Intercultural ABC competencies

The ABC of intercultural competencies has a long history in intercultural scholarship and training. Scholars Guo-Ming Chen and William J. Starosta conceived of intercultural communication as consisting of three processes, each needing different capacities. These are the affective process, mastered by intercultural sensitivity; the behavioural process, which requires intercultural adroitness; and the cognitive process, which demands intercultural awareness. Each competence can be divided into sub-competencies. Intercultural trainers and HR professionals have found this ABC to be useful as a reminder of the complexity of intercultural competence. It also acts as a counterbalance to the frequent overemphasis on knowledge and understanding in intercultural training.