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Profile of the Department:
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Since the 1980s intercultural communication and intercultural management have experienced a growing popularity. Interculturalism is a topic of increasing relevance, as more and more people are influenced by it - be it inside or outside their own environment. Every day, cultural borders are crossed and intercultural bridges built.
In this context, understanding and commitment for cultural differences are preconditions for people to live peacefully together and for a harmonic economic cooperation in a frequently internationalizing and hence 'interculturalizing' world. Wherever people of different cultural backgrounds meet, irritations and misunderstandings may occur.
Not only societies and organizations deal with interculturalism but also sciences. They try to offer explanations and orientation to better understand, explain and to take advantage of cultural diversity. The development of intercultural competence, thereby, plays a key role. It contributes to a better understanding of the influence of one’s own and foreign cultures in cooperating with partners as well as to the development of competences for successful interactions. Thus this competence tries to make use of the synergy potentials of intercultural interactions.
Intercultural competence develops itself as a process, which can be divided into three phases.
We, as the Department for Intercultural Communication, see ourselves as intermediary between different living and working environments, which are to be confirmed, connected and put into a systematic context.
Passau culture-bridge-model of intercultural cometence
For us, intercultural communication takes place on the one hand, in and between social systems which can be allegorized in a connected three-level model.
On the other hand, we consider intercultural communication as context-oriented, i.e. besides cultural elements, the reference has to be made to institutions, strategies and interests of the different actors.
Therefore, the Department for Intercultural Communication at the University of Passau follows an interdisciplinary approach with the aim to achieve a systematic, contextualized and intercultural development of competences.
Micro Individuals
“Personality and Competences”
The micro-level of intercultural communication research affects interpersonal communication and contact between people with different orientation and reference systems and therefore different interpretation and behavior patterns. At the micro-level, intercultural competence is developed in the form of e.g. intercultural training and coaching.
One of the main focuses of our department lies on intercultural management. People act according tospecific contexts which often are influenced through practical constraints, the constellation of interest and power in hierarchical status. Thereby, the diverging expectations of roles and behavior patterns in leadership and teamwork in a multicultural environment meet. The quality and success of interactions between individuals depends on the adequate interpretation of culturally different behavior.
The Department for Intercultural Communication explores and teaches forms and methods for the development of intercultural competences.
Meso Organization
“Organizational Culture and International Transfer”
Intercultural communication and interaction often takes place within or between groups, international teams or organizations. Organizations develop specific forms to think and act which is often referred to as corporate culture. This culture includes identity-creating values, norms and regulations.
Organizations offer an important context, which is often neglected in intercultural communication . Due to international transfer, they face constant changes and development processes, which contribute to the creation of a new, third culture – an “interculture”. Hence, the focus lies on the intercultural integration of different systems.
The Department r for Intercultural Communication explores and compares characteristics of intercultural organization, developments and intercultural transfer.
Macro Societies
“National Business Systems and Styles”
Social systems influence and structure intercultural communication and interaction at the macro-level of our model. Societal and business systems represent the historical and institutional influencing basis for the creation and development of culture, upon which specific business styles are created.
Within certain cultural areas (e.g. France) specific social, political and economic institutions (state, corporations, interest groups, education systems) as well as cultural institutions (e.g. values, norms and behavior patterns) develop themselves and act as systems for orientation and reference.
Cultural areas with their societal and business system, however, do not form a hermetical closed, mono-cultural container. They are confronted with cultural transfer and transformation processes, which contribute to cultural diversity and multiculturalism with the systems and add new challenges.
The Department for Intercultural Communication analyzes systems of society and business in consideration of their cultural context.
Aktuelles an der Universität
Lehrstuhl für Interkulturelle Kommunikation
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