emotional intelligence ,cultural intelligence and diversity

MBA502

Emotional Intelligence,

Cultural Intelligence and

Diversity

Workshop Week 7

Cultural & Social Diversity

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA

Copyright Regulations 1969

WARNING

This material has been reproduced and communicated to you by or on behalf of

Kaplan Business School pursuant to Part VB of the Copyright Act 1968 (the Act).

The material in this communication may be subject to copyright under the Act. Any

further reproduction or communication of this material by you may be the subject of

copyright protection under the Act.

Do not remove this notice.

2

Learning Objectives

• Define culture and subculture in the context of organisations in a global world.

• Understand the experience of cultural diversity through the process of acculturation.

• Explore the relationship between emotional intelligence, social intelligence and cultural intelligence.

• Understand how cultural intelligence can be developed.

Defining Culture and Subculture

An understanding of cultural diversity must begin with a definition of culture…

• The definition of culture has long been a controversy and the term is used in a variety of ways. One commonly used definition is:

"[Culture] is that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, laws, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by [a human] as a member of society."

The term subculture is used to refer to minority cultures within a larger dominant culture.

(UNESCO Declaration on Cultural Diversity, Paris 2001)

Cultural Concepts

• “…a pattern of deep level values and assumptions concerning societal functioning which is shared by an interacting group of people”

(Adler, 2002)

• “Cultural values are learnt very early in life as people are socialised into their respective environments within particular societies and are very difficult to learn or change.”

(Hofstede, 2001)

Organisational Definitions of

Culture • “The way we do things around here and the

manner in which those norms and values are communicated.”

(Burke, 2002, p.205)

• “A pattern of shared basic assumptions that was learned by a group as it shared its problems of external adaptation and internal integration that has worked well enough to be considered valid, and therefore taught to new members as a correct way to perceive, think and feel in relation to those problems.”

(Schein, 2004, p.207)

Activity

In one minute, write down 1-3 words that come to mind if you were asked to define this term:

Cultural Diversity

In one minute, write down 1-3 words that come to mind if you were asked to define this term:

Cultural Diversity is Diverse

UNESCO Declaration on Cultural

Diversity 2001

• Describes cultural diversity as “the common heritage of humanity, as necessary for humankind as biodiversity is for nature.”

• Reaffirms that culture should be regarded as the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group, and that it encompasses, in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs.

Cultural & Social Diversity

• Diversity: The inclusion of individuals representing more than one national origin, colour, religion, socio-economic stratum, sexual orientation etc.

• Cultural Diversity: Culture takes diverse forms across time and space. This diversity is embodied in the uniqueness and plurality of the identities of the groups and societies making up humankind.

• Social Diversity: “Variety, or the opposite of homogeneity…refers to range of people, who more accurately represent minority population and people from varied backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities and viewpoints...”

(Barker, 2003,p.126)

.

Cultural Diversity and Globalisation

• The process of globalisation, facilitated by

the rapid development of new information

and communication technologies, though

representing a challenge for cultural

diversity, creates the conditions for

renewed dialogue among cultures and

civilisations in multicultural societies.

Experience of Cultural and Social

Diversity

• The experience of social and cultural diversity is not the same for everyone, and it can lead to both positive and negative outcomes.

• Although societies may be diverse in an objective sense, only under some circumstances do individuals psychologically engage with this social reality.

• Understanding the different reactions to diversity is the focus of theory and research on acculturation.

Activity: Part I

• How diverse is your group in class?

• In your own group, there’ll be many demographic factors that you have in common … but also many that set you apart.

• In groups, develop a list that’s as exhaustive as possible. For example:

– Nationality: what are all the different nationalities in your group?

– Religion: what are all the different religions in your group?

– Age: what are all the different age ranges in your group?

– And so on with other demographics, such as gender, sexual orientation, language, etc.

Activity: Part II

• Now that you’ve identified the rich diversity of

your group, your task is now to select just

one of those areas of diversity and then

answer the following questions:

– What are some potential areas of conflict that

might arise as you’re working together?

– How might this conflict be mitigated?

Acculturation

• The first definition of acculturation emerged in the 1930s:

– “when groups of individuals having different cultures come into continuous first-hand contact, with subsequent changes in the original cultural patterns of either or both groups” (Redfield et al, 1936)

• That definition has stood the test of time. From a workplace perspective, it is reflected in the changes that occur to a team or a project group when a diverse range of cultures combine to form one.

Acculturation Strategies

1. Assimilation

2. Separation

3. Marginalisation

4. Integration

5. Bi-cultural or Multicultural

Acculturation Strategies

• Assimilation: For example, a Pakistani Australian person identifying themselves only as Australian.

• Separation: For example, a Pakistani Australian person identifying themselves only as Pakistani.

• Marginalisation: For example, a Pakistani Australian person identifying themselves as neither Pakistani nor Australian.

• Integration: For example, a Pakistani Australian person identifying themselves as both Pakistani and Australian.

• Bi-cultural/Multicultural: For example, an individual who views himself or herself as a Pakistani Australian, an Australian Pakistani, or even just a Global Citizen.

Activity

• You will now be split up into five groups.

• Each group will be allocated one of the acculturation strategies from the previous slide.

• Your task is to develop a 2-minute presentation on why your allocated strategy is the most appropriate in the workplace.

• Your presentation should include work-related examples to justify your argument.

Adaptation

• Adaptation has typically been described as the resulting psychological well-being, health, sociocultural prowess, low stress, and cultural skills arising from the successful negotiation of the challenges posed by acculturation.

– Psychological adaptation is an individual’s emotional and psychological well-being, such as their levels of depression and anxiety.

– Sociocultural adaptation is how successfully the individual acquires the appropriate interpersonal skills for living effectively in the new culture, such as their behaviour, social competence and achievement.

Cultural Intelligence

• In previous workshops we’ve looked at

Gardner (MI) and Goleman (EI) and other

contributors who have done a great service in

legitimising the Multiple Intelligence concept.

• Cultural Intelligence (CI) is another piece of

the puzzle, another dimension of advancing

the intelligence model for working in a

globalised economy.

Defining Cultural Intelligence

• A person’s capability for successful adaptation to new cultural settings.

(Earley & Ang, 2003, p. 9)

• A person’s aptitude to use skills and abilities appropriately in a cross-cultural environment.

(Peterson, 2004 )

• The ability to make sense of unfamiliar contexts and then blend in.

(Earley & Mosakowski, 2004)

• The ability to interpret ambiguous cross-cultural situations accurately.

(Kreitner and Kinicki, 2007)

What is Cultural Quotient (CQ)?

• A term used interchangeably with cultural intelligence(CI).

• Cultural Quotient helps us understand and communicate with people from other cultures effectively.

• It is ones ability to recognise cultural differences via knowledge and mindfulness, and to behave appropriately when facing people from other cultures.

Activity

• Let’s assess your own level of CQ.

• Working individually, complete the following

CQ Test:

– http://commonpurpose.org/knowledge-hub/all-

articles/what-is-cultural-intelligence/cq-test/

• How did you go?

EQ Versus CQ • Emotional intelligence may not transfer across borders if the

ability to respond to the affective states of others carries different interpretations across cultures.

• Emotional intelligence (EI or EQ) presumes a degree of familiarity within a culture and context that may not exist across many cultures for a given individual.

• Although researchers dealing with emotional intelligence do not purposely limit their models to a single culture, they do not provide an adequate discussion of cross-cultural context and how the concept might be expanded to include it.

• Cultural intelligence bridges the gap in the transference of meaning.

(Earley & Ang, 2003)

Social Intelligence Versus

Cultural Intelligence • Cultural intelligence also differs from social intelligence (SI) -

defined as the ability to get along with others and get others to cooperate well with oneself.

• Albrecht classifies behaviour toward others as falling somewhere on a spectrum between toxic and "nourishing:

– Toxic behaviour makes people feel devalued, angry, frustrated, guilty or otherwise inadequate.

– Nourishing behaviour makes people feel valued, respected, affirmed, encouraged or competent.

(Albecht, 2006)

• Similar to EI, the formulation of SI is relatively void of multicultural richness.

(Earley & Peterson, 2004)

Components of CI/CQ

According to Earley & Peterson, 2004, CQ/CI consists of four fundamental elements:

1. Metacognition (awareness and understanding of one’s thinking and cognitive processes; thinking about thinking);

2. Cognition (perception, process of knowing, learning, and strategising);

3. Motivation (efficacy and confidence, persistence, value congruence and affect for the new culture); and

4. Behaviour (social mimicry, and behavioural repertoire).

Activity

• Watch this video: https://youtu.be/ZlcFB0NZHLo

• In groups, discuss how you see the four components of CI/CQ materialise, or rather how they do not materialise:

• Metacognition

• Cognition

• Motivation

• Behaviour

• What would you have done differently?

Cross-Cultural Training

Earley & Peterson, 2004

Cross-Cultural Training

• The challenge facing a global manager is

daunting from a cultural perspective, and it

is critical to provide interventions tailored to

the individual and the context.

• Individuals wishing to increase cultural

intelligence learn to break out of old habits

by adjusting their metacognition/cognition

and motivational facets.

Developing Cultural Intelligence

• The Head / Cognitive

• The Body / Physical Behaviour

• The Heart / Emotional / Motivational

CI - Cognitive

• The Head / Cognitive involves rote learning about the beliefs, customs, and taboos of foreign cultures.

• Corporate training programs tend to favour such cross-cultural training but generally will never prepare a person for every situation that arises but may help prevent terrible gaffes.

• Cross-cultural skills are best developed through experiential learning, e.g. through studying or working in a foreign culture where you can practise these skills through trial-and-error.

CI - Physical

• Body / Physical Behaviour: This involves an intention to charm foreign hosts, guests, or colleagues simply by showing that you understand and appreciate their culture.

• Your actions and demeanor must prove that you have already entered “their world” to some extent.

• For example, knowing that in certain cultures time is flexible, which means an appointment that starts several minutes late is not considered “late” for the locals.

– In that instance, you can adjust your demeanor and project verbal and non-verbal cues that are more relaxed and at ease when a colleague from that culture does not turn up exactly on time.

• Such perceptual acuity helps you to understand and tolerate uncertainties, ambiguities and unexpected changes with relative ease and stride.

CI - Emotional

• The Heart / Emotional / Motivational component involves having the emotional motivation (resilience) to overcome obstacles and setbacks. People can do that only if they believe in their own efficacy.

• Being culturally mindful means you are more aware of the cultural context thus you are better able to analyse the situation and to then respond accordingly without becoming distraught or anxious.

• It requires a high level of adaptability to change your behaviour according to the cultural demands of the situation.

Activity

• The previous slides introduced you to the three components of developing cultural intelligence:

– The Head / Cognitive – The Body / Physical Behaviour – The Heart / Emotional / Motivational

• Your task now is to put all three together by imagining you’re a manager in a workplace. You overhear an employee telling a racist joke. The others laugh.

• In groups:

– Determine what you would do in that situation. – Then create an outline of how you would prevent that event from

happening again. Make sure you address all three components outlined above.

Summary

In this workshop we:

• Defined culture

• Described cultural and social diversity

• Understood acculturation strategies in responding to diversity

• Explored cultural intelligence for global leadership

• Next week we will discover the challenges and opportunities that come with cultural diversity for global business.