I am certain that most of you reading this will have at some point heard that diversity will bring all sorts of benefits to a team. Often this is said uncritically, assuming that everyone can recognise a diverse team will be a better team than a homogenous one. There is research to back up the idea that diversity can bring a productive and financial gain, but without cultural intelligence, diversity can be a hindrance.
A team that is more homogenous can move more quickly in terms of decision making and task completion. Similar assumptions, values, and culture mean that what is said, heard, and done amongst the team are all filtered in a similar way by all members. Conflict may happen in a homogenous team but when it does, it is handled in a way that all expect without further damage caused.
However, a truly homogenous team doesn’t exist. Individuals are unique in their different preferences and we all have experienced a variety of sub-cultures that have left their imprints on us - be it familial, organisational, religious, or regional cultures. Cultural Intelligence (CQ from here on out) helps us navigate any kind of diversity. Diversity does bring complexity and takes time to navigate, but it also brings a multitude of benefits when it is recognised and the appropriate skills are developed.
When you start exploring CQ, David Livermore is a name that comes up as a prominent voice, author and researcher. In his book, Leading With Cultural Intelligence, he shares a framework for CQ that provides a deeper understanding of what CQ is and why it not only helps those who work cross culturally, but can be of benefit for all relationships. Incidentally, I believe that working on developing your CQ will also develop your EQ (emotional intelligence).
Livermore offers four capabilities of CQ - Drive, Knowledge, Strategy, and Action1. All are interlinked and each can either reinforce or undermine the others.
CQ Drive is the level of motivation, interest, enjoyment, and confidence we have for cross cultural interaction.
CQ Knowledge is our awareness and understanding of the ways in the similarities and differences of cultures.
CQ Strategy is our ability to plan ahead, recognising where a culture will affect a situation or interaction, awareness of our own cultural norms and how that might be perceived and an ability to review whether our experience in the interaction was what was expected.
CQ Action is the ability to tailor our words, body language, and actions to communicate well across cultures.
In my first post on CQ, I talk about curiosity being the foundational skill of CQ - the ability to withhold judgement, practice humility, ask questions, seek out answers2, and be wary of assumptions. This is what CQ Drive is and when CQ Drive is low, the other capabilities become difficult or stunted. At worst, our knowledge becomes limited to just our experience rather than a desire to continue to learn from and about others and their perspective. We are less likely to plan ahead for, be self aware during, or reflect on cross cultural interactions. Our action is more likely to be based on habit or avoiding the cross cultural interaction altogether.
We all encounter diversity, even just through personality difference, so before reading any more of this series on CQ, take a moment to reflect on your CQ Drive. CQ Drive is said to have three sub domains:
Intrinsic interest—how much we enjoy cross cultural interactions
Extrinsic interest—the benefits that come from cross cultural interactions
Self-efficacy—confidence that we can navigate cross cultural interactions
What’s one tangible benefit you’ve already experienced from cross-cultural interactions, even if small?
On a scale of 1–10, how genuinely curious are you about people whose cultural background is very different from your own — where 1 is 'I find it draining or uncomfortable' and 10 is 'I actively seek it out and find it energising'?
On a scale of 1–10, how confident do you feel that you can function effectively when you're in an unfamiliar cultural setting — where 1 is 'I feel out of my depth and want to retreat' and 10 is 'I trust myself to navigate it even when I make mistakes'?
What’s one thing you will do that would move you one point higher in each of those 2 scales?
If you are unsure how to move up on the first two scales, it can be as simple as initiating a conversation with someone with a different background from you and seeking just to understand a bit more about them. Take time to reflect on your own cultural formation and how it differs from people around you. You could also watch a movie/read a book set in a different culture - preferably made by people in/from that same culture - and keep an eye on similarities and differences around communication, decisions, and anything else you can spot.
It may be that this and the last post has piqued your curiosity and you’d like to make use of this series to boost your CQ Drive! If that is the case, why not hit subscribe so you are notified when the next post is out.
The next few posts will be exploring the remaining capabilities in more detail, along with cultural impact on communication, relational dynamics, individual vs. group responsibility, handling cultural conflict, and more.
If you currently work in a cross-cultural environment and would like to explore how coaching may be of benefit to you in improving cultural intelligence then please get in touch.
Livermore has utilised the research and model of Soon Ang and Linn Van Dyne who use similar but different words for their model - Motivational (Drive), Cognitive (Knowledge), Metacognitive (Strategy), Behavioural (Action).
It is not necessarily appropriate to ask the person we’re interacting with for answers as to where out cultures are different or why something has been misunderstood. Curiosity means we look for cultural interpreters rather than place the burden on the person we may have offended or are in conflict with.