FIU Business has launched a Developing Intercultural Competence for Future Business Leaders micro-credential designed to improve the diversity, equity, and inclusion skills increasingly necessary to work and lead in a global marketplace.
The micro-credential’s goal is to help students develop cultural self-awareness and learn how to create a supportive work environment, as team members as well as leaders. The program is free and open to all FIU students. It begins in spring 2023 and registration is now open.
“We all bring our experiences, things that have shaped us, to the workplace,” said Kisha Jones, assistant professor of global leadership and management. “Having the knowledge and exposure to the increasing diversity of the U.S. will allow us to work together with others.”
Divided into five fully online modules, the micro-credential begins with an introduction to intercultural competence and will cover cognitive, affective and behavioral modalities. The final segment of the program will look at what companies are doing, how they’re addressing these issues and making them important workforce skills.
Assignments include videos, reflection papers and quizzes to help students grasp the material and how it fits into the workplace. There are also interviews with corporate executives speaking to the importance of intercultural awareness and what’s needed to lead teams effectively.
Students who complete the micro-credential will be eligible for a $1,000 scholarship.
Intercultural competence has become increasingly important for businesses and corporations to create a diverse workplace culture and a positive climate where different people work well together, Jones said.
Jones noted that the micro-credential will allow students to incorporate their self-awareness to better understand others and take their perspective into account when they react in different situations and communicate better.
“This experience allows someone’s career to better navigate the pieces that go into working together and being an effective leader,” she said. “It leads to more diverse ideas, increased relationship between diversity and indicators of success.”
The micro-credential is part of two $100,000 grants Altria awarded to FIU Business, one each in 2020 and 2021, to establish a unique multi-platform program designed to train more inclusive leaders and further the goals of diversity and justice. The grants will fund the program’s continuation and offer scholarships for students.
The project strives to open a conversation and programmatically address challenges of inclusion and equity through financial support, academic coursework and purpose-driven dialogue.
The micro-credential has been developed by Jones and Brooke Buckman, assistant teaching professor of Global Leadership and Management, who have been involved in multiple college efforts focusing on diversity and inclusion.