Developing Cultural Intelligence for Leadership

Developing Cultural Intelligence for Leadership

2015

I-                   Introduction:

Cultural Intelligence is defined as both expertises on crops and intercultural skills as an exercise in the interest of a public or private organization. It’s used in business, education, government and academic research. Cultural intelligence can be understood as the capability to relate and work effectively across cultures. Originally, the term cultural intelligence and the abbreviation "CQ" was developed by the research done by Soon Ang and Linn Van Dyne as a researched-based way of measuring and predicting intercultural performance.

We specify three kinds of Cultural. Intelligence (CQ) is the natural evolution from the well-established notions of IQ (intelligence quotient) and EQ (emotional intelligence). Good leaders need all three to lead effectively.

Generally, the CQ allows to cross divide - whether country, generation, gender, sector or background - and to thrive in multiple cultures. Developing your CQ will enable you to work with people who are different from you, and lead in your organisation, community, business or place of study.

A cultural intelligence approach is implemented:

ü  by States to address issues related to social cohesion at the national and cultural influence internationally,

ü  By companies to conquer markets, to establish themselves internationally and develop multicultural cooperation within their teams.

By companies to conquer markets to establish themselves internationally and develop multicultural cooperation within their teams.  ability to decipher the complexity of environments for defining adjustments and synergies in the context of globalization, cultural intelligence is closely related to economic intelligence as a public policy and business approach: without intelligence economic, cultural intelligence loses its strategic dimension; without cultural intelligence, economic intelligence loses its operational dimension.

Despite globalisation and the development of new technologies, the world is as complex as ever. Leaders from different cultures are finding that they need to work together even more. Crossing the divides between people in cities and, increasingly, across the world is the only way we can begin to address the big complex problems we face on a daily basis. Ask yourself:

• Are IQ, EQ and CQ equally valued in the world?
• What problems require only IQ to solve them?
• What examples can you give of when EQ has not been enough to solve problems?

Understand and develop Cultural Intelligence

This course will introduce to the concept of CQ and explore its evolution and relevance for leadership.

Reason to learn CQ:

ü  Build the skills to lead across divides and thrive in multiple cultures;

ü  Go on a journey to uncover the cultural influences that make you think and act the way you do;

ü  See how understanding yourself can help you work with other people;

ü  Learn skills to recognise what makes others tick and behave the way they do;

ü  And embrace diversity and recognise its role in innovative problem solving.

Chapter I: General Discussion

I would never...

Our starting point is to ask what is our core and what is our Flex? Cultural Intelligence comes through unpicking these two and keeping the line between Core and Flex under constant review as we grow older, as we experience new things and as the world changes around us.

There are many examples of leaders from around the world who have developed their Cultural Intelligence, and who we can learn from. Equally there are examples of when people have not got this right.

Leaders with Cultural Intelligence:

ü  don’t shy away from difference; they move towards it

ü  don’t just cross the divides that exist between people, they also build bridges for others to use

ü  counterbalance the default human preference for talking, working and sticking with ‘people like me’

ü  Look outwards. They are interested and excited by different cultures. They don’t just tolerate

1-      That have shown the most Cultural Intelligence in your view and why?

2-      That you think would benefit from gaining more Cultural Intelligence?

3-      What are the barriers that have prevented them from developing more Cultural Intelligence?

Changes are taking place globally that call for leaders with Cultural Intelligence.

Here are the 8 key reasons why:

1. The need for collaboration

Big problems can no longer – if they ever could – be solved by one person, one sector, one culture, one community, one country or even one continent operating alone. Leading across boundaries through collaboration is increasingly crucial.

2. The reality of networks

The world is becoming more connected. Organisations are becoming flatter and social networks are burgeoning as never before. Leaders must build and leverage networks in order to deal with this new inter-connectivity and capitalise on the opportunities presented.

3. The importance of trust

People buy brands they trust, listen to sources they trust and choose to follow leaders they trust. It can take a long time to build trust and it can be taken away even faster. It is up to leaders to make good decisions, to behave consistently and appropriately, and to build up a record of doing so over time. It’s one thing doing this in our own culture or sector, where the reference points for trust will be familiar on all sides. It’s much harder to establish our own trustworthiness with people whose frame of reference is very different.

4. The demands of demographics

Relationships between generations are becoming increasingly disconnected, right across the world. There is a requirement to cross generational divides for both young and old alike.

5. The urban magnet

People around the world are moving to cities as never before. These cities are not just growing in size; they are (or are fast becoming) magnets of talent, bringing together people from multiple backgrounds and different cultures.

6. The pressure to focus

The leadership journey looks very much like an hourglass. As our career progresses, we become more and more knowledgeable in a smaller and smaller field. Suddenly, we get that next promotion when we need a broader view again and nothing has prepared us for it. As leaders gain more influence and responsibility they need a wider perspective – at the very moment when everything and everyone else is pressing us to focus.

7. Growing world, shrinking leaders

The number of people with global roles is multiplying. They travel almost constantly and they touch down frequently. They are expected to deliver wherever they land, and deliver fast. They must be able to adapt a framework that helps them to deliver.

Chapter II- Is it Core or is it Flex?

For me, the best example of what I thought was Core that might actually turn out to be Flex, has come through my experience of parenting, which certainly shifted my Core inwards and left me with a great deal more Flex than I thought I originally had. In the early days I found myself constantly having to distinguish between what I believed really mattered.

Nothing but Core:

Some leaders are all Core and nothing but Core. They are what they are: ‘take me or leave me’. They come in all sectors, from all nationalities and from all generations. Sometimes they make a token Flex, to show that they are moving with the times, but it’s a thin veneer. For some, it is simply that they are too frightened of the unfamiliar to feel they can Flex on anything. Some are too lazy to bother about other people and see no need to Flex and a small minority – the truly terrifying – are so convinced of their own rightness that they won’t even consider the possibility of Flexing

Learn to Flex:

Every leader should start with a strong Core and a pretty clear idea of what is in it. However Flex is just as important as Core. Even though it is fluid and adaptable it doesn’t make it less valuable.

1* Flexing behaviours:

We have to get the basics right. Flex generally starts with behaviours which are very important signifiers as we operate in other cultures, not least because they demonstrate that we have Flex and we’re not too arrogant (or frightened) to actually change. Take every opportunity to understand how other people express their values through behaviour. It is not about changing who we are but helping us to change how we express it. There’s no quick way to learn it either.

2* Flexing beliefs:

Flexing how we behave is one thing, but flexing what we believe gets very tough. The following is an example from my own experience and my personal viewpoint.

In what situations have you flexed too much? What was the result?

·      We might want to show respect above everything else. So we adapt to everything and everyone. Even if you’re sincere, you can come across as insincere, and you can end up taking Flexing to a ridiculous degree

·      We have a desire to prove how ‘in’ we are. Lots of leaders fall into the trap of ‘going native’. They lose sight of what their role is and who they are. It’s a balancing act, but we have to be careful not to Flex so far that we fall over

·       Avoiding too much Flex is particularly hard if you are an immigrant. Balancing the desire to integrate with the desire to hold on to our roots. Without a strong Core it can become confusing in these situations, we do unpredictable things to try to fit in, sometimes for the wrong reasons

·      Today there is motivation to avoid the polarisation in society. People don’t want any part of factions, or closed clubs, or sectarian divides of any kind. The danger is that, in their anger at what they see and their desire for something more open, they walk away from their Core, become all Flex

·      There are leaders who are all Flex, almost in desperation. They have this feeling that, if they look too deep inside themselves, they will find they have very little Core left. So they simply stay in Flex and hope that it’s enough to hide what’s missing.

II-                Cultural Intelligence: to stand out in an international context

According to Earley and Mosakowski (2004), successful managers learn to cope with national partners, companies and different professional cultures. A survey of 2000 managers sixty countries has allowed them to find a weakness in terms of cultural intelligence could harm the progress of a professional.

First, how can we recognize its cultural intelligence and can we develop the intercultural potential for the benefit of his career and his company? We will try, with some explanations and examples to answer these questions in order to realize the contribution of intercultural skills in a professional career.

Usefulness of CQ

International exchanges have multiplied over the years. Whether one is called to work in another country, to develop markets in foreign countries or to manage a multicultural and diverse team within its organization, intercultural skills become important and strategic. It is no longer just bankers or exporters or companies that have relocated their activities. Useful to avoid missteps and misunderstandings, your cultural intelligence can be paid to you and your business.

Take for example two speakers, a Quebecer and French, which are part of a project team. Even if they speak the same language, they have to pay special attention to the vocabulary used. The same words can differ significance and cause miscommunication or conflict when the interlocutors have not taken care to confirm receipt and understanding of a message. Speaking the same language does not mean that the same standards are used.

How do we define those competencies deemed essential to succeed in an intercultural context?

Several researchers have studied the concept of cultural intelligence; the authors mentioned above define cultural intelligence as "the ability of a person to interpret similarly unknown and ambiguous gestures of a person of a different origin fellow would do."

During their study, they identified three levels of cultural intelligence:

The cognitive level (head) where one uses the intellectual faculties; the person observes, recognizes and understands the characteristics and behaviours specific to a culture;

The physical level (the body) where it is demonstrated by the adoption of the gestures that we understand culture (how to give hand to order coffee or be comfortable with physical proximity of middle); sharing the same gestures creates confidence and openness to others;

Have you ever had to experience discomfort when a customer gave you a hug and looked for physical proximity in the discussion? This kind of cultural difference often between people North and South; a North American will be more comfortable if his interlocutor respects a reasonable distance.

The emotional level (the heart) which involves an adaptation to overcome obstacles and failures; this is achieved when one has confidence in his ability to solve difficult situations (stress management and conflicts, verbal exchanges more or less direct and facilitated by gestures); this third aspect establishes a bridge with the concept of emotional intelligence.

Overall, be able to decode, understand behaviour and interact appropriately with people from different backgrounds in part demonstrates its intercultural skills.

Tips and tricks to cultivate his cultural intelligence:

Some are predisposed to work in a multicultural environment. But it is possible for a person in mind and motivated to learn to develop their cultural intelligence. Here are some actions suggested by experts in the field.

ü  Make self-assessment in terms of the management of cultural diversity and, based on its strengths and weaknesses, establish a development plan.

ü  Search courses that will strengthen weaknesses. If a person has difficulty cognitively, they can gather information, do readings from case studies and participate in discussion groups.

ü  Foster motivation with simple activities that increase the ease with culture.

ü  Make sure you can devote time to its development plan and the necessary resources to carry out the planned activities.

ü  Put its forces forward, highlight its successes.

ü  Evaluate its progress

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