
problems further.
14)Comment on Mr Wang's question: ‘Have you any
children yet?’

a. Mr Wang is just being curious.
b. Perhaps a man's status is higher in China if he has children.
c. He wants to get to know Mr Parker better because that makes
business easier.
15) In the conversation the following dialogue occurs:
Wang: Therefore Mr Wang hopes that our … that the
negotiations will take place on the basis of mutual trust and that
they will be fruitful due to our joint efforts. Parker: So do I.
You know that our company has a high level of expertise in
technological products. Since we are convinced that our Chinese
partners will appreciate this, I hope that we will be able to
conclude our negotiations successfully and soon.
Why does Mr Wang laugh when Mr Parker makes this
remark?
a. Mr Wang is embarrassed because Mr Parker is so eager to
conclude a deal.
b. Mr Wang is hiding his irritation that Mr Parker may think his
company can't keep to deadlines.
c. Perhaps Mr Wang is nervous because he may not be able to
keep to deadlines.
16) Mr Wang and Mr Parker briefly discuss cultural activities:
Wang: Mr Parker, have you had a chance to get to know the
Chinese culture in more detail yet ? Parker: No, I'm afraid not.
But I am not here on holiday. This is strictly a business visit.
Which statement best describes this situation in your
opinion?
a. Mr Wang is just trying to keep the conversation going, but he
knows that Mr Parker has no time for cultural activities on such
a short business trip.

b. Mr Parker knows that culture is important to the Chinese, but
he is under pressure. He would like to discuss Chinese culture,
but only after the deal has been concluded.
c. Neither Mr Wang nor Mr Parker are aware that they have
completely different expectations. The meeting would be more
successful if each of them tried to adapt to the other's priorities.
17) Why does Mr Wang repeatedly tell the English manager to
discuss business issues with Mr Li?
a. Mr Wang isn't aware of the details of the contract. Mr Parker
should give Mr Wang more information and ask him to make the
most important decisions. The details can then be worked out
with Mr Li.
b. Mr Wang expects Mr Parker to negotiate with a Chinese
colleague of his own status, as is customary in China. Mr Parker
should not feel offended, but accept it and negotiate with Mr Li.
c. Mr Wang has delegated the negotiations to Mr Li and does
not want undermine Mr Li by discussing the contract with Mr
Parker. Mr Parker should respect this and try to solve any
problems with Mr Li.
18) What statement best expressed the difficulties between Mr
Parker and Mr Wang?
a. Mr Parker acted as you would normally act in a business
meeting, and he expected Mr Wang to do the same. But the
Chinese don't say what they mean, and it's hard to read between
the lines if you don't speak Chinese.
b. Mr Parker and Mr Wang each followed the rules of their own
culture. Mr Parker should have explained himself better and
asked Mr Wang to say more clearly what he means.
c. The different cultures are not a problem, but Mr Wang and
Mr Parker should have known that communication works
differently in each culture. They should have tried to talk about
these differences instead of trying to talk business.

This assignment demonstrates your professional writing skills
as well as your intercultural communication competency. This
assignment consists of two parts:
Part 1:
Complete the INCA survey and develop a one-page reflection
summarizing your ideas. Directions: Complete all of the INCA
Survey questions. When you are done, use the INCA survey
student manual to help you analyze your results. Read about the
different dimensions of intercultural competency and what they
mean.
Survey Attached below
INCA is an acronym for Intercultural Competency Assessment.
The purpose of the INCA survey is for you to examine your
intercultural awareness and assess your cultural sensitivity. This
activity is designed to help you become aware of your own
attitude towards cultural diversity. The dimensions of cultural
competence measured by the INCA survey are:1) Tolerance of
ambiguity, 2) Behavioral flexibility, 3) Communicative
awareness, 4) Knowledge discovery, 5) Respect for Otherness,
and 6) Empathy.
Part 2:
Directions:
Use the 3 critical incidents selected below and analyze them.
Your analysis should contain at least three scholarly references
each that pertain directly to the incident, and should be
completed as formal written report in APA format.
You can take the format of an executive briefing or a training
session.
The analysis should be complete and supported by literature,
not an opinion piece.
1. My friend liked her class, but she felt that the teacher was
very cold. She said the teacher just taught grammar and never
asked about the students’ families or talked about her own.
2. A man commented one day that the reason there are so many
single women in Canada is that they are lazy. His female friend

was surprised and insulted by his attitude.
3. A young woman had recently arrived in Canada ready to start
a new life. She found the weather a little cold but still enjoyed
wearing the same style she wore at home—tight skirts and tight
tops that had low neck- lines. After about a month, she began to
notice people staring at her. She thought they were looking at
her because she was a foreigner. Then one day someone told her
that only prostitutes dressed that way. She felt angry and
insulted.
Next choose from the following cultural orientations and themes
as they relate to the critical incidents (can be more than one).
Explain how your chosen critical incident relates to one or more
cultural orientation(s) and theme(s) in your report:
· Universalism/Particularism
· Power Distance
· Hierarchy/Equality
· Individualism/Collectivism
· Space: Private/Public
· Face
· Communication: High/Low Context
· Communication: formal/ informal
· Communication: direct/indirect
· Communication: non-verbal
· Competitiveness
· Thinking
· Learning Style
· Interpersonal Distance and Touch
· Time
· Death/dying
· Cheating
· Customs
· Knowledge
· Teacher/student
· Relationship building
· Discipline
· Apology

· Work ethic
· Conflict
· Respect
· Parenting
· Negotiating
· Gender roles
Assignment Requirements
You will want to conduct your own research to learn more
information about cultural competencies for the purpose of this
assignment.
Complete both parts in a formal written paper using APA
format. Use headings to mark each part: Part 1 and Part 2. Use
subheadings to indicate the discussion of each critical incident.
Please review the requirements for all written assignments on
page 3 of the syllabus.
Most assignments include a minimum required number of
sources (beyond the textbook). The required sources are to be
recent (dated within the last 5 years) and from scholarly or
acceptable outside sources. Acceptable sources are scholarly
manuscripts written by scholars or professionals with expertise
in the field. They are usually peer-reviewed and sometimes
present research results. It is also possible to find reliable
information in the news or reports, but avoid websites with
unknown authors and websites with open access for authors,
such as Wikipedia. Sources are to be cited within the text in
APA style, references in APA style, AND you must include a
hyperlink (if available) to view the source. Develop your
assignments with clear syntax, correct grammar, and spelling.
Avoid using bullets and lists whenever possible. Instead,
explain and elaborate using complete sentences and paragraphs.
Make sure your assignments are comprehensive and address the
issues, concerns, and questions asked in the order in which they
are asked. Make a point of self-evaluating each of your

assignments using its course rubric before submitting it.
Instructors grade all papers using the course rubrics.

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