Culture

Being Culturally Intelligent

Culture is everywhere and in everything we say and do. It's what we think of as 'normal' - without thinking twice.

It affects our attitude to time, how we make decisions, acquire and organise information, the way we say 'no' and the way we build trust. It is a filter through which we see and interpret the world. We are also all part of multiple cultures: national, ethnic, religious, gender, age, 'life stage', organisational, professional and educational.

With so many versions of normal, and most of us barely aware of our own cultures let alone others', the potential for conflict and failure is everywhere. But so is the potential for collaboration, innovation, creativity, increased profits, growth and regeneration.

What makes the difference? Darwin showed us that it is not the biggest, strongest or smartest, but the most adaptable that succeed. In an era of global business, multiculturalism and increased workforce participation by women and older workers, this means culturally intelligent leadership, people, products, processes and policies. Understanding this and knowing how and when to flex our behaviour accordingly, is a core competence that enables us to remain effective across cultures and achieve our goals.

Recent research into cultural intelligence (CQ) has provided us with a measurable and academically validated way to improve our cross-cultural capability and highlighted key areas on which to focus our energies. A toolkit for becoming cross-culturally adaptive.

You don't need to be a PhD, a linguist or a guru on every culture. Understanding and remaining grounded in our own cultures, with self- and situational awareness, we can motivate ourselves to act in a way to embrace and respect others' cultures, for effective interactions to achieve our goals.