Cultural Quotient
Cultural Quotient
Learn more about how to build cross-generational bridges that create an inclusive, valued, engaging, and productive work environment.
Cultural Quotient
- Today’s global work environment is the new normal. It is virtually impossible to work in a modern organization without some degree of impact from varying parts of the world. Ignoring the impact of multiple time zones, cross-cultural communication challenges, and working across different national cultures is no longer an option. To be effective in this increasingly global context, we need to re-think our view on leadership based on building effective future global leaders. Global leaders need to become advocates of reframing the leadership perspective regarding cross-cultural competence.
Leadership development curriculum and talent management initiatives need to address the challenges of working cross-culturally. To make lasting changes, development and training programs must include cross-cultural competence as a core competency for anyone assigned to global work teams. These programs should offer diverse methodologies and tools that can reach more people by building social and structural bridges. By creating forums for meaningful dialogues on cross-cultural differences, organizations could change from within as they grow to be more globally effective.
By encouraging cultural diversity and creating a “space” to enhance cross-cultural skills, we will attract a more diverse workforce that is equipped to handle new challenges on the horizon in doing so, we will embrace the best that diversity has to offer, learning from one another and growing our organizations to be truly global in an increasingly global workplace.
It is difficult to imagine any organization today operating without some element of global interaction. Companies are augmenting their service delivery model to be available to clients 24/7. Furthermore, global supply and value chains operate increasingly across borders. To that end, corporations are building geographically-distributed teams to enhance their capabilities to support their global growth. As a result, employees are increasingly working across multiple time zones and national cultures.
This workplace shift has led to fundamental changes in how work gets done. As teams become more global, they lose their shared assumptions and norms. Human interaction becomes significantly more complex. Because they do not work in the same physical space with some of their colleagues, employees need to learn new collaboration skills while developing a better understanding of cultural differences.
In this section, we will explore how global organizations can build capacity for cross-cultural competence while creating a “space” that fosters more effective human interactions. The framework and tools discussed will provide a better understanding of how to incorporate cross-cultural competence within leadership development and talent management practices.