Overview of Cultural Intelligence

Cultural intelligence is generally defined as a person’s capability to interpret and adapt to different cultures (Brislin, R, 2006). It allows people the ability to relate to one another and understand what makes up the person they are. This allows people from different cultures the ability to intermingle and work effectively among a culturally diverse world.  Cultural intelligence a vital skill required to communicate successfully and ethically. This skill is predominately developed when an individual is aware of the way culture has shaped who they are and the way it has shaped others. Culture awareness allows a person a deeper understanding of their own culture and the elements that define it (Quappe & Cantatore, 2005). These elements are vastly different between each and every culture. Culture is a major influence on the way a person behaves and is adapted by the knowledge and experiences one has obtained over the course of their life (Spencer-Oatey, H. (2012).  Identifying, understanding and then adapting to the elements that make up a person’s cultural identity is the key to working in a diverse range of cultures.

Language often creates a major barrier when a person is trying to communicate with someone from another culture. Language is a significant cultural element and usually one of the hardest to adjust to and understand. When travelling overseas people often encounter problems when communicating and this often causes the individuals to become both aggressive and irritated when they encounter trouble understanding. My first experience in another country where English was not the predominant language was Bali, Indonesia. While in Bali, I personally experienced many misunderstandings through language and observed others having trouble communicating. I saw many people arguing at local markets and shops and many tourists were quite rude when they were having trouble understanding. Having personally studied Indonesian in high school, I tried my best to understand and have conversations with locals during my visit. Being aware of language as a cultural indifference made me more widely accepted by the local residents as they really appreciated that I was willing to adapt to their cultural behaviors. This largely encouraged communication between me and others and even allowed me to develop friendships between the hotel staff during my stay.

Values are important to consider when communicating between cultures and they largely vary between each culture and each individual. Every person lives their life with a different set of values which are usually developed in the early years of life. These values are generally adapted from parents and family. It is important to understand that the things one person finds important or values may be insignificant to another. In a schooling situation this is often experienced. Some teachers believe that good school results will be achieved through the quality of work a student produces whereas another may focus on the dedication a person puts in and that working hard will produce results. I have experienced this situation in each and every school environment I have been in as each teacher values different attributes. It is important that an educator adapts their way of teaching and expectation from student to student and understands the way culture has shaped the person they are. This way they can adjust the way they approach teaching with different expectations for different student so that they are better suited to the values and learning style of each individual.  It is important to understand that each situation requires and different solution. Becoming culturally aware of the personal values of others and your own is vital in the development of cultural intelligence. Cultural intelligence is required to evade potential conflict created when two people have contradicting values. Therefore, to accommodate for another person’s understanding and perceptions, an individual must alter their own communication methods which in turn makes an individual more culturally intelligent (Quappe, 2005).
 

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Traditions are behaviors and practices present in every culture which are passed down through many social influences such as families and friends. These thoughts and behaviors are incorporated into many people’s everyday life. Being unaware of another’s traditions can sometimes cause offence and put people in awkward situations. When I was younger, one my friends were brought up in a very religious family and attended church every Sunday. One holiday I was staying overnight and once morning came, we decided to cook bacon and eggs for breakfast. Unbeknown to me it was actually Good Friday which in their religion is a day they do not consume meat. I was only young and had not had many cultural experiences and was unaware of their traditions. After seeing the shock on their parents faces, they explained to me the details of their religious practice. I became quite embarrassed with the situation and felt out of place but they were very accepting of the miss understanding and my lack of knowledge. Being culturally aware of another person’s cultural traditions can help to avoid causing unintended offence to others. This increases one’s cultural intelligence.

Another important component of a person’s culture identity is relationships.

Relationships differ between cultures and identifying the differences in relationships is important in developing cultural awareness. I have personally experienced different relationships among cultures while spending time with my Indigenous friend and his family. In his culture, elderly people are highly respected. I once had the experience to sit around a camp fire and listen to the aboriginal elders tell dreamtime stories and sing traditional songs. This was a lot different to the relationship I had with my grandparents and I showed respect and took part in their family traditions. 

For an individual to become culturally intelligent they must first become aware of their own cultural identity and the elements that make up their culture. Having the ability to adapt to another’s cultural indifferences and learn from past experiences can help to ensure effective communication across cultures and allow people to interconnect in the culturally diverse world we live in today.

References:

• Brislin, R., Worthley, R, & Macnab, B (2006). Cultural intelligence: Understanding behaviours that serve people’s goals. Group & Organization Management, 31(1), 40-              55. doi:10.1177/1059601105275262
• Quappe & Cantatore (2005) What is cultural awareness, anyway? How do I build it? Retrieved from http://www.culturosity.com/pdfs/What%20is%20Cultural%20Aware ness.pdf
• Russell, K.M. (2011). Growing up a third culture kid: A sociological self-exploration, Human Architecture: Journal of the Sociology of Self-Knowledge, 9(1), 29-42.
• Spencer-Oatey, H. (2012).   What is Culture? A compilation of quotations. Global PAD Core Concepts. Retrieved from:  http://go.warwick.ac.uk/globalpadintercultural