Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes, and Experiences Necessary to Become Globally Competent

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to develop a “working” definition of the term “global competence,” and to determine if there are significant differences between the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and experiences that human resource managers of transnational corporations and international educators at higher educational institutions believe necessary for attaining global competence. A Definition of “Global Competence” A panel of 17 experts participated in a Delphi Technique, and was asked to define the term “global competence.” A majority of the experts were leaders in the field of international education or served as human resource managers/directors for transnational corporations. The panel determined the definition to be “having an open mind while actively seeking to understand cultural norms and expectations of others, leveraging this gained knowledge to interact, communicate and work effectively outside one’s environment.” This definition demonstrated the inevitable link between thought and deed. In today’s driven society, learning must result in productivity and capability. The definition posed also recognized the importance of positive “output” and implied the need for a tangible point of measurement. Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes, and Experiences Necessary to Become Globally Competent A survey was sent to 133 international educators at higher educational institutions and 42 human resource directors representing transnational corporations. The objective was to determine if there were significant differences between the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and experiences that human resource managers of transnational corporations and international educators at higher educational institutions believe necessary for attaining global competence. Because of the high level of concurrence between the international educators and transnational corporation human resource managers, commonality of thought was much more worthy of recognition than were the few areas of difference. This concurrence led to the creation of a “Global Competence Checklist,” which included the aspects determined to be central to becoming globally competent. The findings of this study contradicted the foundation of most current global competence certificate programs, which focus primarily on semester-long (or shorter) study abroad programs and the importance of learning a second language. It also called into question whether a bachelor’s degree and computer training were necessary to become globally competent.