The Role of Intercultural Communicative Competence in Transnational Educational and Occupational Fields: Studies of Higher Education and Virtual Working Environments

This doctoral dissertation examines what kind of competences for intercultural communication higher education students need to effectively interact and succeed in today’s increasingly transnational and multicultural learning and working environments. Understanding how Finland can fully utilise the talent of international and local higher education students should be seen as a priority in both developing Finnish higher education and ensuring a high-quality workforce for the future. The focus of this dissertation is on both international and Finnish-born higher education students, international graduates and highly-skilled professionals working in Information and Communication Technology.

Finland is well-known for its high quality of education, including higher education. Furthermore, Finland is a technologically advanced nation-state that can operate in foreign languages. Therefore, Finland possesses many qualities that make it a desirable place to obtain a tertiary degree. The aim of Finnish universities and universities of applied sciences is to offer possibilities to acquire the skills and competences needed in the Finnish and international labour markets. One of these competences is intercultural communication, the need of which is increasing with the current trend of virtual work across various communication contexts. Understanding the demands of intercultural communication in today’s working environments highlights the importance of understanding the meaning and role of transnational communication.

This dissertation research is conducted with pragmatic mixed methods, with a strong emphasis on qualitative data and analysis. Data was gathered from Finnish and international degree students in Finnish higher education, North American communication students, international higher education graduates living in Finland and highly-skilled professionals working in a Finnish ICT company. The data collection methods were surveys, interviews, learning diaries, audio-visual course assignments and virtual forum discussions. Most of the data from higher education students, graduates and highly-skilled professionals come from individual interviews. Each sub-study approaches intercultural communicative competence from a different perspective.

The main research question is: what kind of intercultural communicative competences are needed in increasingly transnational and multicultural learning and working environments in Finland? The overall aim is to provide means for improving the possibilities of higher education students with communicative skills that are relevant for their future careers in transnational and/or multicultural working contexts, at individual, organisational and national levels in Finland. The theoretical framework of this study consists of the concepts of intercultural and transnational communication and intercultural communicative competence. These concepts are examined by using the notions of lingua franca, virtual communication, third culture, as well as different identities, skills and attitudinal orientations towards intercultural communication.

The findings portray an elaborate picture of the self-perceived intercultural communication skills and competences of higher education students and highly-skilled professionals in their respective working contexts. Applying the theoretical lenses of intercultural and transnational communication to the data collected with higher education students, graduates and ICT professionals illustrates the complex nature of intercultural communicative competence in contemporary working environments. Furthermore, the analysis shows the complementary position of intercultural communication into transnational communication.

The findings also outline some special needs for intercultural communication that increasingly common virtual environments create. The findings indicate that intercultural communicative competence should not be regarded as a separate skillset. Instead, it should be perceived as a normal part of learning and work. Its importance is highlighted in teamwork and onboarding processes both in working life and higher education contexts. Even though intercultural communicative competence mainly refers to individual attributes and skills, it also contains a reciprocal dimension. This means that intercultural communication skills are not necessarily transferable from one context to another. However, the findings of this study propose the importance of creating a ‘third culture’ for effective intercultural communication. In addition, understanding what using English as a lingua franca means for one’s own linguistic identity, and understanding the special demands of virtual communication, can be transferred from one social context to another, aiding in transnational communication.

This research shows that intercultural communicative competence is comprised of individuals’ skills, identities and attributes, and cultural understanding. Appreciating intercultural communication and what it has to offer should start from within the individual as well as understanding a given context. However, this does not mean that the responsibility for promoting intercultural communicative competence should be solely on the individual. Instead, changes are needed at institutional and national levels. Organisations such as higher education institutes can provide a framework for individuals to hone these skills. They can also construct and create opportunities for individuals to educate themselves in ways that suit contemporary working and learning environments. In other words, the findings of this study suggest offering both short-term and long-term, multi-faceted educational possibilities that are communicative in nature and originate from real working-life needs.