What Cultural Intelligence Is and How to Develop It in The Business

Social behavior has a lot of influence on us, so does cultural intelligence. So, if, for example, in America certain types of vegetables tends to upset, it is quite possible that the new generations will show rejection of those vegetables even before they have been tested. Why? Because we learn by imitation.

Transported this theory to the field of organizations, cultural intelligence speaks of knowing and managing one’s own culture as well as understanding that of others. Getting employees to enrich in the mix of cultures is the new challenge in team management.

What is the theory of cultural intelligence?

The culture of our country has a great influence on who we are, on the way we act and think. Each person’s values, behaviors, customs and beliefs are based on the culture to which they belong.

Therefore, cultural intelligence is defined as the ability to understand the impact of the environment on human beings and to relate and interact with people from different cultural backgrounds.

An employee or manager who is shown as intelligent in multicultural terms will be able to manage effectively with any cultural singularity that is presented.

Types of cultural intelligence

Within cultural intelligence we differentiate several basic types or components:

  • Cognition: ability to understand rules, customs and beliefs by which they are governed in other societies.
  • Understanding those ideas that have been developed from culturally opposed perspectives.
  • It is an individual’s ability to behave correctly when faced with other cultures.
  • Motivation or emotional. The intrinsic will to accept and interact with culturally different people.

 

Cultural intelligence management or how to develop this theory in a company

Working the theory of cultural intelligence in a company depends on everyone. With these keys it will be much easier to carry out. 

1 Know the experiences of other companies

Observing and learning from the intercultural experiences of other organizations can be the starting point to start carrying it out in our company. The next item will be an exercise in personal reflection. Everyone will think about how they relate to their peers and how they can learn and empathize with their culture.

2 Works on tolerance

Different group dynamics will invite the reflection of all members of the company on cultural intelligence. Such activities shall be carried out to promote tolerance and acceptance of the different values of their members.

3 Relationship and motivation

When we talk about motivation, we talk about piqued the interest of team members in knowing what their peer culture is like. And not only that, we will also emphasize what can be learned and the benefits that this brings to all.

4 Communication skills

Once we have started working on cultural intelligence, we will focus on developing communication skills. Knowing how to communicate and relate to different people is something you also learn. In fact, today it becomes a highly valued soft skill in the business world.

5 Flexibility and empathy

Qualities such as humility, cooperation, companionship or empathy become essential. Especially when working daily with teams with values, beliefs and customs very different from our own. Similarly, we must be open to sharing our culture with the rest of the organization.

Cultural intelligence can be one of the keys to improving the work environment in your business. Having IBMH management will be the key to success. Contact us today and we’ll tell you everything our team can do to optimize the profitability of your imports of furniture and construction hardware from China.