Cultural Diversity is now apparent everywhere you go. Gone are the days when it was normal and acceptable for people to think of the “newcomer from X country” as an alien, and openly make them feel like an animal at the zoo. Try doing that now, and you’d be criticised for being discriminatory.
The workplace (and everywhere, really) is filled with people who have come from various parts of the world. Being able to get along with them requires one to develop an understanding for the way different people think and speak, which stems from their unique cultures. Developing this understanding is a part of Cultural Intelligence, or CQ, and it applies to every aspect of your life – at work or in personal relationships.
Here’s an insightful opinion piece on the topic, which we hope would help you to understand how CQ plays a part in enriching your life, broadening your mind and helping you to navigate through unfamiliar environments, just by being a little more culturally sensitive to the people around you.
Article: What Singaporeans need to know about Cultural Intelligence
Author: Mr Ronald Lee
Working with colleagues, business partners or customers calls for high CQ levels. In other words, cultural intelligence is the ability to work and coordinate effectively with a diverse group of people coming from different cultures.