My interest in intercultural communication and my initial idea for my thesis stem from my upbringing. I am what is colloquially known as a diplobrat, a child of diplomats. I grew up following my parents on international assignments, and, at the time, moving to a different country every few years seemed like a fact of life. Only later in life did I really start considering the difficulties associated with living abroad as a diplomat. In my thesis, I investigate the experiences of Canadian diplomats on posting through the conceptual lens of intercultural communication competence (ICC). Simply put, ICC refers to one’s ability to effectively and appropriately interact with individuals of different cultures, as well as the ability to successfully and contentedly live and work in another culture. I interviewed twelve Canadian diplomats on posting abroad to understand the challenges they faced abroad and how they communicatively managed them.
I found that Canadian diplomats faced challenges at both individual and organizational levels. I suggest that ICC, which had mostly been conceptualized in the scientific literature as an individual-level construct, should be further theorized at the organizational level. I also offer concrete recommendations for how Global Affairs Canada can improve its support of its employees on post.
Thesis project
The intercultural communication competence of Canadian diplomats: A dialectic approach