Teaching Cross-Cultural Competence in a Smart Machine Age

Abstract

The business world is in a state of flux due in part to the advent of disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence, smart robots, and nanotechnology. The dawn of this ‘Smart Machine Age' has significant implications for business education, which will need to be transformed with a new focus on imparting knowledge, skills, and abilities suitable for the new workplace environment. Among the skill sets that are in highest demand according to employers is cross-cultural competence (CC). Scholarly interest in CC has grown exponentially in recent years and there is an emerging consensus that it is best taught through non-traditional pedagogies centered on experiential learning. This chapter explores the efficacy of international service learning as a tool for teaching CC, with a focus on an innovative social entrepreneurship project undertaken at Florida International University. The project involves a partnership between a student organization, an NGO, and a women's self-help group in India.