CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE:

LEVERAGING DIVERSITY & MANAGING DIFFERENCES

Prof.Dr.Aung Tun Thet

Overview1. Why CQ?2. What is CQ?3. How to apply CQ?

• “Strength lies in differences, • not in similarities.”

WHY CQ?

Questions• Do you speak another language?• Do you have a passport?• Have you visited another country?• Have you lived outside Myanmar?• Do you read the news about other countries?• Do you eat food from other countries?• Do you work with people from other countries?

21st Century• Globally connected• Interdependent• Multi-culture• Leveraging Diversity• Managing Differences

US, UK = OK! Japan = Money

Russia = Zero Greece = Insult

“DO UNTO OTHERS AS THEY WOULD DO ONTO THEMSELVES”

The Golden Rule

WHAT IS

Culture + Intelligence

UNITY WITHOUT

UNIFORMITY

Culture• Everyone possess• Hard to quantify• “The way we do things around here.”

Culture• Civilization - education, manners, arts and crafts and products.

• Way people think, feel,  and act

Cultural Iceberg

Behaviours and Practices

Attitudes

Core Values

Culture Visible culture differences

Invisible culture roots

Visible culture differences • Communication styles• Attitudes towards conflict• Approaches to completing tasks• Decision-making styles• Attitude towards disclosure• Approaches to knowledge

Invisible Cultural Roots• Beliefs• Values• Perceptions• Expectations• Attitudes• Assumptions

Culture’s Functions• Social glue• Boundary-defining• Sense of identity

Culture as Liability• Barrier to change• Barrier to diversity

Culture in WorkplaceIndividual Orientation

Group Orientation

Hierarchical orientation

Participative Orientation

Need for Certainty

Tolerance for Ambiguity

Achievement orientation

Quality of Life

Long Term Orientation

Short Term Orientation

Organizational Culture

Data

Information

Knowledge

Insights

Organizational Culture• Shared• Members solve problems• Taught to newcomers• Influence behaviour

Inspiring Corporate Culture• Inspiring Your People To Do Great Things

1. Inspiring Vision2. Inspirational Leadership3. Inspirational Environment4. Relentless Innovation

INTELLIGENCE

Intelligence• More than mental ability• Different types relevant in different situations

Multiple Intelligence• PQ - Physical Intelligence• IQ - Mental Intelligence• EQ - Emotional Intelligence • SQ – Spiritual Intelligence• CQ - Cultural Intelligence

• Physical Intelligence• LIVE• Mental Intelligence• LEARN• Emotional Intelligence• LOVE• Spiritual Intelligence• LEGACY• Cultural Intelligence• LEVERAGE

CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE (CQ)

CQ • Increasingly global and diverse context• Awareness of own • Awareness of others

CQ• Quality personal relationships and effectiveness

• Individual capabilities to cope with multi-cultural situations

• Cross-cultural interactions• Performing in culturally diverse work groups

CQ• Function effectively in culturally diverse situations

• Enhance employee, manager, and organizational effectiveness

• Enhance interpersonal interactions• NOT specific to particular culture

CQ• Individual capability • Not personality or personal interests• Not fixed• Can be enhanced

Factors of CQDIMENSION DESCRIPTIONHead Self-Awareness

KnowledgeHeart MotivationBody Behaviour

CQ

KnowingSelf

KnowingOthers

LeadingTogether

Benefits of CQ • Enhances sensitivity• Reduces use of stereotypes • Enhance relationships• Improves decision-making and work performance

Benefits of CQ

1. Knowing own CQ strengths and weaknesses

2. Personal self-development3. Knowing CQ strengths and weaknesses

of others

Benefits of CQ• Cross-Cultural adjustment• Improved Job Performance• Enhanced personal well-being• Greater profitability

HOW TO APPLY CQ?

Application of CQ • Limitless• Impact every human exchange - personal, professional, at home, or across culture.

CQ• Cognitive:• How and why people do what they do?• Motivational:• Am I motivated to do something?• Behavioural:• Can I do the right thing?

Four Capabilities of CQ

CQ-Drive• Intrinsic - enjoyment from culturally diverse experiences

• Extrinsic - gaining benefits from culturally diverse experiences

• Self-efficacy - confidence to be effective in culturally diverse situations

CQ-Drive• Interest in experiencing other cultures• Interacting effectively with different cultural backgrounds

• Intrinsic value placed on diverse interactions

CQ-Drive• Enjoyment and sense of satisfaction (intangible benefits)

• Extrinsic value (tangible benefits) • Sense of confidence

CQ-Knowledge • Cultures similar and different• Business - economic and legal systems• Interpersonal - values, social interaction norms, and religious beliefs

• Socio-linguistics - rules of languages and expressing non-verbal behaviors

CQ-Knowledge • Cultures similar• Cultures different• Information on cultural universals • Unique cultural values, economic and legal systems, norms for social interaction, religious beliefs, aesthetic values, and language

CQ-Strategy• Making sense of culturally diverse experiences

• Making judgments about thought processes and those of others

CQ-Strategy• Awareness - knowing existing cultural knowledge

• Planning - strategizing before culturally diverse encounter

• Checking - checking assumptions and adjusting mental maps when actual experiences differ from expectations

CQ-Strategy• Think strategically about culture and cultural differences

• Mindful that societies and sub-cultures differ in values

CQ-Strategy• Awareness that individuals have different cultural value orientations AND

• Different orientations influence perceptions, sense-making, motivation, and behavior

CQ-Action

• Capability to adapt verbal and nonverbal behavior

• Flexible repertoire of responses

CQ-Action

• Non-Verbal – modifying behaviors (e.g., gestures, facial expressions)

• Verbal - modifying behaviors (e.g., accent, tone)

CQ-Action • Change behavior to fit other cultures• Using flexible range of non-verbal behaviors (i.e., body language, physical gestures, facial expressions)

• Using flexible range of verbal behaviors (i.e. accent, tone, expressiveness)

CQ-Action • Modifying behavior to put others at ease• Changes in both verbal and nonverbal actions

CQ Capabilities• Integrated• Who are you? • What are you doing? • Who are others? • To what degree are they the same or different?

Harnessing CQ• Developing CQ• Leveraging Diversity• Managing Differences

Multicultural Teams• Knowledge Transformers• Performance Maximizers• Creative collaborators• Complexity Solvers

Overview1. Why CQ?2. What is CQ?3. How to apply CQ?

• If man is to survive, • he will have learned to take a delight in the essential differences between men, and

• between cultures.