What communication competence "means" may depend on the unique characteris
tics of national cultures. This study sought to determine the kinds of communica
tive knowledge and skills that are most associated with communicatively competent
members of Thai organizations. Questionnaire data (N = 413) were collected from
a cross-section of individuals working in 14 different Thai organizations concern
ing their perceptions of the kinds of behaviors and forms of knowledge characteris
tic of communicatively competent supervisors, subordinates, and co-workers. Among
other things, results suggest that Thais who are perceived to be communicatively
competent know how to avoid conflict with others; control their emotions; display
respect, tactfulness, modesty, and politeness; and use appropriate pronouns in
addressing others. Findings also indicate that variability may exist among types of
organizations (private, public, state enterprise) with respect to the degree to which
employees value particular communication competencies.
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