I recently learned of the term Cultural Intelligence (CQ) and took a comprehensive assessment to determine my CQ in the four primary capabilities - Drive, Knowledge, Action, Strategy.
Cultural Intelligence (CQ) - A person’s capability to function effectively in a variety of cultural contexts - both internationally and domestically.
On the Rhythm & Roam Podcast, we try very hard to be culturally aware and our book gives useful strategies for travelers and people living abroad. However, what I realized is that we’ve mainly been focusing on the surface when it comes to cultural awareness, the rest of the iceberg beneath the surface is incredibly massive.
I think subconsciously I have an understanding of these cultural preference differences that shape my cultural identity, but I did not before have the vocabulary to identify them all when observing my interactions with people of different cultures.
For example I scored more towards “Expressive/Affective” emphasis on expressive communication; sharing feelings vs “Non-Expressive/Neutral” emphasis on non-emotional communication; hiding feelings AND “Low Context/Direct” emphasis on explicit communication (words) vs “High Context/Indirect” emphasis on indirect communication (tone, context).
This explains why my Expressive/Direct self would often get frustrated with my Non-Expressive/Indirect Japanese counterparts. I was like “please just say what the hell you mean and let’s get on with it” and they were doing the exact opposite of how I like to communicate. In fact, Japanese culture is pretty much on the opposite end of the spectrum from Americans in all the categories. Had I had any inkling of this before living and working in Japan, things would’ve gone a lot smoother.
There are TEN different cultural values! Imagine the variabilities between individuals, let alone countries and cultures. The key, and this is true for most things, is to better understand yourself first and then we can attempt to tackle the difficult task of trying to understand others. The whole experience was truly eye-opening and I have so much more to process and learn about myself and the different cultural values.
I encourage you to check out the Cultural Intelligence Center for more information on CQ and if you really want to deep dive, check out Beyond Tourism, owned by Renae Ninneman, for a complete assessment, extensive debrief on what everything means, and strategies to improve your Cultural Intelligence. The scores are not right or wrong, it’s all information designed to help us improve our understanding of ourselves and others. And THAT my fellow Roamers is the best tool to have when traveling and living abroad.
~Benefsheh