Experiencing an intercultural competence course in the European university alliance context

This summer I had the privilege to attend a blended intensive programme (BIP) in intercultural competences at the Université Côte d’Azur (UniCA) in Nice, France. This BIP was one example of international cooperation between universities that form a European university alliance, in this case the Ulysseus European University of which both Haaga-Helia and UniCA are member universities.

BIPs are short-term Erasmus+ mobility opportunities. They consist of an online learning component and of a physical component that lasts 5 to 30 days at the host university, one of the higher education institutions organizing the course. (Ulysseus European University n.d.) Our online component included preparing ourselves for the week’s program and working on culture-related presentations in teams, and our physical component in Nice lasted 5 days.

In this article I reflect on my experiences at the host institution and the intercultural competence theories that we as an international group of higher education professionals got to explore in practice.

Action and reflection enhance understanding of intercultural communication theories

Culture and its elements, such as values, behaviour patterns and ideas, are learned through interaction with a person’s environment – this means that people can learn to function also in other cultures by combining tutoring and direct experience (Ferraro & Briody 2024, p. 12–13). What was emphasized in the BIP as well was that a culture needs to be experienced so that it can be learned. In intercultural communication it is better not to assume that, for instance, customs or values are different or the same in all countries (Jandt 2018, p. 39). Cultures also change over time.

Having studied intercultural communication as a minor way back, many themes of the BIP were remotely familiar. However, my earlier studies had mostly been online, focusing on theories and lacking face to face contact with others. Thus, the most significant outcome of the week for me was being able to discuss the matters face to face and to meet Ulysseus colleagues from around the Europe, building bridges personally for the first time ever within the European university alliance. This outcome can also be described as feeling European instead of just Finnish.

Another significant outcome was the lectures, great simulations and role play where we had to rehearse interpreting, understanding and adapting to different “cultural settings” and to practice being on our uncomfort zone. These activities, followed by reflection with international peer students, enhanced our understanding of the theories in question.

What we learned in the course was that culture encompasses many aspects familiar to a group of people, including language, manners, dressing, schedules, food and religion among others. However, every person is an individual – even though we are representatives of our culture, we all have our own background formed by our experiences and characteristics. Jandt (2018, p. 11–12) notes that we cannot assume that each individual is similar to each other based on their common culture, but there is diversity within cultures just like between cultures.

The participants of the BIP course included administrative and teaching staff from Finland, Spain, Slovakia and Montenegro, from universities that are also part of the Ulysseus alliance. In addition to that, there were many participants who had lived abroad and were originally from somewhere else, for instance China or the United States. This made it possible for us to reflect on the theories based on a wide range of experiences in several different cultural areas.

Intercultural competence theories from the Finnish perspective

Categorizing communication based on high and low context became one of the most interesting topics for me. According to Ferraro & Briody (2024, p. 42), high context refers to a culture where communication is indirect, ambiguous, characterized by people seeming to understand other people’s thoughts, and relies on nonverbal aspects. On the other hand, low context refers to a culture where communication is direct, precise and logically presented, and people expect being told everything explicitly and in detail.

In high context cultures, much of the meaning is shared by everyone and thus less needs to be said, whereas in low context cultures, the meaning is not as much determined by the context (Jandt 2018, p. 76). This affects whether understanding the culture requires higher or lower effort.

From the Finnish perspective the concepts of high and low context explain quite a lot of what is happening in intercultural encounters with various cultures. As Finland, like other Nordic countries, is defined as a low context culture (Jandt 2018, p. 76), it is understandable how we sometimes feel lost in encounters with high context cultures.

The approach to time also differs between cultures. If the approach is precise, time is used efficiently and deadlines are expected to be met, and if it is relaxed, schedules are not seen as obligations and social relationships are more important than completion of a task within a given timeframe (Ferraro and Briody 2024, p. 56–59). The precise approach called monochronic time is more typical to the West, like Northern Europe and the United States, and the loose approach called polychronic time is more typical to the East and to areas such as Middle East and Latin America (Jandt 2018, p. 115; Fitzpatrick 2020, p. 302).

Finland is one of the somewhat individualist cultures compared to, for instance, many Asian cultures at the collectivist end (Jandt 2018, p. 168). Fitzpatrick (2020, p. 209), however, notes that the division between individualist cultures focusing on their own interests and collectivist cultures focusing on the good of the group is contested, as societies are diverse and there are many factors influencing individuals’ approaches.

What I found interesting in most of these cultural aspects is that they, to some extent, all somehow include the idea of either task-oriented or people-oriented behaviour. In addition, observation and communication become the key to adapting to a new culture.

Nonverbal behaviour is also a matter to be considered in intercultural settings. In our own presentation on the Finnish culture we covered matters such as proxemics, that is our personal distance wanted between us and the others (Fitzpatrick 2020, p. 265) and the stereotype of Finns being somehow cold. Whereas some facial expressions, such as happiness and surprise, are identified similarly in different cultures around the world, some expressions or kinesics may be interpreted differently. Jandt (2018, p. 104–105, 111) notes that in cultures where smiling is considered a norm in everyday interaction with business partners, people who act differently might be considered reserved, and in Japan, a smile may hide negative emotions, such as embarrassment. Furthermore, even within Europe, the same gesture formed with for example fingers may mean a positive thing in one culture and an offensive thing in other, and the same goes for eye contact.

We discussed having encountered these matters in intercultural encounters and teamwork for instance between Finnish people and those from other European countries. Sometimes we as Finns may feel annoyed by situations where small talk is valued over getting to the point or where agreed deadlines are not met. When a member of the “silence is golden” and “stick to the point” culture meets a person from a relationship-focused and talkative culture with flexible timetables, confusion and collisions may follow.

Encouraging short-term exchange abroad

The BIP experience and the week in Nice gave me more understanding about the Ulysseus alliance for my upcoming, likely more international tasks in the near future. Recently I moved to a new position within Haaga-Helia, and we have discussed including Ulysseus related planner duties to my position later this year. It is always easier to contact foreign universities when you have had contact with others from those universities and cultures.

Despite having struggled with the French riviera humidity and heat for the week, our BIP experience will most likely be a week to remember for a lifetime for many. This type of short-term exchange is a great opportunity especially for administrative staff members who are not involved in RDI projects and do not already have a wide network abroad. I would encourage everyone working at higher education communities to attend BIPs and international exchange – while also understanding that attending these activities is more likely to those who are already interculturally oriented and willing to learn about other cultures.

As Ferraro and Briody (2024, p. 23) point out, people have a tendency to evaluate their own culture as superior to others and to consider their own behaviour as more correct and others’ behaviour as strange or wrong. Other cultures are judged by the standards of the culture we are accustomed to (Jandt 2018, p. 39). It is important to be aware of this automated attitude in intercultural encounters. In addition, personality affects our attitude towards acting in intercultural settings. Some people are more flexible, curious and adventurous. It is a good question to think about how to engage those people who would benefit the most from attending intercultural communication education abroad.

Image: Haaga-Helia