Dimensions of Intercultural effectiveness for China: Development of the Chinese Behavioral Competence Scale

Cross-cultural competence (CCC) is needed for going from one culture to another for students and managers. Yet, scholars disagree on the definition of CCC and call for more clarity. There seems to be general agreement that CCC is a heterogeneous construct involving multiple facets including behavioral change that facilitate cross-cultural adaptation. China is a culture that is characterized by a set of behaviors, values and traditions that may seem unique to non-Chinese. A Chinese behavioral competence scale was developed focusing on behavioral items that would facilitate adaptation of sojourners in China. First, nine in-depth interviews with long-term Western and non-Western expats along with two cultural experts were conducted to develop a two-dimensional scale. Next, data was collected from international students to study their socio-psychological adaptation process. Results show that international students were more effective if they adapted to the behaviors captured in the behavioral competence scale. Length of sojourn in China correlated with behavioral competence, suggesting that acquisition of new behaviors takes place over time. This study helps develop a Chinese behavior inventory that benefits non-Chinese sojourners in their early adaptation process. The implications of such a scale for cross-cultural training programs and future research on culture-specific cross-cultural competence will be discussed.

Keywords: Intercultural competence, Socio-cultural adaptation, measurement of culture-specific competence