Intercultural Competencies for Fostering Technology-Mediated Collaboration in Developing Countries

Albert Kampermann,Beatrice Van Der Heijden,Joost Bücker,Raymond Opdenakker

doi:10.3390/su13147790

Abstract

With the rapid global spread and application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), the question is whether every culture makes similar use of the ideology that often underlies its creators’ design. ICT applications are designed with underlying beliefs or principles about e.g., work, communication, and individuality. These beliefs or principles are invisible and hidden in software and, as such, in many instances not recognized by users in other cultures. These hidden principles might even frustrate the understanding, use, knowledge-sharing, and e-collaboration between people from different cultures. In this article, we aim to explore, from a historical point of view, the early years of adaptation of ICT in developing countries, and we will highlight the importance of the use of intercultural (ICT-)skills to learn to recognize cultural differences from a relationship-based definition in technology-mediated collaboration. A semi-systematic or narrative review approach is used that is particularly suitable for topics that have been conceptualized differently. Our review firstly summarizes and categorizes the cultural factors impacting the adaptation and diffusion of ICT, especially in developing countries, and investigates which factors could hinder and/or facilitate the collaboration with other countries. Secondly, the findings of a thorough comparison between different intercultural competencies’ frameworks indicate that intercultural competencies show a combination of motivation, knowledge (-management), and skills, which are key competencies in the light of successful technology-mediated collaboration.

Highlights

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is an important source of progress in collaborations between people of culturally different countries, especially between Western-oriented countries and developing countries
What can be seen as appropriate intercultural communication is created by examining, what the authors call ‘typifications’ and ‘being social’. This provides the basis for the necessary self-confidence about the question of who someone is, and the appreciation for their own unique culture [25]. This contribution was aimed to come up with a critical reflection upon how the use of ICT is influenced by cultural determinants
What happens when these systems are created in one culture and used in another? And what does this mean for cross-cultural collaboration when making use of these ICT applications? This is most acute in developing countries where ICT is seen from Western ideas as a possible “engine of progress”

Summary

Introduction

ICT is an important source of progress in collaborations between people of culturally different countries, especially between Western-oriented countries and developing countries. In order to use ICT in this way, it is important to better understand in which way ICT and e-collaboration are perceived in developing countries? Our purpose of this review is not to cover all articles ever published on the topic but rather to combine different perspectives to understand the effect of cultural determinants in the use of ICT across countries. The designations “developed” and “developing” are intended for statistical convenience and do not necessarily express a judgement about the stage reached by a particular country or area in the development process [2]. These statistics include e.g., comparisons between income, economy, health, education, and safety.

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Conclusion