What is Cultural Intelligence (CQ)?

You may have asked yourself a question: Am I culturally intelligent? What does it take to talk about cultural intelligence. According to HBR cultural intelligence (CQ) is the ability to make sense of unfamiliar contexts and then blend. In other words it is to be able to function effectively in culturally diverse situation.

To help you improve your CQ you can consider using the following 4 step method consisting of:

• DRIVE
• KNOWLEDGE
• STRATEGY
• ACTION

What shall we get when we dig down?

–CQ Drive (motivation), the person’s motivation to learn about and respond to a different culture. It is the interest in and confidence at functioning effectively in culturally diverse settings.

–CQ Knowledge (cognition), the person’s knowledge of how cultures are similar and different. The point is not to be an expert on every culture but to understand how culture influences behaviors, values, and beliefs.

–CQ Strategy (meta-cognition), how the person makes sense of culturally diverse experiences. The knowledge about cultures enables effective planning in the context of cultural differences and forming cultural sensitive strategies.

–CQ Action (behavior), the person’s capability to adapt his or her behavior to different cultures, including handling any difficulties that might arise.

If you want to obtain a better cultural awareness and understanding in your teams or just to learn more: contact us at hr@hrconcept.com.pl.