1. Cultural Intelligence

About Season 1

We have all heard about IQ—intelligence quotient, and EQ—emotional quotient. But do you know about CQ—cultural quotient?

Cultural intelligence or CQ is the capability to be effective in culturally diverse environments.

Specifically, CQ refers to the combination of motivation, knowledge, awareness, and skills that enable individuals to learn and adapt in culturally diverse environments.

In our increasingly connected and diverse world, CQ is now recognized as a critical skill. With up to 70% of international ventures failing or experiencing issues due to culture, the need for employees and managers capable of operating across cultures has never been more pressing. On the diversity front, CQ is one of six traits of inclusive leaders identified by Deloitte.

The good news is that CQ can be trained.

But with so many Qs to choose from, why should you consider investing in cultural intelligence?

In this first season of The Cultural Quotient, we discuss cultural intelligence through the lens of our own intercultural experiences as a professional from the Philippines (Ting) and a professor from France (Dr. Catherine) living in Singapore.

Episode 1: Cultural intelligence - What CQ is, where it comes from, why we need it, what it looks like in real life.

Episode 2: CQ Drive - Why having CQ starts with motivation, what is motivation, when motivation goes up... and down when navigating intercultural situations, different types of motivation, strategies to nurture drive.

Episode 3: CQ Knowledge - What is culture, definitions of culture, cultural values, different models of culture, which model is "best."

Episode 4: CQ Strategy - What it takes to engage our brain in intercultural situations, biases, stereotypes and thinking traps, when to suspend judgments, how to bring more mindfulness to bridging cultures.

Episode 5: CQ Action - How to translate your motivation, knowledge and strategy into actions that people can see, why we need to flex behaviors when crossing cultures, when to adapt and when not to adapt, what it takes (psychologically) to learn new behaviors and tips to stretch beyond your comfort zone.