Talk to most anyone who has worked on getting a deal in China and they’ll tell you stories about people who insisted on getting them drunk. In a culture where relationships can make or break you in business, getting drunk…
Read MoreGrowing numbers of Study Abroad students spend most of their free time on Facebook and Skype, communicating with friends and family back home. Business travelers often do the same thing. Evenings are spent catching up on email and communicating with…
Read More“Cultural intelligence” or CQ is showing up all over the place. I’m extremely grateful for a groundswell of interest in assessing and developing CQ. But CQ is not really the point of what we’re after at the Cultural Intelligence Center…
Read MoreFatigue is one of the greatest roadblocks to cultural intelligence. When were exhausted, we’re much more susceptible to functioning an autopilot, a dangerous way to navigate culturally diverse terrain. And jet lag fatigues many of us when we travel. Overcoming…
Read More[Guest Post by Brian O’Donoghue, Academic Director of Noesis Exec Ed, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia with David Livermore] I’m from Ireland but I’ve spent the last ten years working and doing research in China and Malaysia. My wife and kids are…
Read MoreMost people I meet acknowledge the need for cultural intelligence. There’s growing consensus that life in our globalized world requires respect for one another. But the comment I often hear is, “Isn’t this pretty much common sense?” Respect people’s opinions,…
Read MoreCultural diversity creates one of the best opportunities for innovation but it can also be one of the biggest roadblocks if it isn't handled with cultural intelligence. In many organisations, the Europeans and North Americans dominate meetings while the Asians…
Read MoreThe giving and receiving of “compliments” is another example where leadership mantras fall short when mindlessly applied to all cultures. I did a quick search through the leadership books on my shelf and I quickly found the following from authors…
Read MoreMany tribal cultures don't have a word for "boredom". Sitting under a tree for hours at a time, waiting in line to get water from the well, or walking four days to a nearby village for medical help is…
Read MoreYou’re running alone around a lake. You haven’t seen anyone else on the path for several minutes. Then up ahead, you see a lone walker coming your way. What do you do? Do you greet her? Ignore her? Make small…
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