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Building Relationships & Effective Collaboration

Building Relationships & Effective Collaboration involves fostering trust, communication, and teamwork to achieve shared goals

Cultural Intelligence 

Cultural Intelligence (often abbreviated as CQ) refers to the skill of working, relating and interacting with those of cultures different to your own. It goes beyond cultural awareness and focuses on how individuals can navigate culturally diverse environments.  

Cultural Intelligence encompasses skills in noticing cultural nuances and adjusting your behaviour accordingly, making decisions that consider cultural differences and ensuring that you practice inclusivity. If you are Culturally Intelligent, it means that you can work across culturally diverse situations, and can relate to different races, genders, backgrounds, beliefs and more.

 

Culturally intelligent people are often: 

  • Curious and open-minded
  • Empathetic and emotionally intelligent 
  • Collaborative, and able to work well with others 
  • Effective communicators 
  • Adaptable and flexible 

Types of Cultural Intelligence:  

There are 4 individual aspects that make up Cultural Intelligence as a whole. Understanding the 4 aspects can help you to develop your Cultural Intelligence skills and apply them to your everyday life and relationships.

  • Motivational CQ 

Which refers to the drive and interest in adapting and engaging with cultural diversity. It encompasses intrinsic motivation (personal enjoyment of cultural exchange), extrinsic motivation (external rewards), and self-efficacy (confidence in handling cultural interactions). 

  • Cognitive CQ 

This is your knowledge and understanding of cultural norms, values, practices, and differences. It also includes awareness of how cultures vary in terms of communication styles, behaviours, and practices. 

  • Metacognitive CQ 

This involves thinking about your thinking in cross-cultural interactions. It’s your ability to plan, reflect and adapt your approach based on cultural contexts. Metacognitive CQ helps you plan, monitor and adjust your actions during cultural exchanges. Thinking ‘on your feet’ is a key aspect of Metacognitive CQ. 

The term, ‘thinking on your feet’ means quickly adapting to unexpected situations and making decisions in the moment. 

  • Behavioural CQ 

This is the action-oriented aspect of CQ, focusing on your ability to adapt your verbal and non-verbal behaviours to suit different cultural situations. It includes flexibility in communication styles, gestures, and etiquette. 

Cultural Intelligence is becoming a desirable skill to employers, so it is worth working on this skill. You can build on your cultural intelligence by keeping in mind the 4 aspects of Cultural Intelligence and by: 

  • Remembering that no culture is superior to another  
  • Recognising differences as important 
  • Be aware of your own biases, or your organisations biases 
  • Expose yourself to different cultures, opinions, beliefs and perspectives 
  • Practice active listening 

You can practice these at university through your course, where you will be exposed to a diverse range of people, and you can also join student societies that will also expose you to more diverse backgrounds. 

Marr, B. (2022). Cultural Intelligence (CQ) Is an Important Predictor of Success. Here’s How to Boost Your CQ. [online] Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2022/09/05/cultural-intelligence-cq-is-an-important-predictor-of-success-heres-how-to-boost-your-cq/.