Cultural Intelligence: A Guide to Working with People from Other Cultures

241 Pages·2004·3.35 MB·English

by  Brooks Peterson

Published by Intercultural Press in 2004.
Intercultural Press, Inc. Nicholas Brealey Publishing
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© 2004 by Brooks Peterson
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publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical
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Printed in the United States of America
08 07 06 05 04 1 2 3 4 5
ISBN: 1-931930-00-7
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Table of Contents
Acknowledgments..................................................................vii
Introduction.............................................................................1
Part 1: What Is Culture?...............................................................................15
Defi ning Culture.....................................................................16
Culture Analogies...................................................................18
Cultural Values.......................................................................22
Values and Behaviors.............................................................23
Big “C” versus Little “c” Culture Themes..............................24
Stereotypes versus Generalizations......................................25
Do Cultures Change over Time?............................................28
Five Basic Culture Scales........................................................29
Overlapping the Five Scales...................................................56
Every Culture Ranks Somewhere..........................................60
Part 2: The Importance of Culture in Daily Work and Life..................63
Cultural Programming...........................................................65
The Scale of Differences.........................................................67
Bottom-Line Business Choices..............................................71
Areas of Widespread Change.................................................72
Taking Your Business Global.................................................78
Cultural Differences Will Always Matter..............................83
Part 3: What Is Cultural Intelligence?.......................................................87
Defi ning Cultural Intelligence...............................................88
Multiple Intelligences Theory Factors In..............................89
The Culturally Intelligent Professional.................................95
Can Cultural Intelligence Be Increased?...............................98
Gaining Cultural Intelligence—a Process.............................99
Many Ways to View the World..............................................99
v
Part 4: Applying Cultural Intelligence in Daily Work and Life..........107
Dos and Don’ts Are a Don’t................................................107
Management Issues............................................................112
Strategy Issues....................................................................122
Planning Style.....................................................................129
People and Communication Issues.....................................131
Reasoning Styles.................................................................138
Communication Style.........................................................144
Part 5: Knowing Your Cultural Style.......................................................153
Differing Cultural Styles Lead to Clashes..........................153
You Have a Culture..............................................................154
You Also Have a Communication Style..............................155
Yes, Cultural Intelligence Is a Soft Skill.............................158
Don’t Rely on Local Amateurs............................................159
Traits for Success.................................................................161
What Is Your Cultural Style?..............................................167
Learning about Others’ Cultural Styles.............................171
Insularity Is Never Self-Proclaimed!..................................175
Part 6: Increasing Your Cultural Intelligence........................................177
Weaving Together the Strands...........................................177
Dealing with Differences in the Five Scales.......................179
Communication Skills.........................................................189
Ten Tips for Making the Most of Your English.................190
Learn to Speak a Relevant Foreign Language....................196
Be a Sympathetic Native Listener......................................202
A Word on Using Translators and Interpreters.................204
Target Country Knowledge.................................................209
International Ethical Issues................................................212
Afterword............................................................................219
Appendix..............................................................................221
Recommended Readings.....................................................225
About the Author................................................................231
vi
Acknowledgments
Numerous researchers, scholars, and writers in the cross-cultural fi eld
have identifi ed and defi ned quite a number of important concepts.
Although a general concept like individualism cannot be credited to
just one person, I would like to acknowledge a small group of especially
valuable contributors to the fi eld: Nancy Adler, Richard Brislin, Edward
T. Hall, Geert Hofstede, Florence Kluckhohn and Frederick Strodtbeck,
Harry Triandis, and Fons Trompenaars.
This book was sparked by a series of articles, lectures, sketches, and
materials I have used over the years with clients of Across Cultures,
Inc., and with my graduate students. My students from every corner of
the globe have taught me more about culture than any formal research
I have conducted or any books I have read, and I have certainly learned
more from them than they have learned from me. A few of them have
become good friends. To these friends I would especially say obrigado
and gracias.
Also, I want to acknowledge the following individuals for their spe-
cifi c types of support:
Dr. Howard Williams, for noticing that no book like this existed and
insisting that I should write it.
The late Dr. Chuck Bruning, for encouraging me over years of
weekly meals to stick to writing various things, including this book.
Both my parents, for three formative personal experiences relevant
to this book: for starting me down the path of studying French when I
was young, for sponsoring my fi rst international travel, and for model-
ing open-mindedness to other cultures by genuinely befriending and
warmly hosting people from around the world when exposure to other
cultures was not nearly as widespread as it is today.
vii
Dr. David Bastien, for his support as friend and colleague as well as
his creative expertise as a cross-culturalist. Thanks for your insight,
Famous Dave.
Many thanks to the Intercultural Press team with whom I have had
positive interactions without exception. Specifi cally, I want to thank
editor Judy Carl-Hendrick for her wise and able editing that turned
what I had naively thought was a complete manuscript into a real book.
And without the support and positive negotiation of then-president of
Intercultural Press Toby Frank, I would not have signed.
viii
Introduction
Who Needs to Deal with Other Cultures?
In every industry, from health care to manufacturing, working profes-
sionals increasingly need to interact with people from other ethnic and
national groups, at home and around the world. This is particularly
true for the Western world. Workplace cross-cultural contact occurs
in three venues: with immigrants and foreign co-workers at home, in
international trade at home, and by working and living abroad.
People Interacting with Immigrants. Many more of us interact each
year with immigrants who work in professional fi elds, executive
positions, managerial and administrative positions, sales, precision
production, repair, specialty and technical fi elds, crafts, manufactur-
ing, farming, forestry, fi shing,
and service industries. Even if you have never
People Involved in Global Trade traveled abroad, get
at Home. Although global trade
ready to mix with other
may experience temporary
cultures, because more
slumps, just as the stock market
immigrants each year
does, worldwide exports have
come to live in your
consistently increased in the last
fi fty years, whether measured by country.
value, volume, or production.*
* Source: World Trade Organization report on exports from 1950–2000.