Are you culturally intelligent?

Do you consider yourself a culturally intelligent person?

If yes, let me ask you few questions:

• How do you effectively lead people who come from different cultural backgrounds?
• How do you give instructions for an assignment to a French employee versus one from Russia?
• What kind of training should you design for a management team coming from multiple cultural backgrounds?
• How do you get feedback from a colleague who comes from a culture that values saving face above direct, straightforward feedback?
• And how can you possibly keep up with all the different cultural scenarios that surface in our rapidly globalizing world?

And?

My whole life I’ve been fascinated by cultures. I am Polish living in Brazil, working for German and Dutch companies, purchasing goods from China, selling them in Paraguay and negotiating with Russian companies. What a wonderful mix of cultures, is not it?

Living in a multicultural environment can be challenging and fascinating at the same time. It involves navigating and interacting with people from different cultural backgrounds and adapting to different cultural norms and values, but it is something that I simply love and in multicultural environment I feel like a fish in water.

But coming back to the concept of Cultural Intelligence (CQ), let′s define what does it really mean. Cultural intelligence, also known as Cultural Competence, is the ability to understand, communicate with, and effectively navigate different cultural contexts. It is an essential skill in today's world, where we are more connected than ever before and increasingly interacting with people from diverse cultural backgrounds

We can divide CQ in 4 parts:

Metacognitive (CQ Strategy)

Metacognitive CQ is an individual’s cultural consciousness and awareness during interactions with those from different cultural backgrounds.

The metacognitive factor of CQ is a critical component for at least three reasons.

• it promotes active thinking about people and situations when cultural backgrounds differ,
• it triggers critical thinking about habits, assumptions, and culturally bound thinking,
• it allows individuals to evaluate and revise their mental maps, consequently increasing the accuracy of their understanding.

Cognitive (CQ Knowledge)

Cognitive CQ is an individual’s cultural knowledge of norms, practices, and conventions in different cultural settings. Given the wide variety of cultures in the contemporary world cognitive CQ indicates knowledge of cultural universals as well as knowledge of cultural differences. The cognitive factor of CQ is a critical component because knowledge about cultural similarities and differences is the foundation of decision making and performance in cross-cultural situations.

Motivational (CQ Drive)

Motivational CQ is an individual’s capability to direct attention and energy toward cultural differences. Using the expectancy-value framework of motivation, we conceptualize motivational CQ as a special form of self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation in cross-cultural situations. Self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation play an important role in CQ because successful intercultural interaction requires a basic sense of confidence and interest in novel settings.

Behavioral (CQ Action)

Behavioral CQ is an individual’s capability to exhibit appropriate verbal and nonverbal actions when interacting with people from different cultural backgrounds. Behavioral CQ is based on having and using a broad repertoire or range of behaviors.

Behavioral CQ is a critical component of CQ because behavior is often the most visible characteristic of social interactions. In addition, nonverbal behaviors are especially critical because they function as a “silent language” that conveys meaning in subtle and covert ways.

So basically, we can say that:

I was very lucky because some years ago I discovered an amazing book by Erin Meyer – "The Culture Map" and I have learned a lot about cultural differences. It helped me a lot to understand better the cultural context from the perspective of history and social background of certain countries.

Below we can find the Cultural Map for India, USA, Germany, Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, and France from the perspective of 8 different categories:

1. Communication Styles: low vs. high context - this dimension refers to the degree to which a society relies on explicit communication versus relying on implicit cues and shared background knowledge.
2. Evaluating: direct vs. indirect negative feedback - this dimension refers to two different ways of communicating criticism or dissatisfaction to someone: direct negative feedback which involves directly addressing the issue or behavior that is causing concern, and clearly stating what the problem is and how it can be improved, and indirect negative feedback which involves communicating criticism or dissatisfaction in a more subtle or roundabout way.
3. Leadership styles: egalitarian vs hierarchical - this dimension refers to two different approaches to leading and managing a group: egalitarian which involves treating all members of the group as equals and encouraging participation and collaboration from all members and hierarchical leadership which involves a clear chain of command and a more authoritarian approach to decision-making.
4. Decision making approaches: Consensual vs. top-down - this dimension refers to two different ways of making decisions within a group or organization: consensual decision making which involves seeking the input and agreement of all group members before making a decision and top-down decision making which involves decisions being made by a single individual or a small group of leaders, and then communicated to the rest of the group.
5. Trust-based systems: relationship-based vs. task-based - this dimension refers to two different ways of building trust. We could say that in task-based cultures, business is business, in relationship-based cultures, business is personal. Relationship-based trust systems focus on the personal relationships between individuals or groups. In these systems, trust is built over time through regular interactions and the development of personal connections. Relationship-based trust systems are often found in cultures that value collectivism and prioritize social connections. Task-based trust systems, on the other hand, focus on the completion of specific tasks or objectives. In these systems, trust is based on an individual or group's ability to perform a particular task or fulfill a specific role.
6. Disagreeing: confrontational vs. non-confrontational - this dimension refers to two different ways of opposing or disputing. The confrontational approach involves directly challenging or rejecting the opposing viewpoint or argument. The non-confrontational approach, on the other hand, is more diplomatic and involves expressing disagreement without directly challenging the diffrent viewpoint.
7. Scheduling: linear-time vs. flexible-time (Monochronic vs. polychronic time) - this dimension refers to the degree to which a society values punctuality and linear time versus flexibility and multitasking. The good example of this dimension is Germany - extremely time-oriented country, where punctuality is strictly enforced, and Brazil where people have a more flexible approach to time.
8. Persuading conversations: principles first vs. applications first - this dimension refers to two different ways of persuading others. The principles first approach involves presenting the underlying principles or values that support a particular argument or position. This kind of persuasion we can clearly see in Germany, for example. The applications first approach, on the other hand, involves presenting specific examples or applications of a particular principle or idea. This kind of persuasion is more common in USA or Brazil, for instance.

It is important to stress that cultural intelligence is not a static quality, but rather, it can be developed and improved upon. This can be achieved through an openness to learning and understanding, as well as actively seeking out diverse experiences. By doing so, we can increase our cultural intelligence and become more adept at interacting with and navigating different cultures.

Developing cultural intelligence has many benefits. It can improve communication and collaboration with people from different cultures, leading to more effective teamwork and problem-solving. It can also broaden our perspective and deepen our understanding of the world, leading to personal growth and development. I would even say that cultural intelligence can improve relationships and interactions with people from different cultures, leading to a more harmonious and inclusive society. This process is a lifelong journey that requires a willingness to learn and an open mind. It involves actively seeking out opportunities to interact with people from different cultures, as well as learning about their customs, values, and beliefs. It also involves being self-aware and reflective, and recognizing the impact that our own cultural background has on our perceptions and actions.

There are several ways to develop CQ. One of them is to engage in cross-cultural experiences, such as traveling to different countries, working with people from different cultural backgrounds or even participating in Toastmasters International meetings. This allows us to experience and learn about different cultures. Another way to develop CQ is through education and trainings, such as taking classes on cultural studies or participating in diversity and inclusion workshops. The most important thing is to have a desire to learn and grow, and to be open to new ideas and ways of thinking. By actively seeking out diverse experiences and learning about different cultures, we can improve our cultural intelligence and make the world a place where people of all backgrounds can coexist peacefully and feel welcome.

In a world that is becoming increasingly interconnected and diverse, cultural intelligence is an essential skill. By developing our CQ, we can improve our communication, adaptability, and effectiveness in diverse settings. So let's take action and start building our cultural intelligence today. Share your own experiences with cultural differences in the comments below, and let's learn and grow together.

Sources:

1. Brooks Peterson “Cultural intelligence - a guide to working with people with other cultures”, Intercultural Press, 2004
2. Soon Ang and Linn Van Dyne: “Handbook of Cultural Intelligence. Theory, Measurement, and Applications”, M.E. Sharpe, 2008
3. Erin Meyer: “The Cultural Map”, Public Affairs, 2015
4. David Livermore: “Leading with cultural intelligence”, AMACOM, 2010
5. https://www.mdttraining.vn/post/on-our-bookshelf-the-cultural-map-by-erin-meyer, access on 20/12/2022
6. https://www.diversityleadershipalliance.org/docs, access on 20/12/2022