Cultural Identity Is Important For Developing Managers And...

Section I (Culture): What is meant by cultural identity? Please explain how knowing one’s cultural identity is important for developing managers and leaders working globally. Cultural identity is the identifying or feeling of belonging to a specific group or groups and is a part of a person s self-conception and perception. Aspects of culture that one can identify with include nationality, generation, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, social class, locality, occupation, socio-economic status or any kind of social group that has its own distinct culture. Everyone has culture. While we are born into certain cultures, we are not born with culture. Culture is learned, dynamic and can change over the course of one’s life.†¦show more content†¦This attitude leads to openness in learning about and getting through cultural differences. A true global leader should hold a keen sense of intercultural intelligence. And by understanding how one’s own culture inadvertently affects behavior in a global business landscape, leaders can learn to adapt regardless of inherent cultural differences. Section II (Cultural Intelligence): What are the four core elements of the cultural intelligence quotient? Cultural intelligence or Cultural Quotient (CQ), is the ability and capacity to work successfully in a culturally diverse environment. CQ examines if an individual has the ability to dispel existing judgments and is culturally sensitive, and thus able to successfully and respectfully reach their goals in any diverse situation. There are four critical elements of CQ—Drive, Knowledge, Strategy, Action. CQ Drive (motivation) is â€Å"the interest, confidence and drive to adapt† (p. 135, Van Dan, L., Ang, S., Livermore, D., 2010, Cultural Intelligence: A Pathway for Leading in a Rapidly Globalizing World). It is the motivational aspect of cultural intelligence that measures the degree of the willingness or capability of energy required to adapt cross-culturally. CQ Drive also includes three sub-interests that are evaluated. All of these sub-dimensions are significant in how one approaches a diverse situation. These include: †¢