Cultural Intelligence: What is it and why it is important?
In 1982, with my first working assignment in Japan, I began what has become an over 35 year international business career. Within a few years of my assignment to…
In 1982, with my first working assignment in Japan, I began what has become an over 35 year international business career. Within a few years of my assignment to Japan, I found myself traveling to many countries in the Asia Pacific region, where I encountered people from many different cultures, religions, and backgrounds very different from my own. I was intrigued by the differences in customs, habits and mannerisms. But more than differences, I was struck by the sometimes disguised truth that we were more similar than different.
Over the years I have also worked extensively in Central and South America and Europe. In fact, I have lived outside the US on company assignments for nearly 20 years. Since 1982 and literally thousands of intercultural business meetings and negotiations, while the differences in cultures were stark at times, I could always seem to see the similarities I shared with those I worked with from different cultures. I soon simply realized people are people and deep down we have similar needs and desires. I found it easy to adapt my mannerisms to the customs and manners of those I came in contact with. I never gave up my own values or beliefs, but I found myself deeply interested in learning about the customs and beliefs of the people I was interacting with. I felt a determination and need to work through problems that seemed unsolvable due to our different cultures and world views and to not give up and “go home.” I always thought this is what you do when you work as an international manager or expat.
Whether these patterns of behavior I displayed were innate or learned it is hard to say. Certainly the time I spent immersed in different countries and intercultural situations taught me much and helped me adapt over time. But it wasn’t until the mid 1990’s, when I began to formally research and study the impact of culture on global business dealings and interactions that I realized this ability to effectively adapt and interact in a variety of cultures or cultural situations is what we now call Cultural Intelligence or CQ.
Since 1982 research in this area has come a long way. Over the past 20 years I have purchased no fewer than 10 scholarly and practical application books addressing the importance of CQ and how to develop it. This should not come as a surprise.
In our global economy today, and in a world where global travel and immigration are more common than ever, intercultural interactions are unavoidable. And culture is not limited to national origins. All organizations have their own cultures based on their histories and values. Even within organizations, different departments or functional areas may exhibit subcultures of the main.
CQ is important because we interact with people from different cultures and backgrounds every day, even if you are not a global business person.
So what is Cultural Intelligence? Cultural intelligence is not only the ability to study and understand different cultures. In other words, learning about a culture or people and their customs, beliefs and taboos (the do’s and don’ts of interaction within that culture) is not a complete description of CQ. That of course is an important element, but it alone is insufficient. People with high CQ learn to adapt to and problem solve within a variety of cultures. They can see things from the other’s points of view and adapt accordingly to be effective in that (or any) culture. One with high CQ would in theory, possess the ability to do this in most any culturally diverse situation encountered.
There are probably as many definitions of Cultural Intelligence as there are books on the topic. Frankly they are all very similar and tend to focus on three or four areas of competence or functional application. These often refer to things such as: knowledge or understanding (cognitive), behaviors or actions (or even skills or non-cognitive), emotions or motivation, and adaptability or flexibility.
I have found two other common topics usually discussed in most literature and research addressing the topic of Cultural Intelligence. First, CQ can be measured through various assessments and tests. These assessments tend to look at one’s ability or level in a combination of the defined competencies mentioned above. Second, is the fact that one can increase your CQ by study, practice and through immersion experiences.
In 2004 I read an article in the Harvard Business Review called “Cultural Intelligence.” The fact that the topic was being researched and addresses by the most prestigious universities in the world convinced me that CQ is real and something more people should pay attention to.
The article defined CQ as follows:
“an outsider’s seemingly natural ability to interpret someone’s unfamiliar and ambiguous gestures in just the way that person’s compatriots and colleagues would, even to mirror them. We call that cultural intelligence or CQ.” HBR Oct. 2004 by P. Christopher Earley and Elaine Mosakowski
This definition focuses primarily on the ability of one to adapt and fit into another’s culture, mirroring or mimicking that culture’s behaviors and customs. That capability would certainly be an asset in any business or interpersonal interaction.
The article goes on the explain that while some people may have natural tendencies (in the DNA so to say) that lead to high cultural intelligence, cultural intelligence is something that can be cultivated. In other words, there are ways to improve your CQ score through study and practice.
“Unlike other aspects of personality, cultural intelligence can be developed in psychologically healthy and professionally competent people.” HBR
It was the psychologist Howard Gardner that first introduced the concept of multiple intelligences in 1983 in his book Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. His theory introduced several areas of intelligence that challenge the traditional notion of intelligence, based on I.Q. testing, claiming this to be too limiting. His theory addresses the fact that a person with an average or even below average IQ score could be a genius in music or other art. Basically he says some people are gifted, or genius’, in their own right, but they may not have “high” IQ scores.
In 1995, Daniel Goleman introduced his concept of Emotional Intelligence, which is basically the ability to recognize your own emotions and the deal with the emotions of others empathically and effectively. Emotional Intelligence, could be considered a measure of one’s interpersonal (and intrapersonal) skills and effectiveness
I would say cultural intelligence is related to emotional intelligence, but it includes the complexities magnified by cultural norms and mores. A person with high emotional intelligence can understand and work at an effective level with people in general, but a person with high cultural intelligence can do so across cultural barriers and somehow interpret the patterns and norms of groups and adapt his own behavior and actions to effectively work with, and be accepted by, groups or cultures other than his own.
Being culturally intelligent is extremely important in our world today. Just look at the news. Nearly all the problems and conflicts we face in the world today are impacted, if not caused by, cultural differences. Belief systems, prejudices, boundaries and boarders, trade, traditions and national identities are all largely defined by our culture, which is based on enduring values and history. These same things, unfortunately, are more often than not at the root of many of our problems today. Increasing cultural intelligence can lead to mutual understanding and finding new solutions to old problems.
Who we are is a complex mix of our DNA (inherited), culture (which is largely learned or absorbed) and our personalities (which may be inherited and learned). This fact gives us hope that we have within us the ability to choose our behaviors and change. We are not 100% determined by our DNA. While nature influences us in many ways, humans have the capacity to see and feel as others do, empathy and cultural intelligence can be learned. We can see others in new ways. We can come to understand and acknowledge the world is a beautiful place because of our diverse cultures, and that people are people regardless of where they are from or what they look like. We can see others for what they are, human beings that desire many of the same things you and I do.
In cultural encounters there is often too much emphasis on differences. Unfortunately, this is what drives us apart and leads to conflicts and problems. Understanding other cultures does not mean you must agree with all they do or believe. Respecting is not accepting or adopting. Being cultural intelligent does not mean you abandon your own culture and values. It means you can see in a new way, beyond your own views. And when others feel you understand them (see things from their perspective), they will open their hearts to you and that is where real communication begins and intercultural effectiveness happens.
Look for future articles addressing these related topics:
Developing Cultural Intelligence
Creating Your Personal Cultural Map
What I Learned about Cultural Intelligence from My 30 plus Years of International and Intercultural Marriage
Understanding the Dimensions of Culture
Belief Systems and Culture
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