Thai Automotive Organisations: Cross-Cultural CompetencyCompetency Challenges During COVID-19Covid-19

Currently, management is becoming more aware of the critical role cross-cultural understanding has in enabling employees to work positively, regardless of location, which is significant due to accelerating internationalisation. Competency is a questionable concept comprising values, knowledge and attitudes, which affect job performance. Lack of intercultural knowledge may be a roadblock for multicultural organisations in Thailand, particularly those aiming to internationalise in the future. This study’s purpose was to determine the abilities necessary for those involved in intercultural services. In such organisations, challenges need to be discovered and discussed following their varied cultures. Thus, in-depth, semi-structured interviews with nine respondents in leadership positions in four international automotive companies in Eastern Thailand were conducted. From the data collected, several problems were identified, such as the necessity of educating foreigners on Thai culture, the differences in work approaches depending on their cultures, the blocks encountered in cultural competition, how success is perceived in an intercultural setting and, finally, how diversity can enhance team building and performance.