Different Not Strange: Are You Culturally Intelligent? May 22, 2013Expert BlogsOff

I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to meet women from a variety of cultural/ethnic backgrounds in my life time and feel blessed to have done so. Many times when we think of diversity we think of differences which is true and other times we think different means strange. No, different means different not weird, negative or wrong. I believe to be successful in life and career we must become culturally intelligent.

Culture though significantly important in understanding how people think and behave does not get the attention it deserves in my opinion. I would like to see more psychological research done related to cultural intelligence and the benefit of mastering cognitive-behavioral skills in this area. The United States is such a diverse country and learning about the various cultures that exist in America can be overwhelming yet it is necessary in order to sensitively engage with different people.

Cultural intelligence is an essential skill set for those who want to be successful in life and career; especially those who work with people and in the human services field. The word diversity has become the buzz word of this decade and while this is important we must now begin to focus on creating inclusivity in workplaces, communities, organizations and all other American systems. Cultural competency is also a relatively new phenomenon and I would say we need to go beyond competency towards proficiency. “Cultural competence is a necessary part of our everyday encounters.

Becoming culturally intelligent allows us to use alternate ways of perceiving the world and the different people in it. I believe it is our perception that drives how we respond to people and events. When we perceive differences as a negative thing it creates misunderstandings and prevents us from experiencing the beauty, value and richness of diversity. As America increasingly becomes more diverse, we must become more culturally intelligent especially in business transactions and employee relations. Cultural intelligence allows individuals to better engage with diverse teams and in different cultural settings with greater ease resulting in greater personal and professional success. The ability to relate well to others is essential in creating and maintaining effective organizational teams and business partnerships.

I believe one of the first steps towards gaining cultural intelligence is to first examine one’s own culture and how it shapes who we are. Understanding, valuing, appreciating and celebrating our own culture allows us to see the value in other people’s culture. Furthermore, it allows us to perceive people as different rather than strange or negative. I use cultural intelligence in every encounter with people even if they are of the same race as me. Cultural identity, values and beliefs shape who we are and if people could stop and really see the person in front of them and engage from that perspective, human relations would significantly improve. We must slow down and see people for who they are, respect their culture, attempt to understand it and learn from each human encounter with the ultimate goal of becoming culturally wise.

How do you identify as a woman? By race, culture, ethnicity, political view or what? How culturally intelligent are you? Differences are simply beautiful differences that make us unique. Please share your thoughts on cultural intelligence and why it matters?

By Catrice Jackson

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