ABSTRACT
Intercultural competence is a critical component of corporate communication. In this chapter, we discuss intercultural competency and its connection to organizational identity and identification. We use this framework to situate our discussion of the history of the meat industry’s exploitation of minoritized groups and its internal and external communication during the COVID-19 crisis. The Midwestern meatpacking industry’s deep history of “otherizing” its processing plant employees came to light during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. We examine how Smithfield’s internal and external communication regarding the crisis revealed the entrenched patterns of marginalization of its workers. In the final section, we discuss the implications of this project and provide several suggestions related to intercultural competency for Smithfield Foods, the meatpacking industry, and other companies that rely on minoritized employees.
