Opportunities for an Intercultural Approach to Organizational Communication in Higher Education

Abstract

The article analyses the opportunities for an intercultural approach to organizational communication in higher education in a context marked by academic mobility, cultural diversity in university communities, and the transformation of internationalization into an integrated element at the strategic and operational levels. Organizational communication is approached as a strategic mechanism for institutional cohesion, participatory management, and academic performance, which, in the absence of an intercultural perspective, can generate dysfunctions, latent conflicts, and barriers to professional collaboration. From a theoretical perspective, the study draws on Geert Hofstede's contributions regarding cultural dimensions, Edgar Schein's model of organizational culture levels, and Milton J. Bennett's approaches to intercultural communication. These scientific models highlight how values, communication styles, and power relations influence interactions between university actors belonging to different cultures. The methodological perspective is based on a comparative analysis of institutional communication practices in universities located in distinct cultural spaces, complemented by an interpretation of university strategic documents and internationalization policies. The results highlight the fact that an intercultural approach to organizational communication promotes the improvement of decision-making processes and the development of organizational identity in multicultural contexts.  In conclusion, the article argues that integrating intercultural skills into university communication strategies is a factor in enhancing academic management in preventing cultural conflicts and increasing the competitiveness of higher education institutions at the international level.