Relevance of intercultural communication for human resources management

We live in a globalizing society. The development of communication and transportation technology has shrunk the world in which the global interdependence for people and cultures becomes a norm of life. Therefore, intercultural communication competence becomes a critical ability for adjusting people to the demands of the 21 st century. The aim of this article is to emphasize the necessity to develop intercultural/global communication competence, in order to function effectively and successfully in our everyday and particularly in our professional lives. The paper is divided into three parts. The first one offers a brief overview of the concepts of HC/LC cultures. The second part highlights the relevance of the HC/LC dimension for the Human Resource management. The fourth part presents instances from literature on the German and Romanian cultural models in an attempt to classify them as HC/LC cultures respectively. Finally the article provides instances from a research I conducted to identify cultural differences between Germans and Romanians, illustrated by excerpts on HC/LC communication from job interviews held with German and Romanian Human Resource Managers.