As one of the most culturally diverse countries on the planet, Australia has everything to gain by actively leveraging its cultural capital. Many Australians would consider themselves as champions of multiculturalism, yet our closest international neighbours would posit us a racist country. The opportunities for Australian businesses, government, tertiary institutions, schools and local communities to harness the asset that is Australia’s cultural diversity cannot be underestimated. Developing cultural intelligence (CQ) goes far beyond our desire for diverse foods, customs and travel experiences. It is about developing a globalised skill set to communicate effectively, innovate, solve problems, share solutions to global and local problems and enhance productivity and team wellbeing. It is a capability that when done well facilitates scientific discoveries, the interpretation and reinterpretation of art and it helps people to share space peacefully. Developing an appetite for doing intercultural relations well is often relegated to the task of mitigating risk for companies exploring international markets for their products and services and directed as a task to be achieved by migrant & minority communities to integrating well into the dominant culture.
We cannot move forward authentically if we do not acknowledge the grievances from the past. Therefore I want to acknowledge the traditional indigenous owners of the land, our first Australians and pay my respect to their elders, past and present. The work we do acknowledges that we are all travelling down the same river and towards the same destination. How we work together to travel down that river harmoniously, largely depends on the quality of the bridges we build and the depth of connections we foster with conscious awareness.
CQ. An essential capability for inclusive leaders and in building successful relationships.
Critical to successful cross-cultural teams are different skill sets, diverse views and varying expertise and experiences. The richer the diversity, the more likely innovative solutions, new connections and ideas will emerge.
Cultural Intelligence
Culture is the vehicle by which we are able and capable of getting to know each other and build vibrant societal relationships. Cultural and social scripts inform the way we live, from the moment we get out of bed in the morning to the time we switch off the light at night. They influence how we work and relate to others. In our attempt to get along with other people, we tend to minimise or exaggerate Intercultural differences and we interpret each other’s thoughts, beliefs and behaviours through the narrow prism of our own culture(s). It is important to be aware of Intercultural differences and our own reaction to difference to reduce the likelihood of unconscious incompetence.
Gaining insight into our own cultural scripts serves as a platform to understanding how people can acquire certain cultural scripts that differ from ours. The further the cultural script from our own the more we rely on cultural intelligence strategy to understand context and respond as best we can. Cultural scripts are collectively understood behavioural guidelines that determine an individuals or groups way of doing and being in a social space (Tuner & Stets, 2006). The idea of a script is used in the way in which an individual builds up and stores memory sequences of behavioural interactions and emotional experiences related with particular events (Byng-Hall, 1985). Bicultural scripts are so intertwined that they do not necessarily fit in any one culture, in that they are different to scripts encultured from one’s family of origin or culture of origin and they may be also different compared to the scripts of a host or majority culture. Being able to flexibly switch cultural scripts is a demonstration of agility.
““Intercultural competence is a commitment to engage respectfully with people of other cultures. A commitment to Intercultural competence is the beginning of an ongoing process that requires motivation and a willingness to improve cross cultural communication and practice in both individuals and organisations” (Walker & Son, 2010)”
Intercultural competence involves being able to understand oneself and our own ability to feel comfortable in ‘doing difference’. Viewing difference as ‘a bad thing’ leads to doing difference that can look like racism, but doing difference can also lead to doing curiosity and kindness, the latter building social cohesion.
A great deal of knowledge has focused on the importance of cultural knowledge which often relates to culturally influenced customs, the hidden meaning behind gestures, clothes, family structure, business etiquettes, work norms, habits and behaviours etc.
Intercultural training is not a learning framework for learning about the ‘other’, it is learning about ourselves and our ability to form and maintain a cohesive relationship with ‘another’. Frameworks that go one step further include the cultural intelligence approach. Cultural intelligence, as referring to an individual’s capability to function effectively across cultures is an essential set of competencies that assists individuals to negotiate and perform well in all types of relationships, intimate, peer, friendships, organisational and between majority and minority groups.
Research demonstrates that effective cross-cultural relationships aren’t just a matter of emotional intelligence and common sense. Emotional intelligence concerns an individual’s ability to regulate one's own emotions and to respond appropriately to the emotions recognised in others to achieve optimal an interpersonal connection. Cultural intelligence focuses on an individual’s ability to function effectively with people and in situations involving different cultural backgrounds. Cultural Intelligence is different from emotional intelligence (EQ) because CQ focuses specifically on capabilities in multicultural contexts.
When we interact with people with the same or very similar cultural background than us, we intuitively use a set of social cues and cultural scripts to engage effectively. We demonstrate a mix of conscious competence and unconscious competence. However when we interact with a person from a different cultural background we unconsciously behave in ways as if they are from a similar background.
Facilitating the development of Cultural Intelligence
Cultural Intelligence is a malleable capability that can be enhanced by multicultural experiences, training, self-awareness, travel and education. Interestingly there is an inverse correlation between cultural intelligence and the experienced sojourner.
Historically formal intercultural competence training has focused on preparing an individual to experience intercultural success in a multinational business context. Another outcome of intercultural success is in terms of social cohesion. The doing of diversity well is now dependent on the extent to which the general public can a) see themselves as beings not devoid of culture and b) an openness towards quality multicultural relationships. We are all both contributors towards and beneficiaries of the harmonious society that we jointly create.
Cultural intelligence. An outsider’s seemingly natural ability to interpret someone’s unfamiliar and ambiguous gestures the way that person’s compatriots would to build and maintain a close or successful relationship.
The CQ Model is a framework that builds the capability cultural intelligence. This model underpins CQ assessment, CQ training and CQ coaching sessions. This model can be applied to culturally intelligent policy development, program design, client and community engagement.
The CQ Model emphasises the importance of developing an overall repertoire of motivation, understanding, strategy and skills that enables one to move in and out of lots of different cultural contexts (Ang & Van Dyne, 2008). Cultural intelligence as a construct has been extensively developed and operationalised by the brilliant Dr. David Livermore PhD.
The CQ Model consists of 4 sub-dimensions that contribute to our understanding of the construct cultural intelligence. They are as follows:
CQ Drive is the willingness to work with others from diverse backgrounds. It includes an ability to overcome explicit or unconscious bias and the capacity to persist in challenging intercultural settings—even when the individual feels confused, frustrated, or burnt out. CQ Drive is the extent to which one is energised and persistent in one’s approach to multicultural situations, one’s self-efficacy and sense of deriving benefit from intercultural interactions
CQ Knowledge is an understanding of culture, cultural differences and similarities. CQ knowledge is the degree to which one understands how culture, cultural scripts and systems influence how people think and behave.
CQ Strategy is the ability to adapt mentally. With high CQ Strategy, individuals understand that the cultural dimensions that constitute worldviews are multiple and likely different to one’s own and awareness of these assists in the development of strategies for interpersonal and community relations and business success.
CQ Action is the extent to which you can act appropriately in multicultural situations. It includes one’s flexibility to adapt verbal and non-verbal behaviours and to adapt to different cultural norms to intentionally improve the relationship or interaction. CQ Action decreases the risk of miscommunication and helps an individual respond to diverse others in a manner that conveys respect and builds trust and rapport.
In a connected economy...
A connected economy rewards people who see things differently, who have ideas that no one else does, who analyse and synthesise information into networks and systems, who design products and deliver services that effectively connect with the communities we serve. We are hard wired to connect with people, it propels the emotions joy, excitement and contentment. It is an innate desire to connect, to be good at connecting and to build an identity, cultural and social around these connections. In business it drives resourcefulness, profitability, growth and sustainability. In community it drives social cohesion, community resilience and flourishing.
Cross cultural differences exist in leadership styles, creativity and innovation, contribution in groups and to society, social interaction and connection, communication styles, how people perceive their individual self and themselves in the context of others, what people pay attention to in meetings, decision making processes, perception and value of time, parenting and partnering. Research demonstrates that cultural intelligence predicts adjustment, well-being, cultural judgement and decision making and task performance in culturally diverse settings.
