Intercultural communication in the Faroe Islands

• Main Author: Al-Jay, Zaid Amer Wadeea
• Other Authors: Jones, Andrew
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: Lithuanian; English
• Published: Institutional Repository of LCC International University 2021
• Subjects: Cross-cultural communication; culture; cultural diversity; intercultural communication; leadership; Faroe Islands
• Online Access: https://vl.lcc.lt/LCC:ELABAETD101660058&prefLang=en_US

The rising of globalization has shed more light on the importance of intercultural communication. As a result, leaders in today’s evolving world are constantly faced with the challenges associated with diversity within their teams. Our study investigates how leaders in multicultural organizations identify the necessary components of an intercultural communication program to create a cohesive workplace. The study focuses on the host culture perspective represented by the host Faroese employees working at the salmon farming company Bakkafrost within the small Faroe Islands. The study used qualitative methodology with semi-structured open-ended questions in the interviews. The three key components that were found of importance to take into considerations when building a cohesive multicultural workplace are; host language acquisition, culture and diversity & leadership. The language barrier was found to be the main communication gap within the context of my research at Bakkafrost. The current study confirms the importance of the combined effect of language and culture when studying intercultural communication.