Cultural intelligence (CQ) enhances managerial effectiveness. The four different aspects of cultural intelligence allow leaders in the workplace to develop themselves to become more effective on an emotional and behavioral level. By doing this, they gain a better understanding of the people they work with and how to mobilize personnel and improve the overall operations of the organization. It is one of those tools that leaders can use to effectively adapt to any work environment or culturally diverse situation.
How the four features of CQ interacts with leadership
Cognition- “Is the capability to cultivate and develop a working knowledge of cross-cultural cues and patterns of appropriate behavior” (BCD21, n.d). This helps a leader to understand specific norms of a culture so that he/she can showcase acceptable behavior. It gives him an understanding of the similarities and differences in multicultural settings so that he can use his education and experiences to recognize cultural practices. This, in turn, makes leadership effective because everyone understands what acceptable behavior is so he or she can focus on productivity.
Metacognition- This is where we think about our interpersonal communication with people from different cultures. It makes leaders more aware and broadens their understanding. It helps them to assess and analyze their own thoughts and perceptions so as to come to a fuller understanding. By doing so, leadership acts not only for its benefit but for the benefit of everyone because it has an understanding of others and itself.
Motivational- For leadership to be effective, there must be motivation. When leaders have the drive to learn about cultural differences it allows them “to gain understanding and knowledge of how to effectively communicate with others from diverse cultural backgrounds and adapt accordingly” (BCD21, n.d); Without this, CQ would not be developed and leadership would be ineffective.
Behavioral- This aspect of CQ makes leadership flexible in terms of the organizations work atmosphere. It allows the organization to be more dynamic and sensitive to changes that may occur in a multi-cultural setting. This makes leaders and leadership highly adaptable in terms of behavior modification for the good of the workplace.
All four aspects of CQ make for effective, strong and productive leadership. All are required for an organization to say that its leadership is functional and exemplifies cultural intelligence.
The Proof is in the Leadership
How High CQ Levels Allow Leaders to Adapt to Novel Situations
“Cultural intelligence appears to offer a plausible mechanism through which socio-cultural values affect individual perceptions, motivation, and behavior. In particular, CQ matters for leadership and innovation in culturally diverse situations.” (BCD21, n.d). Having a high level of cultural intelligence allows a leader to adapt to novel situations in that:
It prepares leaders on how to communicate effectively (verbal and non-verbal) with any culture in the highest of acceptable standards so that service quality increases
It helps them to think quickly to solve work conflicts and helps him to find the best ways possible to resolve them without having to worry about offending anyone due to having a clear understanding of the work process, the elements of that specific organization's culture, emotions and behaviors of various cultures.
It helps them to easily navigate various types of culture to facilitate business expansion and market diversification due to a strong belief in self (motivation), being able to understand various business practices in diverse regions, think about their perception of others and modify their behaviors to suit the environment.
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