Working in Multicultural Dubai: Everyday Intercultural Communication and Identity Awareness in the Hospitality Workplace

i

This article has been updated. A Correction to this article was published on .

i

The Original Article was published on

i

The Original Article was published on

i

This article has been updated

i

This article was retracted on

i

This article has been updated

Abstract

In many global cities, interaction among people from different cultural backgrounds has become a routine part of everyday life. Dubai represents a particularly striking example of this phenomenon. Due to extensive international migration, workplaces in the city are highly diverse, and employees regularly interact with colleagues from a wide range of cultural backgrounds. While previous research has examined intercultural competence mainly in educational contexts such as study abroad programs, less attention has been given to how intercultural awareness develops through everyday workplace experience. This study examines how employees working in Dubai’s hospitality industry describe their experiences of communication in multicultural workplaces. Drawing on qualitative data collected through an anonymous survey, the study explores how participants perceive intercultural interaction, how they adjust their communication practices when working with colleagues from different cultural backgrounds, and how these experiences influence their awareness of cultural differences. The findings suggest that intercultural awareness often develops gradually through routine workplace interaction rather than through formal training. Participants described becoming increasingly attentive to differences in communication styles and expectations as part of their daily work. The study highlights the role of multicultural workplaces as environments in which intercultural understanding can emerge through everyday professional interaction.

Keywords

intercultural communication / multicultural workplace / Dubai / intercultural awareness / hospitality industry

CHANGE HISTORY

A Correction to this paper has been published:
https://doi.org

The Retraction Note was updated to reflect reception of statements of disagreement from all authors.

This article has been retracted.Please see the Retraction Notice for more detail:
https://doi.org

References

[1] Deardorff, D. K. (2006). Identification and assessment of intercultural competence as a student outcome of internationalization. Journal of Studies in International Education, 10(3), 241-266. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315306287002.

[2] Gudykunst, W. B. (2005). (Theorizing about intercultural communication . Sage.

[3] Hall, E. T. (1976). (Beyond culture . Anchor Books.

[4] Jackson, J. (2015). (Preparing students for the global workplace: The impact of a semester abroad . Routledge.

[5] Stahl, G. K., Maznevski, M. L., Voigt, A., & Jonsen, K. (2010). Unraveling the effects of cultural diversity in teams: A meta-analysis of research on multicultural work groups. Journal of International Business Studies, 41(4), 690-709. https://doi.org/10.1057/jibs.2009.85.

[6] Vande Berg, M., Paige, R. M., & Lou, K. H. (2012). Student learning abroad. In M. Vande Berg, R. M. Paige, & K. H. Lou (Eds.), Student learning abroad: What our students are learning, what they’re not, and what we can do about it (pp. 3-28). Stylus.