Cultural Intelligence Toolkit
Cultural Intelligence Toolkit
Toolkit collated by Hannah Wilson
What Is Cultural Intelligence?
Cultural intelligence or Cultural Quotient (CQ) is the capability to relate and work effectively across cultures. The term has been used in business, education, government and academic research contexts.
An influential Harvard Business Review article (see below) identified three key components of CQ, naming them Head, Body and Heart:
- Head is the knowledge and understanding that you need good CQ. This comes, in part, from observation and research. But you also need strategies for gathering new information – and the ability to use those strategies to recognise a culture's shared understandings. That will enable you to adapt your decision making and communication.
- Body means translating cultural information into visible actions. These are usually the clearest ways in which your CQ is seen by others. You show it in your gestures, your body language, and the way you carry out culturally significant tasks.
- Heart. To have high CQ, you need to be self-assured, not afraid to make honest mistakes, and confident enough to keep improving by tackling new cultural situations.
People with high CQ use all three of these elements to monitor and moderate their actions. Without making quick judgements, or falling back on stereotypes, they can interpret what is happening in any cultural setting and adjust their behaviour accordingly.
Cultural Intelligence is thus the skill of relating and working effectively in culturally diverse situations. It is the capability to cross boundaries and prosper in multiple cultures.
Dr David Livermore (see references below) highlights four practical aspects of CQ:
- CQ Drive: The motivation to learn about new cultures.
- CQ Knowledge: Understanding how cultures influence what people say and do.
- CQ Strategy: Having a plan to respond to cultural differences.
- CQ Action: Behaving in culturally-sensitive ways, including handling any difficulties that arise.
The Diverse Educators’ Cultural Intelligence Toolkit
We are collating a growing bank of resources to support you in reflecting on the following questions:
- How are we identifying and articulating our individual and collective motivation to learn about new cultures?
- How are we developing our knowledge and understanding of how different cultures influence what people say and do?
- How are we shaping our strategic plan to develop cultural competencies across our community?
- How do we ensure that we are all consistently behaving in culturally-sensitive ways?
- How do we develop the skills in ourselves and in others to handle any difficulties that arise?
Articles
Blogs
Books
Barquin Rotchford, G. Cultural Intelligence The key to Transformational Changes in Companies: 100 Considerations and food for thought
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Gibson, R. Bridge the Culture Gaps: A toolkit for effective collaboration in the diverse, global workplace
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Karayel, F. Inclusive Intelligence: How to be a Role Model for Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace
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Livermore, D. Cultural Intelligence: Improving Your CQ to Engage Our Multicultural World (Youth, Family, and Culture)
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Podcasts
Resources
TED Talks
Cultural intelligence -- a new way to think about global effectiveness | Jeff Thomas | TEDxSpokane
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Cultural intelligence: the competitive edge for leaders | Julia Middleton | TEDxEastEnd
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