Theoretical approaches to understanding the essence of intercultural communication in public administration

Problem setting. Regular contacts between representatives of different cultures determine the need to solve problems that always arise in the form of the need to adapt representatives of one culture in the conditions of their existence in another culture. It is important to understand that the cooperation of such entities on a professional basis also requires the development of approaches that would allow a high level of effectiveness of such interaction. A special role should be played by public authorities and management, designed to implement the relevant functions.

Recent research and publications analysis. At the present stage, the issue of intercultural communication is covered in the works of such scientists as Hasanov Z., Zasluzheniuk V., Kucherian S., Miroshnichenko V., Zhornova O., Nieto S., Rulker T. and others. Socio-cultural environment forms certain patterns of behavior of individuals, as claimed by such researchers as Verbytska P., Manakin V., Traiger G., Hall E., Shaigorodskyi Y. and others. Scientists argue that intercultural communication underlies the implementation of civilized relations observed in modern society.

Highlighting previously unsettled parts of the general problem. It should be noted the need for in-depth research in the context of public administration, as this aspect is extremely important for state building and the transition to a new communicative format among the population and public authorities. Such research should begin with the elucidation of the theoretical foundations and features of intercultural communication in public administration.

Paper main body. Communication will be effective if the participants of the communication process are able to understand each other. It occurs in accordance with the worldview of an individual and is the main way of human communication.

The term “intercultural communication” appeared in the scientific literature in the 1970s. Already in the next decade there was a significant surge of interest in the issue of intercultural communication among specialists in the field of linguistics, psychology, culturology and sociology. Currently, there are a large number of special institutes and scientific schools that study the features of intercultural communication

The set of terminological positions of intercultural communication gives grounds for such generalizations. The subjects of intercultural communication are the representative of one culture as the producer of the message and the representative of another culture as the recipient of this message. Intercultural communication should be considered as “adequate mutual understanding of two participants in a communicative act who belong to different cultures”. The interaction of parties with different experiences, and their individuals are the  different patterns of behavior that have historically developed in different periods. This refers to a communicative format in which the sender and recipient of information belong to different cultures.

In the process of studying the peculiarities of intercultural communication, it is necessary to focus on the study of differences between cultures on the basis of the theory of four dimensions: the first dimension is the distance of power; the second dimension is individualism and collectivism; the third dimension is the avoidance of uncertainty; the fourth dimension is male and female.

The public aspect is dominant in intercultural communication, as it is realized through open interactions, which in one way or another must regulate, coordinate and be guided from the outside. Publicity in this case manifests itself as the influence of certain external factors, the most important of which is public authority.

In particular, the power-management vectors aimed at ensuring that the process of intercultural communication is carried out within the legislative and regulatory framework of those countries in which such communicative interaction is observed. And public authorities and administration are called to perform the following functions: to inform participants of intercultural communication by placing information in the media, on the official websites of government agencies, providing answers to inquiries, etc.; to advise communicators in order to acquaint the parties with the position of public administration bodies regarding a particular format of behavior; to conduct a dialogue with the participants of intercultural communication by transmitting the necessary information bilaterally and waiting for the relevant results; to cooperate with the authorities and participants of intercultural communication on the basis of partnership.

Conclusions of the research and prospects for further studies. The studied concept has a sufficient justification in the scientific literature. Based on the versatility and multifaceted nature of this definition, it is correct to say that it is closely related to various sciences and worldviews, which allows us to deeply understand the importance of understanding the term under study by participants in intercultural communication. The sphere of public administration contributes to the establishment of effective cooperation between representatives of different cultures and countries, while performing a number of functions. The main ones are informative, consultative, partnership and dialogue function. Effective cooperation between public authorities and participants in intercultural communication helps to improve the quality of the communication process and meeting of the goals.