ABSTRACT

Developing insight in the structural contradictions within international organizations is prerequisite for the adviser. In this case, it meant waiting for the client to come back after years with a clear-cut question. Most intercultural communication experts are trained to be able to look at the case from different frames of reference and it seems essential to keep developing this crucial intercultural competence. Advice was based on the advisers’ intercultural competence, which enabled them to shift frames of reference. The approach needs to be agreed upon with the client, responsibilities distributed, data gathered, the results discussed and the advice written or presented or both. In some cases, advisers were asked to implement the advice. Advisers are also people who are able to create trust, share responsibilities, acknowledge feelings and accept their own limitations.