In my last blog post I wrote about identity politics and how they lead to further division of society based on emphasizing diversity. Speaking bluntly, in our efforts to notice and embrace diversity, and eradicate inequality and intolerance, we may have created a climate in which everyone feels that the group they identify with is unnoticed […]
Latest Research: ‘Navigating between Home, Host, and Global Identities’
Business activities today regularly reach across cultural boundaries, and collaborative work with people of different cultural backgrounds becomes an everyday normality. Alongside the increasing exposure to culturally pluralistic settings, the question of cultural identities and the process of acculturation also receives more and more attention. In fact, we increasingly see cases of people holding multiple […]
M&A deals: How to bring cross-cultural teams together?
‘Merger and acquisition deals’ (M&A deals) – these often imply potential opportunities and profits for business leaders, yet may invoke resistance and anxiety among employees, and create headaches for managers. Indeed, it is hard to argue that M&A deals, similar to other business deals, have certain business goals, be it access to a new market […]
‘Diversity’: Are We Talking About it AGAIN?!
Diversity is a decent word, isn’t it? It implies the notion of valuing differences, inclusiveness and equality. It stands against prejudices, discrimination and unfair treatment. We talk about Diversity in our effort to make all racial and cultural backgrounds equally matter, to provide women with fair opportunities, and to allow any other minorities feel safe […]
Autopilot Mode vs Cultural Intelligence
Have you ever experienced driving to your workplace and actually not remembering how you got there? I guess that might be a pretty common phenomenon, given that most of the time (experienced) drivers are planning for their day, having a conversation with someone, or engage in problem-solving while being on the road. Even without an […]
Cultural Differences: Are We Oversimplifying?
Globalism, crossing borders and interacting with people from other countries go hand in hand with cultural intelligence, that is, being aware of cultural differences, and being willing and able to adapt to them. With that notion in mind, I would dare to say that the majority of international companies take at least some initiatives towards […]
How Should We Learn about Cultural Differences?
Integral to the global business landscape is intercultural contact and communication. As such, one of the basic requirements for people to successfully deal with this diverse landscape is cultural sensitivity, or cultural intelligence (CQ). Be it international student-trainees, temporary expatriates, permanent migrants, or local workers of a multinational company, we would want these people to […]
Working in a Cross-cultural Environment: Where to Look for Cultural Gaps?
Multicultural, multinational, and multilingual teams are part and parcel of global organizations of today. This highlights the importance of cultural competencies, cross-cultural cooperation, and leadership of multinational teams. Indeed, the main question for many is how to do business and effectively manage in such a culturally diverse environment? Cultural competence: too broad to grasp? Well […]
Global Dexterity: Translating Cross-Cultural Knowledge into Action
I am sure we all remember our school and university years, when we were filled with lots of theoretical and practical knowledge to be used in our future lives and careers. I am also sure we all remember the first days and weeks in our professional careers, when we realized that all that knowledge is […]
Want to Become more Culturally Competent? Start with your Cultural Self-Awareness
It is impossible to speak about being global without the ability to deal with different cultures. Global companies engage in cross-cultural business relations, lead multicultural teams, develop intercultural competencies, strive to increase cultural awareness and look for cultural intelligence. In short, a clear message in today’s globalized world is that success is built by joint […]
Winning through Diversity? The Case of Multicultural Management Teams
Given the increasingly global business environment, establishing management teams that consist of members from different countries of origin would appear to become necessary practice. Multicultural business requires multicultural management – isn’t this what common wisdom would suggest? Does the cultural diversity of management teams really benefit global companies?
A follow up on cultural intelligence
Following up on one of my blog entries about the cultural intelligence construct, I would like to provide some further details on how to assess cultural intelligence and how to differentiate it from other concepts, specifically from the openness to experience concept of the Big5 personality traits.
Cultural intelligence: A skill you can’t do without in today’s multicultural world
In addition to intelligence quotient (IQ) and emotional intelligence (EQ), nowadays, we also speak about a third type of intelligence, namely ‘CQ’ or cultural intelligence. Leaders of The Cultural Intelligence Center, argue that in today’s increasingly global and diverse environment CQ is a skill that is absolutely necessary for working effectively in culturally diverse situations. Take a look at the strategies for developing this skill.
Follow-up on biculturals: Why are people with multiple cultural backgrounds beneficial for organizations?
What is the practical contribution of bi- or multicultural employees to global organizations? A recent article by Fitzsimmons et al. (2011) describes how multicultural individuals contribute to five key activities in global business — international teams, intercultural negotiations, international assignments, mergers and acquisitions, global leadership and ethics.