Cultural Intelligence

What does cultural intelligence mean? In most cases cultural intelligence means having the knowledge, skills, insights, and experience necessary to be a communicatively competent person. Understand theories of culture, communication and cross-cultural communication interactions and how these impact business relationships;

1. Develop a practical understanding of how the cultures of the world compare and what are their similarities and differences.

2. Examine the impact of cultural differences on managerial communication and how to be an effective communicator in a cross-cultural setting.

3. Gain insight into personal and cultural "baggage" that influences your cognitive, affective, and cross-cultural behavioral processes; and

4. Expand skills in achieving cross-cultural communication competence through the understanding and practice of increased appropriateness, flexibility, and adaptability.

Cultural intelligence requires individuals to understand and be aware of the fact that not all cultures and in this case business practices will be the same throughout the world. It’s a must also to be culturally sensitivity. Understanding the cultural differences prior to doing business in different parts of the world, is essential to the success of the business. For example a sales person from the US will need to be aware that in Mexico business is conducted after social greetings. At the same time it should be understood that most people in Mexico will not start the meetings at the exact time. Even though the Mexican do value time, they value more knowing the person whom they ae dealing with, and becoming friends with them, and then dealing in business.

On the flip side, it’s also understood and practices followed, when a person from Mexico works with an organization whose HQ is in the US. For example, an company in Mexico with HQ in the