cultural intelligence

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Cultural Intelligence

A Guide to Working with People from Other Cultures

by Brooks Peterson

Intercultural Press 2004

229 pages

In todays global economy, cultural intelligence is increasingly important.

Culture is a shared set of values and beliefs that can be measured and observed.

Compare different societies with ve essential scales of culture.

They are: risk versus caution; task versus relationship; individual versus group;

direct versus indirect and equality versus hierarchy.

Americans love risk, contrary to most other cultures, which avoid it.

Germany and Japan are caution-oriented societies.

Japanese society is group-oriented. Children are taught to color the same picture

at the same time with the same crayons. They work toward a common goal.

The French are puzzled that freedom-loving Americans allow themselves to be

micro-managed by seatbelt and smoking laws.

The Scale of Differences measures the cultural distance between societies.

Cultural intelligence consists of knowledge, awareness and skills.

7 8 5 7

Leadership & Mgt.

Strategy

Sales & Marketing

Corporate Finance

Human Resources

Technology & Production

Small Business

Economics & Politics

Industries & Regions

Career Development

Personal Finance

Concepts & Trends

This summary is restricted to the personal use of Dirk Tussing ([email protected])

Cultural Intelligence Copyright 2004 getAbstract 2 of 5

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What You Will Learn

In this Abstract, you will learn: 1) The level of awareness you need to deal effectively

with other cultures; 2) That culture is like an iceberg because much more happens

below the surface; and 3) How to use cultural scales to distinguish the essential traits

of various cultures.

Recommendation

Imagine a guidebook that helps you navigate the uncharted lands of strange cultures or,

at least, cultures that seem strange to you. Author Brooks Peterson is less concerned with

social advice than he is with explaining how to manage broad cultural differences and

avoid cultural egocentrism. While he soundly reviews measures of cultural differences,

such as cultural scales, he avoids delving into complex, abstract theories with little

practical application. His clearly written book treats all cultures objectively, covering

broad tendencies without venturing into cultural generalities. He alerts you to the

nuances of other cultures and your own. getAbstract.com strongly recommends this book

to anyone who interacts with the values of other cultures on a regular basis and, these

days, thats just about everybody.

Abstract

How is Your Cultural Intelligence?

Youve heard of EQ, a measure of emotional intelligence, and of course IQ, which gauges

intellectual potential. But what about CQ? Cultural intelligence, especially for those who

seek to do business in the global marketplace, is every bit as important. Having EQ or IQ does

not guarantee that you will demonstrate capable cultural intelligence in your interactions

with those whose notions, beliefs and behaviors seem a world away from yours.

Even if youve never traveled abroad, you interact with foreign cultures virtually daily.

Look at the people you work with, live near, do business with, sell to and buy from.

If you notice a growing cultural diversity, well, of course, welcome to the real world.

Increasingly, you experience the cultures of other lands without leaving home.

Worldwide exports have consistently increased during the past 50 years. Today, about

one in ve U.S. jobs is tied to exports. Whether youre living abroad on a foreign

assignment, or interacting with people from abroad, understanding those who see the

world through different cultural lenses from your own is now a critical business skill.

Consider, for example, the different ways that Japanese and Americans raise their

children. Americans learn to think creatively, be individualistic, follow their muse and

dare to be unique. In the United States, children are allowed and even encouraged to

color their coloring books differently than their classmates. Teachers would be concerned

if all their pupils artwork appeared the same.

Conversely, the Japanese teach that, The goose that honks gets shot. Japanese people

work together very ef ciently because they see that as being in their best interest. One

reason Japan has become a manufacturing leader is that its culture values group harmony

and cohesiveness. So, in Japan, students are taught to work together as a group rather

than to think for themselves. Japanese children typically color picture books jointly.

Culture is the rel-

atively stable set

of inner values and

beliefs generally

held by groups of

people in countries

or regions and the

noticeable impact

those values and

beliefs have on the

peoples outward

behaviors and envi-

ronment.

We are culturally

groomed to think

and behave in

certain ways from

the time we are

babies.


They color the same sections at the same time with the same crayons, and the desired

outcome is that each childs drawing looks similar to the others.

One approach is not necessarily better than the other, but even childrens training

illustrates the degree to which cultures differ. Diverse cultures teach their children from

infancy to think, feel and behave different ways.

What Is Culture?

Just trying to de ne culture shows how elusive it is. Some de nitions focus on a

geographical location or on history. Some focus on socially transmitted behavior patterns

or on cultural aspects of society, such as fashion, art and speech. Dictionary de nitions

tend to cover common traits, location, language, religion, race, history, music and

so forth. These de nitions usually do not provide anything concrete for professionals

seeking to interact more productively with another culture. A functionally useful

business de nition might explain that culture is a societys core set of values and beliefs

that has an observable impact on the outward behavior of its people. Human beings are

more than their circumstances or where they live. Their innermost beliefs and values

ultimately in uence how they act.

Culture is like an iceberg. You may see whats on the surface, but be aware that much

more is going on invisibly below the waterline. Business people who fail to account for

cultures unseen aspects risk watching their endeavors tank like the Titanic. Most people

in business welcome learning about the tip of the iceberg. The above-water aspect of

culture is apparent, obvious and intriguing. People are aware of it because they can sense

it, see it, hear it, smell it and touch it. Perhaps the above-water aspects hold our attention

because they are the most obvious and potentially offensive.

Most of the world is aghast that Americans are often obese and speak very loudly.

Brazilians often run red lights at night, even when they see a police car nearby. Orderly

Germans would probably never think of doing such a thing. Americans have trouble

understanding why the French allow nonstop smoking indoors. The French are puzzled

that freedom-loving Americans allow themselves to be micro-managed by speed limits

or laws against indoor smoking. South Americans wonder why U.S. bars close at 1 a.m.,

and much of the world sees U.S. drinking laws as petty and ridiculous.

When you see these super cial aspects of culture, remember that 80% of what is

taking place is below the waterline. This include attitudes toward time, the place of

the individual in society, human nature, relationships, the signi cance of work and

the workplace, preferred communication styles and a full set of values, beliefs and

assumptions. When above-water behavior catches your attention, be aware that it is

guided by a below-water sensibility that you are unaware of and that if you knew the

unseen aspects, your understanding would be much more complete. The below-water

aspects of culture cause problems because people are not aware of subtle cultural cues.

This lack of awareness causes confusion and embarrassment.

Cultural Scales

Scales of culture de ne cultures by their positions, relative to other cultures, on a variety

of measures. Five scales are particularly relevant in becoming more culturally aware:

1. Equality versus Hierarchy Some cultures take order and hierarchy very seri-

ously, and always work within a chain of command. Others have a more informal

approach and expect individuals to interpret broad instructions creatively.

Most people think

culture stuff is a

soft skill. This can

be a serious mis-

take, with a nega-

tive impact on the

business bottom

line.

Even if everyone

at the table speaks

English, cultural

differences can

create powerful

barriers to under-

standing.

Just because your

cultural style

makes you

fantastically suc-

cessful at home,

it is not guaran-

teed to charm your

international cus-

tomers, clients, or

partners. In fact,

you can almost

count on the oppo-

site being true.

Across Asia

people show

respect by handing

papers to

someone with two

hands. If you were

handling a valu-

able document,

you wouldnt casu-

ally extend it to

someone using

one hand.


2. Direct versus Indirect Some people communicate in a more frank, face-to-face,

direct manner than others. In Asian culture, the notions of face and harmony are

important. Because of this, Asians behave differently from, say, Americans, who like

to speak directly and get all the issues out on the table. Asians prefer to set con icts

aside for the sake of group harmony. Dealing with an indirect culture, you are likely

to experience dif culty in getting clear feedback from the workers you supervise,

even when your intent is sincere and constructive. People with an indirect style focus

on how things are said, and count on the listener to interpret the speakers meaning.

3. Individual versus Group Focus How important are the needs of the group, com-

pared to the needs of the individual? If youre doing business within a society with

an individual culture, you may get faster response times, because an individual in

authority will make the decision. In countries that value group dynamics, decisions

are more likely to involve group consultation, which can result in delays. Those who

take an individual approach may focus on themselves and may be nonconformist at

times. People in more group-oriented cultures tend to act cooperatively, make loyalty

to friends a priority, nd their identity in group af liation, put the groups needs rst

and emphasize conforming to social norms.

4. Task versus Relationship This scale is a very important if youre doing business

with those from other cultures. If you come from a task-oriented culture, you may

share a little chitchat about the weather or traf c, and then you are likely to get right

down to business. However, those from a culture that values relationships more, will

rst seek to spend time socializing to build trust and connection. Relationship build-

ing takes center stage, rather than practical business.

5. Risk versus Caution Americans welcome risk and, in many instances, owe their

success to an ability to embrace change. Other cultures, such as in Japan and Ger-

many, are caution-oriented. Each approach has advantages. A risk-oriented style

means quick decision-making, a focus on the present and future not the past, an abil-

ity to change quickly in mid-stream, an openness to new things and a comfort-level

with an unexpected change of plans. Those used to more cautious cultural styles

prefer to collect additional information, change slowly to avoid risk, seek more regu-

lations and guidelines, refer frequently to past precedents, hesitate to venture beyond

proven problem-solving methods and dislike any last-minute change in plans.

Those who believe the credo just be yourself go awry when they work abroad

because they do what they feel like doing. They overlook the concept that others may

not feel comfortable with their actions. Americans suddenly faced with international

business dealings often discover the importance many other cultures place on building

relationships prior to trying to do business. U.S. business people may schedule short

trips abroad, expecting to get something accomplished. Then, they are frustrated when

business moves slowly. The non-Americans involved may feel pushed or rushed and,

therefore, uncomfortable. Be sure you understand if you are in a culture that puts

business before pleasure or pleasure before business.

Cultural Programming

Your culture is programmed into you, much like the software that runs a computer. Be

aware that culture is equally programmed into the people from other countries. If you

put a Macintosh operating program into a Windows PC, it wouldnt boot up. Youd be left

with an ineffective, inoperable system. Similarly, you probably cant completely change

who you are and how you work for the sake of cultural literacy. On the other hand,

You cant learn

about other peo-

ples cultures until

you develop

awareness of your

own.

The United States

has indeed been

successful in var-

ious ways spe-

ci cally because

Americans

embrace change

and welcome risk.

I dont nd it

useful to minimize

cultural differ-

ences. Nor do I

nd it useful to

exaggerate them.

The process of

increasing your

cultural intelli-

gence is just that,

a process. It is

sometimes analo-

gous to walking

uphill in sand: two

steps forward, one

step back.


under certain circumstances say sending and receiving e-mail Macs and PCs can

communicate effectively.

How big is the gap you must bridge across cultures to communicate and work? You can

measure it with The Scale of Differences. For example, people who visit Canada from

the U.S. nd many cultural similarities and some differences. On a scale of one to 10,

with 10 being utterly foreign, Canada might only score a 1.5 level of cultural divergence

from the U.S. Visitors from the U.S. rarely return from Canada complaining of severe

culture shock. The same visitors might well be surprised by the much higher scoring

differences they would encounter in Nigeria, where people believe trees have spirits, or

in India, where they might see a body oating down the Ganges a form of burial.

Global executives have more options than ever, but a total lack of restraint isnt among them.

Westerners once could act abroad in their own cultural fashion and get away with it. Those

days are gone. Business people from the U.S. need to make themselves more culturally

compatible, or risk losing their deals to others who are willing to be culturally exible.

Getting Smarter

Cultural intelligence has three components. The rst is knowledge, the facts that you

need to know about places, politics, cuisine, fashion and so forth. The second is

awareness, that is, being mindful about your traits and the traits of others that are

relevant to your cultural IQ. And, the third is skill, which is different from knowledge in

that it implies an ability to do something. In some cultural situations, it is important to

know how to do something properly, whether its how to shake hands (or when not to) or

how to hand prospects your business card and receive theirs.

To increase your sensitivity to other cultures, become more aware of your own. Study how

your culture falls on the various differentiation scales. Develop tolerance for ambiguity and

accept that more than one cultural meaning may be attached to any given behavior. Practice

being open minded and foster a sense of humility about your cultural assumptions.

Many cultural misunderstandings could be avoided by communicating more clearly.

Speak slowly and clearly, but not loudly, when you wish to be understood. Repeat

yourself if necessary, perhaps choosing slightly different words. Be precise. Try to use

at least a little of the language of the person youre interacting with and learn to say

these six basic messages: yes, no, please, thank you, hello and good-bye. Learn as much

about the country you are visiting as possible. Most importantly, never assume it is the

other partys responsibility to understand you and your culture. Cultural intelligence is

a two-way street.

About The Author

As founder of Across Cultures Inc., an international consulting rm serving global

business, Brooks Peterson is the creator of a variety of tools designed to assist business

leaders focused on the global marketplace. Peterson is an experienced cross-cultural

trainer. He developed the widely used Peterson Cultural Style Indicator.

People from

group-oriented

cultures tend not

to greet or even

acknowledge

strangers on the

street. Because

the strangers are

an out-group, its

not necessary to

even say hello.

Even if you have

never traveled

abroad, get ready

to mix with other

cultures, because

more immigrants

each year come to

live in your coun-

try.

cultural intelligence

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