Kojelytė-Čepurnienė, Ilona

Working in a multicultural environment is quite little analyzed in Lithuania but is widely discussed in the world scientific literature and is very relevant in the course of globalization processes. The aspect of multiculturalism has been studied relatively actively and interest in it has increased especially as Lithuania integrates into the European Union and NATO. A lot of research has been already done about intercultural cooperation and its problems, but analyzing and studying the intercultural aspect, its peculiarities and intercultural communication efficiency in a multicultural environment at work, in negotiations, intercultural projects working in multicultural teams in companies or outside is not analyzed enough. At that meanwhile, in the current scientific literature there are no clear descriptions for individual multicultural aspects of communication, as most scientific works present conclusions and proposals based on classification of cultures, by cultural differences, but with little consideration of cultural background or intersection of cultures – the reason for the communication and its productivity, also the necessity of intercultural competence. The aim of this article is – to analyze the scientific literature about working in multicultural environments and to present the recent research of intercultural competence analysis of intercultural communication in Lithuanian companies where people constantly work in multicultural teams. After analyzing the peculiarities of the work of the multicultural teams, make proposals for the improvement of multicultural teamwork, corresponding to today's trends.

Multiculturalism has significantly progressed over the last decade in Lithuania and tourism expansion is considered to be on of the reasons. The authors analyze the literature and country situation of multiculturalism and tourism expansion topic; examine the challenges posed by the phenomenon to Lithuanian society. The survey was conducted to find out the opinion of the citizens about tourism and modern multicultural environment peculiarities in the country. Main respondents were the young and middle-aged city residents, of which more than forty percent have higher education. The survey results reflect the respondents' attitudes towards multiculturalism and tourism expansion, the challenges they face in communicating with representatives of different cultures. Conclusions provide insights and recommendations on what measures can be used for managing the phenomenon.

Per pastarąjį dešimtmetį, Lietuvai įstojus į Europos Sąjungą, šalyje įgauna pagreitį daugiakultūriškumo raida. Analizuojant literatūrą ir padėtį šalyje kultūrinės įvairovės ir tarpkultūrinės komunikacijos požiūriais, straipsnyje nagrinėjami šio reiškinio keliami iššūkiai Lietuvos visuomenei. Atlikta gyventojų nuomonės apklausa, kuria siekta išsiaiškinti bendrąsias tarpkultūrinio suvokimo ir plėtros tendencijas šalyje pastaruoju metu. Pagrindiniai respondentai – tai jauno ir vidutinio amžiaus miesto gyventojai, iš kurių daugiau nei 40 proc. turi aukštąjį išsilavinimą. Apklausos rezultatai atskleidžia respondentų požiūrį į kultūrinę įvairovę, parodo jų tolerancijos kitataučiams ribas, problemas, iškylančias skirtingų kultūrų atstovams bendraujant tarpusavyje. Straipsnio išvadose pateikiamos įžvalgos ir rekomendacijos, kaip reikėtų skatinti Lietuvos visuomenės toleranciją kitoms kultūroms ir siekti veiksmingesnės įvairių kultūrų atstovų integracijos į šalies visuomeninį gyvenimą.

Multiculturalism has significantly progressed over the last decade in Lithuania after the country joined European Union. The authors analyze the literature and country’s situation of multiculturalism and intercultural communication topics; examine the challenges posed by the phenomenon to Lithuanian society. The survey was conducted to find out the opinion of the citizens of modern multicultural environment peculiarities in the country. The research made in Lithuania on this topic is short in order to fully assess the current situation, so the authors want to find out the general multiculturalism concept and its development trends in recent time. Main respondents were the young and middle-aged residents of the city, of which more than 40 percent have higher education. The survey results reflect the respondents' attitudes towards multiculturalism, demonstrates the limits of their tolerance to foreigners, the challenges they face in communicating with each other with different cultures. Conclusions provide insights and recommendations on what measures can be used for promoting tolerance to other cultures in the Lithuanian society and achieving most effective integration of representatives of different cultures into the public life of the country.