Cultural Intelligence

On the cultural assessment, I got all of them correct with the exception on one. Because of the people I interact with on a regular basis, I felt I should have gotten that one correct. It was about the color of mourning. The correct answer was Egypt and I selected India. I don’t purport to have all of the knowledge or even most when it comes to diverse cultures but I pride myself on having a healthy understanding. This has allowed me to work with several groups within the work environment and within my religious community.

Every day I have to work with different groups of people. Over the years, I have worked with people from India, China, Korea, Russia, various African countries, Pakistan, and people from the MENA region. It has not come without its challenges. Cultural intelligence in a diverse setting may help you connect with members who may normally feel left out because they are in the minority (Meeussen, Otten, & Phalet, 2014). Cultural intelligence is integral to maintaining group harmony (Manning & Curtis, 2012). It is the leader who crafts a group’s identity to ensure that their vision becomes prototypical for the group. Many times in my line of work, communication has broken down because leaders have not been aware of different taboos with other cultures. For instance, a manager took offense when a Muslim woman refused to shake his hand. Due to that offense, that set the whole tone of the interview. However, understanding that everyone does not operate the same and that diversity drives our society is key to having a thriving team and business (Earley & Mosakowski, 2004).

I learned from the self-assessment that I still have room for improvement. I don’t think any one person can understand all of the intricacies about other cultures, but learning new things, especially in an age where the workforce is getting more diverse won’t hurt. Several years ago, I purchased on becoming well-versed in a number of subjects. I wish I remembered the name, but it is still packed away in boxes. The book covered different facts from around the world, things to do and not to in social situations, as well as briefs on religion and culture. It is a good book to have because it gave you just enough information in order to be knowledgeable in most situations.

I believe taking the time to read up on different cultures helps. It also helps that I stay involved with different communities. Once a month, my wife and I also attend gatherings at different embassies in the Washington, DC area. The last gathering we did was at the Embassy of Saudi Arabia. One of the next ones we will be attending is at the Embassy of Indonesia. This allows us to experience the culture, ask questions, and meet people we may not have normally met.

References

• Earley, P. C., & Mosakowski, E. (2004). Cultural intelligence. Harvard Business Review. ↩
• Manning, G., & Curtis, K. (2012). The art of leadership (Fourth Edition.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. ↩
• Meeussen, L., Otten, S., & Phalet, K. (2014). Managing diversity: How leaders’ multiculturalism and colorblindness affect work group functioning. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 17(5), 629–644. doi:10.1177/1368430214525809 ↩