ABC’s (Acquire, Build, Contemplate, and Do) of Cultural Intelligence
According to Cultural Intelligence for Leaders (2012), “cultural intelligence is your ability to successfully adapt to unfamiliar cultural settings.” (p. 68). Cultural intelligence is an important business instrument that highlights the behavioral nuances based on cultural differences. The increasing workforce diversity has pluses and minuses based on how cultural intelligence is used in managing it. The basis for cultural intelligence has: knowledge (Acquire), strategic thinking (Build), motivation (Contemplate), and behaviors (Do) (Cultural Intelligence for Leaders, 2012). Acquire is the step where the information and knowledge are obtained. The knowledge of a different culture is essential for a manager in order to better manage and interact in a multicultural organization. Build is the step where strategic thinking starts. The ability to understand the information is processed helps a manager make better decisions in different situations. Contemplate is the ability to understand the surroundings and how to respond to the different situation. This step is where the plan is in place and thinking outside the box is needed. Do is the final step that allows us to have new behaviors based on the new cultural mix. What makes culture intelligence unique and how does it differ from emotional and social intelligence? Earley & Mosakowski (2004), stated: Cultural intelligence is related to emotional intelligence, but it picks up where emotional intelligence leaves off. A person with high emotional intelligence grasps what makes us human and at the same time what makes each of us different from one another. Social Intelligence is the ability to understand and create a relationship with other people. Emotional Intelligence is the ability to understand our own emotions as well as others (Bradberry, 2014). Looking all the meaning of Cultural Intelligence (CQ), Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and Social Intelligence (SQ), we can clearly see that Cultural Intelligence is the ability to adapt to unknown situations, Emotional Intelligence is the ability to understand and find not only our own emotions but also how we react to other people emotions and Social Intelligence is the ability to interact, communicate get along with others. What makes cultural intelligence particularly valuable in terms of leadership competency in today’s global market? Livermore & Van Dyne (2015), stated that ‘the ability to engage and persevere through intercultural challenges is one of the most novel and important aspects of CQ “ (p. 3). Diversity is a normal environment for more organizations than ever. The demographics and economic globalization play an important role in increasing the numbers of companies that are innovative. Cultural Intelligence is important to the business performance as advancement is career along with the personal development. Many leaders that experience a great carrier path have a great personal understanding and relationships. The four competencies of Cultural Intelligence allow developing skills that can be used to better manage the constantly changing workforce. References: Bradberry, T. (2014, January 9). Emotional Intelligence - EQ. Retrieved September 25, 2018, from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ Cultural Intelligence for Leaders. (2012). Retrieved September 08, 2018, from Saylor Academy.Creative Commons by-nc-sa 3.0: https://saylordotorg.github. David Livermore, L. V. (2015). Cultural Intelligence: The Essential Intelligence for the 21st Century. Retrieved September 24, 2018, from Society of Human Resources Management: https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/ Earley, C. &. (2004, October). Cultural Intelligence. Retrieved September 08, 2018, from Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2004/10/ |
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