Definition
Intercultural Knowledge and Competence is "a set of cognitive, affective, and behavioral skills and characteristics that support effective and appropriate interaction in a variety of cultural contexts.” (Bennett, J. M. 2008. Transformative training: Designing programs for culture learning. In Contemporary leadership and intercultural competence: Understanding and utilizing cultural diversity to build successful organizations, ed. M. A. Moodian, 95-110. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.) Evaluators are encouraged to assign a zero to any work sample or collection of work that does not meet benchmark (cell one) level performance.
| 4 Excellence | 3 Highly Effective | 2 Competent | 1 Needs Work | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledge Cultural Self Awareness |
Articulates insights into own cultural rules and biases (e.g. seeking complexity; aware of how ones experiences have shaped these rule, and how to recognize and respond to cultural biases, resulting in a shift in self-description | Recognizes new perspectives about own cultural rules and biases (e.g. not looking for sameness; comfortable with the complexities that new perspectives offer.) | Identifies own cultural rules and biases (e.g. with a strong preference for those rules shared with own cultural group and seeks the same in others.) | Shows minimal awareness of own cultural rules and biases (even those shared with own cultural group(s)) (e.g. uncomfortable with identifying possible cultural differences with others.) |
| Knowledge Knowledge of cultural worldview frameworks |
Demonstrates sophisticated understanding of the complexity of elements important to members of another culture in relation to its history, values, politics, communication styles, economy, or beliefs and practices. | Demonstrates adequate understanding of the complexity of elements important to members of another culture in relation to its history, values, politics, communication styles, economy, or beliefs and practices. | Demonstrates partial understanding of the complexity of elements important to members of another culture in relation to its history, values, politics, communication styles, economy, or beliefs and practices. | Demonstrates surface understanding of the complexity of elements important to members of another culture in relation to its history, values, politics, communication styles, economy, or beliefs and practices. |
| Skills Empathy |
Interprets intercultural experience from the perspectives of own and more than one worldview and demonstrates ability to act in a supportive manner that recognizes the feelings of another cultural group. | Recognizes intellectual and emotional dimensions of more than one worldview and sometimes uses more than one worldview in interactions. | Identifies components of other cultural perspectives but responds in all situations with own worldview. | Views the experience of others but does so through own cultural worldview. |
| Skills Verbal and nonverbal communication |
Articulates a complex understanding of cultural differences in verbal and nonverbal communication (e.g., demonstrates understanding of the degree to which people use physical contact while communicating in different cultures or use direct/ indirect and explicit/ implicit meanings) and is able to skillfully negotiate a shared understanding based on those differences. | Recognizes and participates in cultural differences in verbal and nonverbal communication and begins to negotiate a shared understanding based on those differences. | Identifies some cultural differences in verbal and nonverbal communication and is aware that misunderstandings can occur based on those differences but is still unable to negotiate a shared understanding. | Has a minimal level of understanding of cultural differences in verbal and nonverbal communication; is unable to negotiate a shared understanding. |
| Attitudes Curiosity |
Asks complex questions about other cultures, seeks out and articulates answers to these questions that reflect multiple cultural perspectives. | Asks deeper questions about other cultures and seeks out answers to these questions. | Asks simple or surface questions about other cultures. | States minimal interest in learning more about other cultures. |
| Attitudes Openness |
Initiates and develops interactions with culturally different others. Suspends judgment in valuing her/ his interactions with culturally different others. | Begins to initiate and develop interactions with culturally different others. Begins to suspend judgment in valuing her/ his interactions with culturally different others. | Expresses openness to most, if not all, interactions with culturally different others. Has difficulty suspending any judgment in her/ his interactions with culturally different others, and is aware of own judgment and expresses a willingness to change. | Receptive to interacting with culturally different others. Has difficulty suspending any judgment in her/ his interactions with culturally different others, but is unaware of own judgment. |