Intercultural competence of employees as a non-economic factor influencing competitiveness in the international market

Standardization of production, reduction of technology costs, and access to information mean that international enterprises compete not only in the fields of their ability to establish relationships with potential customers but also their understanding of the customers’ expectations arising from their cultural conditioning. Being competitive in foreign markets often requires in-depth understanding of other cultures, openness, and ability to function beyond the stereotypes. The capacity to interact effectively with people of different languages and cultural backgrounds is one of the most important skills of a salesperson or a businessperson planning to internationalize their business. Employees aware of cultural differences may substantially improve the company’s international performance. The aim of this paper is to discuss the change in the importance of non-economic factors influencing international competitiveness of companies, with particular reference to intercultural competence. To achieve this aim, the authors analysed both Polish and foreign literature, with emphasis on competitiveness theories. The following paper also presents representative techniques of assessing the above-mentioned competence.