How Communication Happens Among a Multicultural Staff: A Case Study of an International Language School in Northern Virginia
This dissertation in practice explored how communication happens among a multicultural staff of a language school in Northern Virginia. The document is divided into three sections: the proposal, the submission-ready manuscript, and the practitioner recommendations. The first section presents the research question, purpose of the study, literature review, and methodology. A case study was chosen as the appropriate methodology which allowed for the exploration of communication experiences through interviews and observations. The second section presents the submission-ready manuscript, prepared for the Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, which is based on the findings of the research study conducted at the language school. These findings suggest that communication in multicultural working environments derives mainly from individual’s cultural identity, and the cultural-self-awareness that emerges from interacting in a multicultural workplace. The third and final section outlines a set of recommendations derived from the study emphasizing the need for organizations to identify and address communication issues within multicultural work environments.Keywords: multicultural staffs, experiences of communication, cultural identity, intercultural competence
Communication, Cultural Identity, Diverse staffs, Intercultural competence, Multicultural environments, Multiculturalism
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