What is Cultural Intelligence (CQ)?

CQ is a globally recognised way of assessing and improving effectiveness for culturally diverse situations.  It’s rooted in rigorous, academic research conducted by scholars around the world. Leading organisations in business, education, government and healthcare are adopting CQ as a key component of personnel development and competitive advantage.

In simple language, it measures how we behave in diverse situations. We all have an inherent culture, but the good news is that we can all increase our CQ.

Research demonstrates several consistent results for individuals and organisations that improve CQ, including:

  • More effective Cross-Cultural Adaptability and Decision Making
  • Enhanced Job Performance
  • Improved Creativity and Innovation
  • Increased Profitability and Cost Savings
  • Enriched Situational Awareness

CQ consist out of 4 quadrants – Your Drive, Knowledge, Strategy and Action.

Many individuals or organisations undergo some form of cross-cultural training and see no change in behaviour over time.  The reason for this is simple – they did not implement a strategy or an action plan.

What does this mean for you?

We can measure your own CQ or your team’s CQ.  The great news is you can also improve it and then remeasure. In fact, I’m so confident that if you take the test, attend some training/coaching or a combination thereof and implement even only one single thing, I’ll guarantee you’ll improve our CQ.

There are different levels of testing available. One is a self-evaluation measuring your capability to function effectively across a variety of cultural contexts and for small fee extra, you get the additional 360 depth of a peer review on how others perceive you additionally.  The latter also predicts global effectiveness in measuring: cross-cultural adaptability, judgement and decision making, negotiation skills and strategic leadership.

The outcomes of the testing can be used to identify a variety of professional development options for the future.

It is highly recommended that each test is debriefed in a personal coaching or group training session to fully interpret the data.

 Some of the questions we regularly answer:

  • I thought I was culturally aware and unbiased and then…
  • Is the world too politically correct?
  • Why do certain people behave in certain ways?
  • What are my CQ strengths and how can I leverage them?
  • How do create a more diverse workforce?
  • Do we need to manage different generations differently?
  • How do we increase our gender diversity?

Contact us here to find out how we can measure your CQ.

September is CQ month. Tanya Finnie, ambassador for CQ month explains what Cultural Intelligence (CQ) is.
Tanya Finnie, ambassador for CQ month, explores and explains the relationship between the worldwide pandemic Covid-19 and Cultural Intelligence.
Tanya Finnie, ambassador for CQ month, explains the four-factor CQ model.
Tanya Finnie, ambassador for CQ month, describes the relationship between Covid-19, young people and the role Cultural Intelligence can play in understanding this.
Tanya Finnie, ambassador for CQ month, provide some tips to grow your Cultural Intelligence.
Tanya Finnie, ambassador for CQ month, explains the importance of growing your Cultural Intelligence.

Infographics

RedHead Communications has provided infographics on several topics within CQ. If you click on the infographic tile, the size will increase and can be printed from there.

This is CQ! Here’s why you need it in your team and why it is so important to expand your knowledge.

Have you been implementing the last two factors of the CQ model?

How are you going to expand your knowledge of Cultural Intelligence?

Broaden your mind by delving into how the perspective from language may change your thinking.

Do you know as much as much as you think you do on the injustices women face within the home and the workplace?

How much do you know about the current and previous generations?

Did you know that there are six seasons in Noongar Culture?