Intercultural Managament Competence in Finnish Working Life

The current study explores intercultural management competence in Finnish multicultural working life. The topic is investigated from the viewpoint of Finnish supervisors and international employees in a qualitative case study. The aim of the study is to determine what kind of intercultural management competence the supervisors of the case organisation need in their daily work. The theoretical part of the study is based on cross- cultural management literature, including the following viewpoints: management of multicultural workforce in the manager's home country, cross- cultural knowledge management and leadership skills as emotional intelligence. These, however, are studied from an intercultural perspective, as the main focus is on the interpersonal interaction between the supervisors and the employees. According to the empirical findings, all the theoretical viewpoints include relevant competences for the supervisory work at the case organisation, the most focal being English language skills and empathy. Mastery of these may positively affect the other competences studied.