MULTICULTURAL INDIVIDUALS: What Can They Bring to Global Organizations?

Abstract

Global businesses are fast-moving places with technologies that enable people to be more mobile than ever. Not only do individuals travel more frequently and connect with people from societal cultures that are different from their own, but as globalization dissolves geographical barriers, more individuals find themselves identifying with not only one culture, but with two or even more. Statistics indicate that this demographic is both large and growing. By 2021, more than 40 million people in OECD countries were foreign-born (OECD, 2022), and multicultural individuals have become so important that UNESCO has discussed their impact in reports since 2009 (UNESCO, 2009).