Webinar
Today’s organizations face challenges like AI, globalization, and demographic shifts. Effective collaboration across diverse cultural groups, each with unique values, beliefs, and behaviors, is crucial for success. Future-focused organizations and growth-minded employees should prioritize intercultural competence, considering factors such as nationalities, languages, job functions, genders, and generations. Investing in better communication across cultures enhances leadership, inclusive teams, and employee engagement and productivity.
In this webinar, we:
- highlighted the increasing importance of intercultural competence for individuals and teams.
- explored how our personal beliefs and behaviors might influence interactions.
- discussed relevant strategies to develop a cultural intelligence mindset.
Webinar presenter Karin Goettsch, PhD, PCC, CPTD designs strategic talent and organizational development solutions for leaders, teams, and individuals. She consults and coaches on leadership development, high-performing global virtual teams, cultural and emotional intelligence, and communication capabilities.
Presented on September 11, 2024.
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Webinar Takeaways
What is culture? It's part of everything we do. It's a shared pattern of values, beliefs, and behaviors that distinguish one group’s approach to work from another.
The foundations of culture include personality and a wide range of dimensions from which we develop our unique identity (see graphic).
One way to think about cultural competence is Cultural Intelligence (CQ):
- The developed capability to prepare, navigate, and relate effectively in many culturally diverse situations. CQ picks up where emotional intelligence (EQ) leaves off.
- Diverse teams with high CQ outperform homogeneous teams. It’s not enough to bring in diverse teams; orgs need to amp up diversity with high CQ.
Benefits of CQ:
- personal adjustment and adaptability
- judgment and decision making
- negotiation effectiveness
- trust, idea-sharing, and innovation
- leadership effectiveness
- profitability and cost savings
An example of of cross-cultural collaboration is working with artificial intelligence.
- different culture than our own
- humans are creative and innovative, complementing what AI brings to the table
How to assess your individual and organizational CQ components:
- 10 behavioral preferences (e.g.individualism vs. collectivism, low or high power distance, uncertainty avoidance, cooperative vs. competitive)
- 4 CQ capabilities: drive, knowledge, strategy, action
Pointers for better connection (employ your EQ):
- Start from a place of trust and curiosity.
- Clarify your intentions.
- Learn not just about but from others.
- Pay attention to your own biases.
- Don’t assume what someone thinks, wants, or needs.
- If you’re uncertain and want help or feedback, ask.
- Acknowledge mistakes; share humor as appropriate.
- Be patient and keep trying.
- Try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes.
- Don’t overlook your progress and successes.
- Don’t give up your authenticity but meet people halfway.
