What is Cultural Intelligence and Why do I need it?
Cultural Intelligence is a measurable ability of the capability to adapt as s/he interacts with others from different cultural regions. Why is it so important? The world is rapidly changing and our ability to adapt to global work life has never been more important. In most instances, first impressions are a way to immediately build trust with whoever is on the other side of the table or virtual meeting.
How can we build our Cultural Intelligence?
First, let’s take a look at the set of skills that anyone can develop to build their cultural intelligence.
CQ Drive – it’s the all about motivation
- What’s my level of curiosity about the people I encounter in my work and life?
- What do I expect to learn or experience from the cultural encounter?
- What’s my level of confidence when interacting with people from different cultures?
By asking yourself these questions, you are beginning your journey to build your cultural intelligence. The Arab Culturalist is equip to help you use our proven techniques that increase your drive and ultimately give you the confidence to navigate any multi-cultural encounter.
CQ Knowledge – To know yourself is to truly know others
Gaining knowledge about your own culture, and in some ways your personal preferences, is the second step in building Cultural Intelligence. To know yourself is truly to know others. Once you understand your own cultural lens, you will be able to start building knowledge about the specific cultures that you encounter. The Arab Culturalist is an expert in Arab, GCC and Emirati culture. Through learning about the values and norms in this region, you will have the tools necessary to take the steps to perfect your intercultural communication skills.
CQ Strategy – Planning is Key
Once you have the Drive and Knowledge, you will begin to mindful of the subtle and obvious cultural differences that exist between people and use what you know to bring their culture into focus. We all view communication through our own cultural lens, so we must plan whether we may need to adapt our behavior to improve communication and accomplish the goals of our cultural encounter.
CQ Action – Know when to flex
This is the most dynamic dimension of cultural intelligence, and when we hone our skills we will be able to adjust our own speech patterns, gestures and tone of our communication style to improve cross-cultural communication. It may be as simple as slowing down your speech, or knowing whether to hold your hand out for a handshake. Whatever your cultural encounter, The Arab Culturalist will provide you with the skills to make the proper choices during a cultural encounter.
CQ Assessments – The Arab Culturalist and its staff hold an Advanced certification in CQ® Cultural Intelligence from the Cultural Intelligence Center in the US. The CQ Assessment and the Cultural Values profiles are the starting point for your cultural intelligence journey. With your own personalized assessment, we can help you devise a development plan that builds on your cultural CQ strengths, while addressing any areas that you can work in to improve your overall ability to function highly and effectively in a multi-cultural environment. Download a Sample Cultural Values Assessment!