Cultural Intelligence
Matters
Presented
by Debra Bentzen
WHAT IS CULTURE?
• It is the “lens” through which you view
the world
• It is central to what you see
• How you make sense of what you see
• How you express yourself
Cultural Intelligence Defined
• CI is your capability to grow personally
through continuous learning
• Good understanding of diverse cultural
heritage, wisdom and values
• Deal effectively with people from
different cultural background and
understanding
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
ONE WAY- MANY PATHS
• UNLESS YOU KNOW THE RULES OF
OTHER CULTURES YOU CAN MAKE
SERIOUS ERRORS OF JUDGEMENT
RESULTING IN INSULTING YOUR
COLLEAGUES, MANAGER AND VICE
VERSA.
COMMUNICATION STYLE
• The Japanese or English may distrust Italians
because they wave their hands about or Spaniards
because they sound emotional
• The French may appear offensive as they are
direct and frequently use criticism
• Germans may take the English too seriously and
completely miss the humour or irony
• No- one may know what the Japanese are
thinking as they may say little or nothing at all.
GREETINGS
• In some countries, men and women are
forbidden to touch hands.....in others
public displays of affection are normal
as is the practice of hand shaking.
PERSONAL SPACE
• In some countries it may seen there is
no such thing as personal space!
• When queuing in some countries; when
they actual have line-ups, standing so
close to the person in front that they
can feel your breath on their neck is
not considered an issue.
• In other countries this would seem
offensive.
EYE CONTACT
• In Asia direct eye contact can be
interpreted as rude and disrespectful.
• In North America it is an important way
to show sincerity and trust
VIEW OF TIME
• In North America it is advisable to
always be punctual.
• In many Latin countries punctuality is
not as important as arriving at all,
whatever the time.
GESTURES – THE OKAY SIGN
• This has different meanings when used
depending upon your location:
• North America – to show approval
• Japanese – to signal money
• Brazil – it is a vulgar sign
• France – means zero
• Middle East - a rude sexual gesture
Taboos
• In some parts of the Middle East and
the Far East, showing the sole of your
shoe sends a rude message
• In Thailand, it is rude to sit crosslegged
• Flowers, a thoughtful gift through most
of the world can get you into trouble:
• Red Roses are reserved for one’s
sweetheart in Eastern Europe
• Chrysanthemums are strictly a funeral
flower in France, Italy and Hungary.
Three Levels – Cultural
Intelligence
• Visible – clothes, music, food, festivals,
superficial but the one most known
• Behaviour – non-verbal communication
for example whether one gives eye
contact or not.
VALUES
• The glue behind the decision making
and behaviour modification.
• It is abstract and usually unconscious
but most often is the key to how
individuals define themselves like the
roots of a tree, deep and strong –
influenced by family, geography and
history elements.
SELF ASSESSMENT OF YOUR
CI
Think about your cultural intelligence in
each of the following areas
1- None of the description fits me
2- Only some of this fits me
3- Half of the description fits me
4- Most of the description fits me
5 –The statements describe me perfectly
CI- ACTION
1.....2.....3.....4.....5
I modify my behaviour to make other
more comfortable when I interact with
people who are from different cultural
backgrounds. I change the way I speak
and act when I am in cross-cultural
settings. I mimic others to make sure that
I follow local conventions so that my
speech patterns and body language are
not offensive.
CI - Knowledge
1....2.....3......4.....5
I generally understand other cultures
and cultural values. I know about the
basic ways in which cultures are similar
and the ways they are different.
CI - Strategy
1....2.....3......4......5
I plan carefully before I meet with
someone who is from a different
cultural background. After one of these
experiences, I reflect carefully and try
to make sense of the interaction.
CI - Drive
1....2.....3......4....5
I am very interested in other cultures,
and I enjoy meeting people who have
different cultural backgrounds. I am
confident that I can live in different
cultures and I that I can adapt to
different parts of the world.
Interpreting your CI – Self
Assessment
ADD YOUR SCORES – can range from 4 – 20
4 – 7 - You see yourself as low in CI –
personal development in this area could
help
8 – 16 – You see yourself as moderate in CI
–personal development would help you
function more effectively.
17 – 20 – You see yourself as high in CI –
keep building on your strengths.
CONCEPTS RELATED TO
CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE
• C- culture is pervasive – Everyone, every
organization, every region, and every
country has a culture.
• U – Understanding cultural beliefs,
values, and perceptions of others is a key
to success..AND vice versa
• L – Learning diverse cultural heritage is
rewarding, inspiring and empowering
CONCEPTS
• T – Teamwork in the increasingly global and
diverse workplace is impossible without
cultural intelligence
• U – “Us” and “Them” cultural programming
and divide can be eased through better
understanding of “their” perceptions
• R – Rapport starts with understanding of
where the other people are coming from and
acceptance of their point of view and style.
CONCEPTS
• E – Exploiting cultural diversity is a
key to unlimited innovation and growth
CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE –
IT’S IN OUR BEST INTEREST
• In the global economy today, cultural intelligence is
a necessary tool for everyone from the manager to
the employee, customer, partner, competitor,
government and other business players.
• CI may enhance the likelihood of innovation
success in culturally diverse teams/organizations
• CI facilitates the reconciliation of differences and
conflicts, and enhances the probability of
synergistic solutions embracing the ideas and
interests of various parties
CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE
• Is about gaining increased knowledge and mindfulness of
the values associated with different cultures, and how
these values impact workplace behaviour.
• It enables people and companies to work with groups
whose cultural background is different from their own.
• It requires the knowledge of these different cultures.
• It requires the ability to adapt behaviour to these
differences as needed.
CI RESEARCH
A diverse workplace outperforms a
homogenous organization with:
1 – Higher productivity
2 – Engagement and retention
3 – Performance improves when
employers and employees become
better aligned with each other’s
cultures and values
HOW CAN WE IMPROVE OUR
CI?
• Appropriate Cultural Training
• Organizations can promote by offering incentives
to adapt behaviour
• Cultural Competency assessments can be taken to
promote a self –awareness/mindfulness of CI
• Recruitment/Retention Strategy reviews within
organizations
Managing Cross- Cultural
Differences
• Culture is often the root of COMMUNICATION
CHALLENGES.
• Becoming more aware of cultural differences as
well as exploring cultural similarities can help you
communicate with others more effectively.
• Next time you find yourself in a confusing
situation, ASK YOURSELF HOW CULTURE MAY
BE SHAPING YOUR OWN REACTIONS AND TRY
TO SEE THE WORLD FROM THE OTHER’S POINT
OF VIEW.
CQ is Critical
• CQ cannot be manufactured in a short
period of time.
• It takes WORK, MOTIVATION and
CONSTANT PRACTICE
• It is not unusual for employees to have
excellent technical skills but often lack
interpersonal skills – an ability to
handle their own emotions and accept
feedback from others
A question to ponder......
Which of your competencies would you
rank higher – your “technical”
expertise in a specific area or your
CQ? Why?
BUILDING YOUR CQ
This is no easy task- we need to nurture
and practice those cognitive and
behaviourial skills that allow us to
adapt and excel in any or all
environments
Retooling and re-educating ourselves is
an ongoing process that can be
humbling and uncomfortable at times
WE CAN DEVELOP THESE
SKILLS
• Understanding My Cultural Identity –
understanding how we think about
ourselves as well as the people and ways
of life with which we identify
• Checking Cultural Lenses – Recognizing
the ways in which cultural backgrounds
differ and how they influence thinking,
behaviour and assumptions.
• Global Consciousness – Moving across
boundaries and seeing the world from
multiple perspectives
• Shifting Perspectives – Putting ourselves
in others’ shoes and cultures
• Intercultural Communication – Exchanging
ideas and feelings and creating meanings
with people from diverse cultural
backgrounds
• Managing Cross-Cultural Conflict –
Dealing with Conflict among people
from differing cultural backgrounds in
an effective and constructive manner
• Multicultural Teaming – Working with
others from diverse cultural
backgrounds to accomplish certain
tasks.
• Dealing with Bias – Recognizing bias in
ourselves and others and responding
to it effectively
• Understanding the Dynamics of Power
– Grasping how power and culture
inter-relate and the effect of power on
how we see the world and relate to
others.
Where am I now?
•
•
•
•
•
Rank yourself on the following CQ skills:
M – need much improvement
S – need some improvement
L – need little improvement
1. -------- Understanding my Cultural
Identity
• 2----------Checking Cultural Lenses
• 3----------Global Consciousness
• 4--------Shifting Perspectives
• 5--------Intercultural Communication
• 6--------Managing Cross-Cultural
Conflict
• 7--------Multicultural Teaming
• 8--------Managing Bias
• 9--------Understanding the Dynamics
of Power
Cultural Intelligence Myths
• CQ is only important for some jobs and
some people –
• Developing CQ is all about changing
people ‘s awareness- only the first step
• CQ training aims to change people’s
values.
• There is a simple formula or strategy for
developing CQ – the challenge is not just
to learn the skills but to regularly use the
skills effectively
LAST BUT NOT LEAST
• CQ comes naturally to people with good
intentions – if your heart is in the right
place it just happens??? - Understanding
and respecting cultural diversity is not
just something that happens because you
see yourself as a person of character and
you mean well.
BUILDING CQ
• This involves three key actionoriented strategies:
1. Assessing CQ
www.culturalq.com/selfassess.html
Respond to the 20 items and then
reflect.
2 – Taking Responsibility for
Learning
• This means taking advantage of learning
opportunities both at work and
elsewhere.
• This can include experiential,
collaborative, and e-learning
• Since culture is fluid and changes from
moment to moment part of the challenge
of developing and applying CQ is
adapting, re-evaluating and tailoring how
we respond to specific situations
3 – Optimizing the Learning
• Understanding the value of what we
are learning – what are the bottom line
benefits for the competencies.
Research supports that both CQ and
technical skills are essential
• Actively participate in the learning
process – this means a continuous
cycle of action and reflection – building
our knowledge in the real world
• Apply what we learn in our day to day
interactions – practice practice and ask
for feedback
• Develop an action plan
• Specific skill you want to work on
• Your strategy for developing this skill
• What you will do and when
• Possible obstacles
Action plan
• Necessary Resources
• Means of assessing your resources
Learning Opportunities
• Experiential Learning – Learning by
Doing
• Collaborative Learning – learning by
working with others
• Academic Learning – Learning by
taking courses, and training that is
offered in the classroom and online
• E-Learning – learning via computer
such as surfing on the web
Learning Opportunities
• Incidental Learning – learning by
taking advantage of every opportunity
that presents itself including those that
are unexpected and unplanned.
Summary
Cultural Diversity is changing realities
The meaning of Culture
The meaning of Cultural Intelligence
Why Cultural Intelligence is important
To identify the nine skills of CQ
Three Strategies for developing
cultural intelligence.
THANK YOU
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