Is on-the-ground experience necessary for Asia-competency?

The development of intercultural competency does not necessarily require geographic mobility. In other words, mere physical proximity to individuals of other cultural orientations through “on the ground” experience or otherwise, does not guarantee acquisition of the attitudes, knowledge or skills that equate with Asia competency. Certainly, we can all conjure images of the expat who is “on-the-ground” for many years, yet decidedly lacks competence. In fact, there is even ample empirical evidence to suggest that without the sincere intention to learn, understand, and accept other orientations as equally viable alternatives, the experience of cultural differences can have the opposite effect by further entrenching stereotypes and ethnocentric mindsets.

Of course, cultural immersion through on-the-ground experience in Asia can expedite the process of developing Asia competence, under the right circumstances; however, culture learning is also possible without travel. Canada’s multicultural society offers many different types of opportunities to engage with Asian cultural groups with values and practices outside of the dominant culture’s norms. Asian community groups reside in all urban centres and even in many smaller municipalities. Our universities are filled with Asian students and offer Asian studies departments, programs or courses. Intercultural workshops and training programs are available through some universities and other organizations.

At Thompson Rivers University we developed a Global Competency credential that would allow students to receive recognition for their international and intercultural learning. In the development of this non-credit credential, we were careful to ensure that students who were not able to travel or study abroad could access the credential with some additional effort. Three of four categories in which students earn points can be earned without leaving the country. For example, students can earn points for additional languages, volunteer or service learning with an intercultural focus or course work with an international or intercultural focus.

Interculturalists are divided on whether language fluency is necessary for cultural competency, and many language instructors are divided on whether immersion is a necessary component of language acquisition. These days, it is possible to learn languages through study, online chat rooms, and watching films; albeit it is arguably faster to learn a language if you need it to carry out everyday tasks. Even without linguistic fluency one can still investigate Asian cultural mores, traditions and histories, even from a logging camp in Northern B.C. by reading any number of excellent Asian fiction writers, classical philosophers, or religious texts. Developing intercultural competence must be intentional regardless of location.

Kyra works with faculty, staff, and students to establish global and intercultural competencies as a necessary and relevant skill set across the TRU campus. TRU has a strong commitment to internationalization and Kyra’s role is to support, develop and implement intercultural initiatives across campus.

As someone who works with competencies and learning, I would argue that it is necessary to have on-the-ground experience to be "Asia competent". By definition, a competency is made up of the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to be able to do a task or a job.

While it is possible to acquire a fair bit of knowledge about Asia at a distance, in a Canadian university or college for example, to become competent requires one to also acquire the Asian cultural and intercultural skills and attitudes, which is much more difficult to do outside of the region. Why?

It is not until one is immersed in the full Asian culture, with the crowds, architecture, food, interactions, attitudes, preferences, language and myriad other components, that one can practice one's skills in reality, acquire new ones through repeated trial and error and grow the effective attitudes and approaches that make one effective in another culture.

When I left for China in 1973 as part of the first group of Canadian students to go there on a scholarship, some of the participants had much more knowledge about China than others. However, when living in the full experience of Chinese society, some of us learnt to operate effectively in this very different culture, whilst others found it to be difficult, and even unpleasant to do so in some cases, to the point of returning to Canada early.

One can become quite knowledgeable about Asia, and even begin to acquire some of the skills required within our very multicultural Canadian society, but it will only be in the crucible of the full cultural experience that one is forced to rapidly acquire and practice the necessary skills and attitudes to be effective and competent.

How long is needed to do so will depend on one's personal and learning background and aptitudes for sure, but setting foot in Asia cannot be replaced by studies alone. And besides, you miss out on much of the fun of being immersed in a different culture and learning quickly to swim, or sink.

Paul oversees the development and administration of all international institutional partnership programs for ACCC’s members. He is also responsible for the ACCC Student Academic Mobility Programs with Europe and North America and has studied, lived and worked in China, Indonesia and Zimbabwe during his career.

Unfortunately, there is no substitute for the skills, knowledge and awareness acquired through on-the ground experience.Asian countries have complex economic, social and political systems which require extensive business and cultural knowledge. For example, businesses interested in accessing the Indian market must be able to compete with products such as the Aakash tablet computer and the Tata Nano, low-cost innovations that reflect the needs of India’s consumer class. Producing and marketing these types of products requires regional expertise based on a combination of university-acquired skills and overseas experience.

While large corporations have the internal capacity for overseas market research, regional expertise (or Asia-competence)is a challenge for small organizations with limited resources and no overseas experience. Here are three facilitating aides:

First, recognize that many organizations in Asia offer Western-style business and cultural training for employees – particularly those at the management level.Further, countries like India have large English-speaking populations, many of whom have lived and travelled abroad, making them familiar and converse with North American culture.

Second, diaspora organizations in Canada have developed expertise in multiple sectors to support Canadian businesses in Asia. For example, in addition to their language and cultural proficiency, groups like the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce and the Canada-India Business Council have created networks with India’s bureaucratic leadership, political elites and business organizations. These are important resources for businesses interested in the complex Indian market.

Third, establishing business partners overseas generates a more secure and efficient transition into the Asian market. From an administrative standpoint, Indian organizations can facilitate entry into the market, such as the India-Canada Business Council (ICBC), the Overseas Indian Facilitation Centre and the Canadian High Commission which have important links and knowledge about sector-specific opportunities.

On-the-ground experience is crucial but a few steps can be taken in Canada before an inevitable trip to an Asian business destination:

• Attend one of the various trade shows, conferences, and workshops that highlight the investment opportunities in Asian markets, such as the Canadian Manufacturing Technology Showin Toronto which hosted a large Indian delegation.
• Invest in a membership to chambers of commerce and business organizations based in Canada, particularly those with a diaspora presence, such as the China-Canada Business Council.
• Enroll in classes that focus on business in Asian markets. For example, the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa recently developed an online Executive MBA class for doing business in India.

Anita's research examines the role and influence of ethnic diaspora on Canadian foreign policy. She is a Post-Graduate Research Fellow at the Munk School of International Affairs and is on the organizing committee of the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce, with whom she recently participated in a business mission to India.

As a Canadian, I’m proud that our campuses are very globalized. We attract exchange and international students from around the world and are also home to large Diaspora populations from Europe and Asia. Multiculturalism encourages Canadians to be open-minded, curious, and culturally sensitive. It sets a great foundation for students hoping to gain the cultural fluency that can only result from travel.

But, having spent the last two summers living in Indonesia, I can tell you that multiculturalism is no replacement for travel. First of all, Canadian multiculturalism is not as diverse as we like to tell ourselves. Southeast Asians are underrepresented on the University of Toronto campus (they’re there, but you’re more likely to encounter someone from a different Diaspora). Moreover, it’s unfair to generalize about a whole country based on your experiences with a few people. Indonesia is home to people from a wide variety of different ethnic groups, who speak different language, eat different foods, and adhere to different traditions. An individual simply cannot convey that diversity easily, it has to be experienced.

During my first summer in Indonesia, I lived in the fairly liberal city of Bandung and did research on fashion. It put me in touch with fashion magazines, people from the punk/metal scene, and young students. It struck me that many Indonesians were not super conservative. But that didn’t mean they were non-traditional. Older metalheads incorporated traditional Sundanese sounds into their music (Bandung is a majority Sundanese area) and younger punk rockers ran a Sunday-daycare to introduce kids to their culture and language. From Canada, it would’ve been impossible to understand how the modern and traditional interact, but it made sense experiencing the mélange of past in present in Bandung.

You simply cannot be surrounded by another culture, absorb it, or even ask enough questions about it while you’re here. Because Asia is so complex, travel abroad is absolutely essential for Asia-competence.

Remi's undergraduate degree is focused on Asia-Pacific Studies and International Relations. She has spent two summers studying and working in Indonesia.