EL MUNDO hOy. GESTIÓN DE LA DIVERSIDAD. UN IMPERATIVO ...

INTERNAcionaLIZACIÓN Y CAPITAL HUMANO
factor. The themes for trainers elucidated in the findings of this focus on
the importance of the combination of «just in time» learning with « just
in case» guided facilitation and reflection alongside the use of intercultural
training and the balance of challenge and support.
7. Limitations and recommendations for further research
In this case study, the training evaluation revealed the fact that
NEO FFI and Plasticity thematically overlap in the connotations of
cultural competences, such as cultural knowledge, awareness and sensitivity.
However, other aspects such as communication skills and relationship
building have received relatively limited attention (Guthrie,
1996). Future research and researchers who intend to assess training
and development of cultural competence can take these dimensions
into consideration and explore the possible implications of the results
of the measure, i.e. how the training and expatriation time contribute to
a better cultural adjustment, also in the case of relocation.
Moreover and because of NEO PI-R cross-cultural validity (Mc-
Crae, Costa, del Pilar, Rolland & Parker, 1998), this measure assumes
that culture involves a matter of ethnicity (Kumas-Tan et all, 2007).
Therefore, based on the assumption of cultural competence, that different
culture should be taken into account and perceived during the
measurement, the assessment design should also show a concern not
only for ethnicity in cross-cultural context but also for organizational
culture and how it shapes human behavior and relations inside the organization
(Shein,1995).
Finally, the Five Factor Model of NEO PI-R is a personality test
in the form of a self-reported instrument, which is subject to the problem
of socially desirable responding, though McCrae & Costa (2004)
claimed that correlations between social desirability and its five scales
showed no statistical significance. Face-to-face interviews is one of the
solutions to alleviate the problem of social desirability (Krosnick, 1990).
Nevertheless and for future research, one should not reject the assignment
of the NEO FFI appliance in the pre-test phase but complementing,
controlling and confirming its results in the pre- test phase with a
more cross-cultural oriented assessment instrument, i.e. Learning Style
Inventory (Kolb, 1993, 1999). As a pre and post test the Intercultural
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