Profiling intercultural competence of Indonesians in Asian workgroups

There have been numerous intercultural competence studies; yet, only a few of them have examined the dynamics of intercultural competence among non-westerners in international contexts. This study attempts to identify specific intercultural competences for Indonesian sojourners and local co-workers in Indonesian-Chinese and Indonesian-Singaporean work groups. We propose a holistic approach that incorporates perspectives of both Indonesians and their Asian co-workers to elaborate their cross-cultural experiences. Eighty-one in-depth interviews were conducted in Indonesia and China using Indonesian sojourners and locals (N = 47) as well as their Chinese and Singaporean co-workers (N = 34). A grounded theory data analysis was conducted using atlas.ti software. A model of Indonesian intercultural competences in international work groups was developed to depict four core intercultural competences: motivating leadership, personable mediation, climate management and multiculturalism. Three potential synergy and problematic areas are identified: the meaning of work, communication style, and perception of competition versus harmony. Future research directions and practical implications to improve intercultural effectiveness among these three cultures are discussed.