1. 4 Steps to Enhance CQ
© 2013 Cultural Intelligence Center
What’s my motivation
for this assignment?
What cultural
understanding do I
need?
What’s my plan?How should I adapt?

2. Strategies to Enhance
CQ Drive
• Connect an existing interest with a
multicultural component
• Make a list of benefits you can gain
by improving your CQ
• Recall successes you’ve had with
a diverse group © 2013 Cultural Intelligence Center
What is the cost if I don’t adjust cross-culturally? What are the benefits of
optimum cross-cultural performance?

3. Strategies to Enhance
CQ Knowledge
• Read a novel that takes place in a
different culture.
• Find a news source from another
country; compare with local coverage
• Study a foreign language
© 2013 Cultural Intelligence Center
Is there a cultural explanation for what’s occurring?

4. Strategies to Enhance
CQ Strategy
• Notice. Observe
• Don’t trust your gut, take a step back
• Sketch a brief plan and run it by someone
• Communication changes needed
• Create space to reflect afterward
© 2013 Cultural Intelligence Center
How should I plan in light of the anticipated cultural dynamics?

5. Strategies to Enhance
CQ Action
• Learn a behavior that is inappropriate in
another culture; practice avoidance.
• Practice new behaviors; formal and
indirect; informal and direct.
• Adapt how you give instructions, foster
interaction, and provide feedback.
© 2013 Cultural Intelligence Center
Is this a “tight” or “loose” culture? Will adapting compromise me or my
organization?

6. Adapting.…
• When is adapting so inauthentic or worse,
insulting?
– Is it a “tight” or “loose” culture?
– How can I best express my intentions?
• Policy, practice and/or behavior
– Am I compromising the organization or me?
• Non-negotiables
– Will retaining the differences actually make use
stronger?