Intercultural Competence at Work: The Origins of an Implicit Trait Policy

An implicit trait policy (ITP) on intercultural competence reflects a worker’s self-beliefsregarding effectiveness of behavior in intercultural work situations. An ITP thus integrates theworker’s competence on selection of effective behavior like intensifying intercultural contactsand rejection of ineffective behavior like discrimination. The present study researches towhich extent selection and rejection relate to different origins by mapping worker data from apublic employment service (N = 3,310) onto the present study’s ITP framework ofintercultural competence. Results show that a worker’s competence to avoid ineffectivebehavior is unrelated to the worker’s ability to endorse effective behavior, with bothcompetences showing relations to (partly) different origins. These results also trend furthertowards two actual behavioral outcomes. Both processes of effective selection and rejection ofbehavior are relevant for the worker’s intensity of intercultural contacts. However, onlyrejection remains relevant for avoiding the display of discriminatory behavior in the future.Indeed, an organizational development intervention to promote intercultural contacts needs adifferent approach than preventing discrimination, as both outcomes are related to differentorigins. The key to a successful intervention therefore resides in addressing the appropriateITP origins in order to evoke selection or rejection of the targeted behavior.