Expatriate experience and cultural competence of international humanitarian workers

Abstract

As global interaction and cultural diversity becomes prominent, cultural competence has received more attention. To understand non-profit organizations' (NPOs) international workers' learning process in terms of cultural competence, this study enlisted 10 Taiwanese international humanitarian workers, and explored how their expatriate experiences of local service influenced their cultural competence. The finding of this study identified three levels of influence, namely the peripheral, cognitive, and reflective levels. Based on these findings, this study suggested the practice of designing related developmental activities in accordance with the three levels and more future research focusing on the individuals' resistance during the process of acquiring cultural competence.