Representing the intercultural development continuum as a pendulum: addressing the lived experiences of intercultural competence development and maintenance

Abstract

While contemporary theories and models of intercultural competence (ICC) development such as the developmental model of intercultural sensitivity and the intercultural development continuum offer much insight for individuals and organisations that value effective, appropriate and satisfactory intercultural interactions, practitioners need a way to visualise these models that better aligns with the lived experiences of expatriates and other 'culture-crossers'. Representing the orientations of the intercultural development continuum on the arc of a pendulum rather than on a linear continuum not only more fully illustrates the fluid and complex nature of developing and maintaining intercultural competence but also highlights how competency has both globally applicable and locally dependent characteristics. In this article, a narrative of expat life is presented alongside a pedagogical tool that depicts stage-based intercultural competence development as a pendulum. Implications of using this metaphor to explicate stage-based development, including greater accessibility and reduced affective barriers, are discussed.