Communication · Executive Insight Brief · 184
Sensitivity is not a certificate
Five self-reported affective dimensions can guide development when culture, translation, and observed behavior remain visible in organizational context.
Premise
Organizations can easily turn cultural sensitivity into a moral label. Chen and Starosta’s ISS supports a narrower and more useful judgment: how respondents describe their affective readiness for intercultural interaction. It can differentiate engagement, respect, confidence, enjoyment, and attentiveness, which need not move together. The result is reflective evidence about disposition—not proof of knowledge, language ability, behavioral skill, or effective performance across cultures.
What the model is: Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (ISS) in Knowledge →
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- FamilyTool
- CategoryMeasurement & Assessment Instruments
- DomainAcross Cultures
What these mean
Editorial orientation · Family
Tool
In this series, Tool names the editorial family primarily used to act on, examine, measure or organize communication. It includes instruments, methods, practices, protocols, codes and institutional arrangements. Membership does not certify effectiveness, portability or safe use in every setting.
Editorial orientation · Category
Measurement & Assessment Instruments
Produces measures, scores, profiles or assessments through defined items, observations or measurement rules. The entry identifies what is measured and the conditions governing interpretation.