1. New York’s Virtual Incubation & Acceleration Network
Linking global business and technology resources with innovators worldwide
1page
Intercultural Competence:
The key qualification for doing business in
the 21st century
November 7, 2012

2. What is Culture?
Nationality
“Race”
Ethnicity
Culture is not only about…
Gender Class
…it also includes:
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Gender
Demography
Rural vs.
Urban
Class
Education
Position
Interests
………..
Consumptive
vs. Investive

3. Some common myths about culture
• People from my country have the same culture, people from
other countries have a different culture
• Culture is only about nationality or race
• Learning the do’s and taboos of a country or region is sufficient
preparation for working internationally
Myths and Mistakes
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preparation for working internationally
• You should just adapt to the other culture(s)
The single biggest mistake you can make in intercultural encounters:
Different = Deficient

4. Why is Intercultural Competence Important for Entrepreneurs?
Sales
opportunities
• customers
• networks
• sales channels
Resources
• suppliers
• materials / ideas / information
Modern information technology and infrastructure gives
entrepreneurs nowadays access to global markets:
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Resources • materials / ideas / information
• employees
Competitors
• for markets
• for resources
• for employees
…but also:
(Mathews & Zander, 2007)

5. •Strategy development
•Organization
•PR & Marketing
•Finance
•Human Resources
What is Intercultural Competence?
H A R D S K I L L S
Strategic
Competence
•Leadership skills
•Decision making
•Time management
•Negotiation skills
•Problem solving
•Process Management
Professional
Competence
Intercultural
Entrepreneur’s
Competence
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S O F T S K I L L S
•Changing perspective
•Team building
•Initiation of reciprocity
•Metacommunication
•Metacognition
•Conflict resolution
•Languages
•Style switching
•Tolerance of
uncertainty/ambiguity
•Self motivation
•Creativity & Flexibility
Source: Adapted from Bolten (2007).
Social
Competence
Individual
Competence
Competence

6. How Can Entrepreneurs Acquire Intercultural Competence?
Intercultural Competence for
Entrepreneurs
Training
(off-the-job)
Coaching
(on-the-job)
The best results can be achieved with a mix of Training and Coaching:
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Contents:
•General cultural
sensitivity training
•Influence of culture on
the Entrepreneur’s
specific business
•Intercultural interaction
models in projects
Methods:
•Distributive
•Interactive
•Collaborative
Intercultural coaching:
Entrepreneur (and Team)
Intercultural e-coaching:
•E-learning
•Blended learning
Intercultural
problem solving
Source: Adapted from Bolten (2007).

7. Intercultural Mindset
“The mind is like a parachute.
It only works when it's open.“
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Frank Zappa

8. Thank you very much
for your attention!
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for your attention!

9. Bolten, J. (2007): Einfürung in die Interkulturelle Wirtschaftskommunikation.
Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.
References
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Mathews J.A., Zander I. (2007). The international entrepreneurial dynamics of
accelerated internationalization. Journal of International Business Studies. 1-
17.

10. About the Presenter
Karin Brünnemann is a certified PMP® and an Intercultural Expert. Born and
schooled in Germany, she has so far lived in 7, studied in 3, worked in 20, and
traveled in 40 countries.
Karin specializes in Consulting, Project Management, Training, and Mediation in
global and intercultural settings, and has more than 25 years of experience in
the automotive, telecommunications, high-tech, logistics, and aerospace
industries; from small and medium sized enterprises to Fortune 500 companies.
Karin holds a degree in Business Information Systems, a diploma in Human
Rights, and is currently pursuing an MS in Psychology.
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Contact Details:
Karin Brünnemann
Managing Director
4| CEE, s.r.o.
www.4CEE.eu
karin@4CEE.eu

11. About 4| CEE
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© 2012 Karin Brünnemann