Peer to Peer Magazine

21 WWW.ILTANET.ORG BEST PRACTICES Tackling Culturally Diverse Situations with Ease What Are the Benefits of Cultural Intelligence? The benefits of high cultural intelligence far outweigh the disadvantages. Research conducted at the Cultural Intelligence Center has shown that individuals are more professionally and personally effective in multicultural situations when they enhance their understanding of CQ and make cultural intelligence a priority. High cultural intelligence has proven to produce results that include greater personal well-being, more effective cross-cultural adjustment and higher work performance. With companies that have adopted cultural intelligence, profitability has also increased. How Is Cultural Intelligence Being Applied? More leaders are seeing the benefits of assessing and developing their cultural intelligence. Since law firms and corporations are more global today than ever before, it is critical to have the skills to lead and handle multicultural situations. Cultural intelligence does not come from instinct or experience alone. It is a malleable intelligence that anyone can develop and improve upon. The application of cultural intelligence goes beyond mere diversity and inclusion training or supplementing such training. Corporations, nonprofits, academia and other organizations have applied cultural intelligence to: » Improve the success of international negotiations and market entry » Prepare employees for assignments and make beer decisions on who to send overseas » Coach, mentor and develop leaders and senior management » Understand the mindset of global partners, clients and vendors » Improve performance and teamwork of multinational teams » Train professionals prior to international assignments » Provide a fresh approach to diversity and inclusion training, focusing on potential rather than compliance » Assess candidates to hire and promote (and include in performance reviews) » Update professional development plans Workplaces are becoming more diverse than ever with a range of cultures, including ethnic, national, generational, and organizational, both at home and globally. Cultural intelligence emphasizes performance and outcomes, and individuals with higher cultural IQs are beer negotiators, decision-makers and leaders. P2P DR. MICHELE A. L. VILLAGRAN Dr. Michele A. L. Villagran is a lecturer with the University of North Texas (UNT) department of information science and is CEO of CulturalCo, focusing on areas of diversity, cultural competency and conflict. She is a certified facilitator through the Cultural Intelligence Center and is an active member of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL). Michele was recognized by the University of North Texas department of library and information sciences as a Rising Star in 2009 for outstanding professional achievement and service to her communities, state and nation. Contact her at michele.villagran@unt.edu. How To Get Started with Cultural Intelligence Here are some tips to get started on your cultural intelligence journey: Observe an individual while keeping the four factors in mind Interact with unfamiliar cultural settings to explore the use of cultural intelligence Study different cultures and learn about their values and perspectives Complete an online assessment that provides an overall cultural intelligence score and scores for each of the four factors Host training and workshops on cultural intelligence, and make it a priority www.aallnet.org

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