Project description

Programme: Erasmus+

Project Title: Critical Incidents in Intercultural Communication and Promoting Diversity

Summary:

Working with human capital in the 21st century reflects changes in the labour market related not only to migration, but also to Industry 4.0 and the requirement to adapt quickly to new situations. Related to this there is the need for new approaches to training of future employees, development of their key competencies, critical thinking, ability to adapt to different situations, mutual cooperation, and intercultural communication skills. In order to be able to operate in a changing environment, social, political and economic in the global environment, the cultural contexts that globalization brings must be addressed. The issue of critical incidents is closely related to this development both in the professional and private life of today's society. Multinational businesses are facing and will face cultural differences in employee structures, which is a part of the diversity management - a set of measures that lead to the company accepting and respecting differences. Cultural diversity, among others, is an inseparable part of this concept. In connection with multinationalism, movement of labour and also migration waves, it is necessary to focus on the cultural specifics of individual nationalities and to learn how to work with them. What is more, after the outbreak of COVID-19, it is clear that this pandemic has had an impact on every business sector and the problem of intercultural communication, multinationalism and diversity management plays an integral role in the world to come. Other questions are opened in relation to communication, prejudice and fears of the unknown when communicating with foreigners of different origin. Nationalist tendencies and xenophobia is also likely to intensify. That is why the topic of critical incidents is up-to-date and necessary.

During the three-year period, the project focused in particular on the critical incidents in multicultural environment. This environment was represented both by educational institutions participating in the project and by cooperating multicultural companies and institutions. The research was carried out in order to collect critical incidents and, based on their analysis, to propose ways how to work with critical incidents, how to eliminate their causes and how to use their positive potential for the development of personality and corporate culture. They were approached from different perspectives employing each partner expertise in different fields. Didactical models were developed and implemented into a range of subjects as a part of study programmes resulting in innovations in course syllabi and developing new updated educational and training material to be used across the partner institutions and companies. Research activities resulted in the book "Emerging Research on Critical Incidents in Europe: A multidisciplinary approach" and articles in professional journals. Two short intensive programmes were organised in the Czech Republic and Austria where students, academia and professionals met and worked together on common topics, tested and refined new educational sources, training material was introduced, discussed and tested. The intellectual outcomes were presented during the closing international conference "Beyond Horizons – Intersection of the Academic and Business world in the field of Culture and Diversity" in Mladá Boleslav, Czechia, in which all participants demonstrated and shared common results and benefits of the project work.

Project details: