How to Improve Cultural Intelligence in the Workplace: 4 Tips

It’s impossible to deny the changing face of the American workplace. From small businesses in rural towns to large corporations in big cities, the workplace is becoming more diverse by the day. Understanding how to manage these cultures under one roof is both challenging and critically important.

Cultural intelligence, often referred to as cultural quotient (CQ), is the ability to adapt and interact effectively in diverse cultural settings.

Understanding Cultural Intelligence

Cultural intelligence is the ability to understand and navigate different cultures, enabling individuals to interact effectively with people from diverse cultural backgrounds. It involves recognizing and appreciating cultural differences, being aware of one’s own cultural biases, and adapting behavior to accommodate cultural variations. In the workplace, this means being able to communicate and collaborate with colleagues from various cultural contexts, leading to a more inclusive and harmonious environment.

What is cultural intelligence?

Cultural intelligence refers to the capability to function effectively across various cultural contexts, such as ethnic, generational, and organizational cultures. It’s an advanced aspect of cultural sensitivity, defined as an outsider’s ability to interpret someone’s unfamiliar and ambiguous behavior the same way that people from that culture would. This skill is crucial in today’s globalized business world, where interactions with people from different cultures are commonplace. By developing high cultural intelligence, individuals can bridge cultural gaps, reduce misunderstandings, and foster more productive and respectful relationships.

Recognizing the Importance of Cultural Diversity

Cultural diversity is essential in today’s globalized world, where individuals from different cultures interact and work together. Recognizing and valuing cultural differences can lead to increased creativity, innovation, and productivity in the workplace. When teams are composed of individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds, they bring a variety of perspectives and ideas, which can spark innovative solutions and drive business success. Moreover, cultural diversity can help organizations better understand and serve their diverse customer base, leading to improved customer satisfaction and loyalty. Embracing cultural diversity not only enhances the workplace environment but also positions companies to thrive in a competitive global market.

4 Ways to Enhance Cultural Intelligence

“You may have heard about social intelligence. A person with high social intelligence can get along and work well with others. We sometimes say they have people skills,” Dr. Louise Rasmussen writes for Global Cognition. “Cultural intelligence is like that. Only it implies that a person is able to get along with other people no matter what their cultural background.”

Understanding and adapting to a different culture is crucial for improving cultural intelligence and fostering effective communication in the workplace.

If you’re going to experience any level of success in today’s business world, you must prioritize cultural intelligence in the workplace — both in yourself and your employees.

Here are some simple yet practical ways you can do this:

1. Bond over similarities

A lot of business leaders think that the best way to tackle the topic of diversity in the workplace is by immediately highlighting everyone’s differences. But contrary to popular belief, it’s actually better to take the opposite approach.

“Focus on what your team has in common versus what makes you different,” JB Training suggests. “Forging connections and acknowledging similarities will lead to attitudes and behaviors that capitalize on human differences for organizational success.”

When your people bond over similarities, they’re more likely to be accepting of each other’s differences. This gives cultural intelligence an opportunity to thrive. Engaging with diverse cultures can further strengthen these bonds and enhance cultural intelligence.

2. Challenge stereotypes

Stereotypes must be dealt with. It’s important to challenge stereotypes and avoid letting them hijack every relationship. Navigating culturally diverse settings requires challenging stereotypes and understanding the unique perspectives of individuals from varied cultural backgrounds.

Make a habit of questioning attitudes and decisions involving different people. When you really dig in and attempt to understand how and why people feel the way they do, you’ll be able to cut through the “fluff” and find the substance in people’s thoughts.

3. Diversify your hiring practices

It’s one thing to teach people how to be sensitive to other cultures — it’s something else entirely to integrate people from different cultures into the same workplace. If you’re only hiring people who fit certain criteria, you’re not really doing much to develop a culturally intelligent workforce. Diversify your hiring practices, and you’ll start taking steps in the right direction.

4. Improve communication skills

The way in which you communicate with your employees has a direct impact on how they feel about the organization. If you want to improve your cultural intelligence, you must enhance your communication skills and understand that different cultures prefer to receive information in different ways.

“Some workers don’t feel comfortable being singled out for praise in front of the entire employee group — a typical way to dish out praise in the U.S. For these workers, quiet praise in a private office is much preferred,” entrepreneur Kim Ribbink explains.

In other cultures, employees don’t trust information that comes directly from the business owner or manager. They would prefer to receive information from a more immediate supervisor or leader.

Little things like these may seem insignificant, but focusing on appealing to the intricacies of individual cultures will take you a long way.

Understand your own cultural background

Understanding your own cultural background is crucial in developing cultural intelligence. It involves recognizing your own cultural biases, values, and assumptions, and being aware of how they may impact your interactions with people from other cultures. By understanding your own cultural lens, you can better navigate culturally diverse situations and build stronger relationships with individuals from different cultural backgrounds. Start by reflecting on your cultural upbringing and the values that have shaped your worldview. Consider how these factors influence your behavior and attitudes toward others. This self-awareness is the first step in overcoming cultural barriers and fostering a more inclusive and respectful workplace.

Give your business a strong foundation with workplace cultural intelligence

In order to set your business up for success in a world where global borders have largely been removed, you must foster a workplace that will build cultural intelligence. There are a multitude of ways to do this, but you must take action.

Richard Parker is a freelance writer and author at TalentCulture.com and Readwrite. He covers industry-specific topics such as SEO, small business solutions, entrepreneurship, content marketing, WordPress development, and web design. You can connect with him at Linkedin.

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