LG 321: CROSS CULTURAL

COMMUNICATION

Lecture day: Tuesday

Lecture time: 09:30A.M-12:30P.M
Lecture venue: AB3 LR 103
 Module 1
Preamble
Philosophical Dictum: “Nothing is permanent except
change” (Heraclitus, 540-475 B.C)
Understanding important concepts
 Globalization (Global village);
 Multiculturalism,
 Global diversity,
 Multicultural communication,
 Multinational organizations, and
 Global competencies
• GLOBALIZATION
It is interlinking of a national and regional
cultures economically, politically, and
culturally under the impact of international
trade organizations, such as world Trade
Organization (WTO), International Monetary
Fund (IMF) and regional groupings such as EU,
NAFTA, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) and the Caribbean Community
(CARCOM) (Rugman and Collinson, 2006).
• MULTICULTURALISM
Ravitch (1990), defines multiculturalism the
public policy for managing cultural diversity in a
multi-ethnic society, officially stressing mutual
respect and tolerance for cultural differences
with in national borders. It is designed to
engender respect for people of different faith
who follow different lifestyles.
• In other words we can say multiculturalism is
generally taken to mean that different cultural
communities should live their own way of life in as
essentially self-contained way. They should be
open, self-critical and interactive in their relations
with each other.

• GLOBAL DIVERSITY
Is about understanding the differences that exists
within and between different countries as well as
understanding one’s own environment (Gundling
and Zanchettin, 2007)
• MULTICULTURAL COMMUNICATION
Refers to a verbal and written interaction
involving two or more participants who have
different cultural values and beliefs. It is the
interaction individuals coming from
significantly different backgrounds regardless
of whether it is due to their geographical
origin, gender, system of beliefs or social
status (Lewis, 2018).
• MULTINATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Are business organizations whose activities are
located in more than two countries and is the
organizational form that defines foreign direct
investments.

GLOBAL COMPETENCE
Is a multi-dimensional construct that requires a
combination of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values
successfully applied to global issues or intercultural
situations .
• Module 1: Cultural Intelligence
 What cultural intelligence is?
• Professors Christopher Earley and Soon Ang introduced the concept of
cultural intelligence in their 2003 book titled Cultural Intelligence. The
term is also known as Cultural Quotient (CQ), which is derived from IQ.
Early and Ang defined cultural intelligence as the ability to adapt to
new cultural settings.
OR
• Cultural intelligence refers to an individual’s capability to function
effectively across cultures-it includes national, ethnic, and
organizational as well as other types of culture.
 What do we expect from an individual who has cultural intelligence
to master?
• We expect this individual to master all norms, values, and practices of
the various cultures encountered.
• It can also be understood as an individual’s capability to detect,
assimilate, reason, and act on cultural cues appropriately in situations
• Furthermore, cultural intelligence helps leaders
develop an overall perspective and repertoire that
results in more effective leadership.
• The question behind the idea of cultural
intelligence (CQ); Why do some leaders/people
easily and effectively adapt their views and
behaviours cross-culturally and others do not.
• Again, cultural intelligence can further be viewed
as a set of capabilities and skills that enable
leaders from outside a culture to interpret
unfamiliar behaviours and situations as though
they were inside to that culture.
• One of the most important things to assess when
looking for culturally intelligent leaders is to see
whether the person can identify behaviours that
are universal to all humanity, behaviours that are
cultural, and behaviours that are idiosyncratically
personal to a particular individual in a specific
situation.
The Four-Factor Model of Cultural Intelligence (CQ)
• The cultural intelligence model is based on a four-
factor framework that synthesizes the volumes of
material and perspectives on intelligence and
cross-cultural leadership.
• CQ is composed of four qualitatively different
capabilities, and, yet each of the four factors is
interrelated.
• In actual facts, leaders need all four CQ
capabilities, because focusing only on one factor of
CQ may result in increased cultural ignorance
rather than enhanced cultural intelligence.
• CQ requires an overall repertoire of adaptive
capabilities.
• The four factors CQ are motivational CQ, cognitive
CQ, metacognitive CQ, and behavioural CQ
Motivational CQ- Showing interest, confidence, and
drive to adapt cross-culturally.
• The motivational factor of CQ refers to the leader’s
level of interest, drive, and energy to adapt cross-
culturally.
• It refers to whether or not you have the confidence
and drive to work through the challenges and
conflict that often accompany cross-cultural work.
• The ability to be personally engaged and to
preserver through cross-cultural challenges is one
of the novel and most important aspects of the
cultural intelligence framework.
• Motivational cultural intelligence includes (i)
intrinsic motivation- the degree to which you
derive enjoyment from cultural diverse situations;
(ii) extrinsic motivation- the more tangible benefits
you gain from culturally diverse experiences; and
(iii) self efficacy- your confidence that you will be
effective in a cross-cultural encounter.
• All three of these motivational dynamics play a role
in how leaders approach cross-cultural situations.
• Your motivational CQ is strongly related to your
level of effectiveness in new cultural contexts.
Cognitive CQ- Understanding Cross-cultural issues
and differences
• Cognitive CQ is the knowledge dimension of CQ.
• It refers to the leader’s level of understanding
about culture and culture’s role in the shaping the
way of doing business and interact with others
across cultural contexts.
• Working in a global community means that
leaders must learn to overcome cultural
differences in the following ways:
Understand cultural differences and their
manifestations
Be able to transfer cultural knowledge from one
culture to another. Cultural intelligence leaders
are those that take the time to know about
culture; they learn about cultural facts, music,
history, language and behaviors of people
within the culture. Then they share their
knowledge and experiences to others.
Recognize their biases, assumptions, and
cultural frameworks. The ability to do this help
leaders to identify the element of their thinking
Be motivated and committed to working
through cultural conflicts
Be willing to adapt and learn to live and work
with different cultures
• Your cognitive CQ or knowledge is based on the
degree to which you understand the idea of
culture and how it shapes the way you think and
behave.
• It includes your overall understanding of the ways
that cultures vary from one context to the next.
• One of the most important parts of cognitive CQ is
an understanding of cultural systems and the set of
cultural norms and values associated with different
societies.
• Cultural systems are the ways societies organize
themselves to meet the basic needs of humanity.
 For example, every nation has cultural systems for
(1) economic approaches for producing vital
commodities and distributing products and
services;
 (2) ways of codifying sexual relationships and child-
rearing practices that create marriage, family, and
other social structures;
 (3) education practices that enable learning and
cultural transmission;
 (4) political, legal and social controls that reduce
anarchy and destruction (obedience to social
norms)
(5) language conventions that facilitate interaction;
and
(6) religious beliefs that explain inexplicable
phenomena.
 Cultural norms and values are the varying ways
cultures approach things like time, authority, and
relationships.
 For example, understanding of how family systems
work becomes critically relevant when trying to
develop human resource policies for employees
coming from a place where cultural norms dictate
that the employees will care for senior members of
their extended families.
 It also helps to understand the value culture places
on time and relationships, example, when countries
or international organizations sign contracts.
 Cognitive CQ is the factor that is most often
emphasized in typical approaches to intercultural
competency. For example, large and glowing
training and consulting industry focuses on teaching
leaders this kind of cultural knowledge.
 While valuable, however, the knowledge that comes
from cognitive CQ has to be combined with the
other three factors of CQ or its relevance to the real
demands of leadership is questionable and
potentially detrimental.
Metacognitive CQ: Strategizing and making sense of
culturally diverse experiences
 The metacognitive factor of CQ refers to the
leader’s ability to strategize when crossing
cultures.
 Metacognitive CQ, or strategy, involves slowing
down long enough to carefully observe what’s
going on inside our own and other people’s heads.
 It’s the ability to think of our own thought
processes and draw on our cultural knowledge to
understand a different cultural context and solve
problems in such situations.
 It includes whether we can use our cultural
knowledge to plan an appropriate strategy,
accurately interpret what’s going on in a cross-
cultural situation, and check to see whether our
expectations are accurate or weather our mental
model of that particular person and/or cultures
should be revised.
 Seasoned leaders often jump into meetings with
little planning. This can work well in one’s home
culture.
 By drawing on emotional intelligence and leadership
experience, we can often get away with “winging it”
because we know how to respond to cues and how
to talk about our work.
 When meetings involve individuals from different
cultural contexts, however, all the rules change.
 Depending on our ability to intuitively respond to
cues in these more novel situations is dangerous.
 That’s where this third factor of cultural
intelligence, metacognitive CQ, comes in.
 Metacognitive CQ includes awareness, planning,
and checking.
(1) Awareness means being in tune with what’s going
on in one’s self and others.
(2) Planning is taking the time to prepare for a cross-
cultural encounter- anticipating how to approach the
people, topic, and situation.
(3) Checking is the monitoring we do as we engage in
interactions to see whether the plans and
expectations we had were appropriate.
 It’s comparing what we expected with our actual
experience- with what happened.
 This factor of CQ reflects whether or not we can
engage in awareness, planning, and checking in
ways that result in better contemporary leadership
practices.
Behavioural CQ- changing verbal and non-verbal
actions appropriately when interacting cross-
culturally
 Behavioural CQ, the action dimension of CQ, refers
to the leader’s ability to act appropriately in a
range of cross-cultural situations.
 One of the most important aspects of behavioural
CQ is knowing when to adapt to another culture
and when not to do so.
 A person with high CQ learns which actions will
and will not enhance effectiveness and acts on that
understanding.
 Thus, behavioural CQ involves flexible actions
tailored to the specific cultural context.
 The behavioural factor of CQ includes the
capability to be flexible in verbal and non-verbal
actions.
 It also includes appropriate flexibility in speech
acts- the exact words and phrases we use when we
communicate specific types of messages.
 Some basic verbal and non verbal behaviours
enhance the extent to which we are seen as
effective by others.
 For example, the verbal tone (loud versus soft) in
which words are spoken can convey different
meanings across cultures.
 In behavioural CQ flexibility is very important.
STEPS FOR ENHANCING OVERALL CQ
• Although, the four factors of CQ don’t always develop in
one particular order, Van Dyne and Ang (2008) suggest that
it can be helpful to think about the four factors of CQ as
four steps towards enhanced overall cultural intelligence.
• also, Dr. David Livermore in his (2011) book titled The
Cultural Intelligence Differences highlights the same four
practical aspects to boost our CQ:
• Step 1: Motivational CQ (Drive) gives us the energy and
self-confidence to pursue the needed cultural
understanding and planning. It is the motivation to learn
about and respond to a different culture. When we make
an effort to learn about new culture, your mind start to
open up to new possibilities; here differences become
exciting and not difficult to deal with.
To strengthen your CQ drive, do the following;
Get to know people in different communities
and social groups
Learn foreign language-and improve your cross-
cultural communication skills in general
Volunteer for projects that put you in contacts
with teams, organizations or groups from
different cultures.
Step 2: Cognitive CQ (Knowledge) provides us
with an understanding of basic cultural cues.
Cultural knowledge doesn’t necessarily mean
that you have to know every detail of a culture.
 It’s about knowing how that culture in general
shapes people’s behaviors, values, and beliefs.
Observe how people from different cultures
interact and pay careful attention to their body
language. Example, do specific gestures and
facial expressions mean different things to
different people? Aim to learn about the history
of a culture too, that way you wont just learn the
rules about clothing and food; you will also know
the reason behind them.
• Step 3: Metacognitive CQ (Strategy) allows us to
draw upon our cultural understanding so we can
• plan and interpret what’s going on in diverse contexts.
When you are culturally aware, you can use what you
have learned to formulate robust, culturally-sensitive
strategies. If you are accustomed to thinking about these
differences and their impacts, this process can soon
become instinctive, and will naturally feed into your
planning. Here are the three ways to develop the habit:
Questions your assumptions about why things happen in
different cultures
Keep a close eye on local media and entertainment.
These can reveal new insights into how culture affects
behaviour.
Keep a diary of all your cultural observations, and jot
down your frustrations as well as your successes
• Step 4: Behavioral CQ (Action) provides us with
the ability to engage in effective flexible
leadership across cultures. It deals with how you
react when things don’t go according to plan. For
example, in doing business a person will be well
prepared to do and say the right things-and that
won’t go unnoticed. But, problems and
misunderstandings may still arise so it is helpful
to be able to think clearly and keep your
emotions in check. It is vital to monitor your
body language, ensure it’s appropriate and that
you are not sending out signals that clash with
your words.
• And if despite all your best efforts, you think
you have said or done something wrong, don’t
be afraid to apologize. Learn from your
mistakes, and remember the right approach
next time.
• Feedback loop- Others respond to our
behavior; this influences our motivational CQ;
and the cycle starts over- leading to further
enhancement of overall cultural intelligence.
 END OF MODULE ONE
INSTRUCTIONS:
• Ensure the incorporation of valid examples for each point. Be
flexible, I expect to see new ideas from the group and not
entirely relying on the given notes. Read extensively please.
• The aim is to improve your public speaking skills to enhance
confidence.

• Improve the lecture at your best level because the course bears a
lot of material in the internet. However, ensure that you aim at
minimizing the shackles of cross cultural communication in all
communicative discourses.

• Submission of both soft and hard copy lecture will be done in the
subsequent lessons each week.