Cross-cultural Leadership Essay Example

On the positive note with awareness, training, and effort, you can overcome unconscious bias.

CQ Knowledge

The second component is knowledge which it entails of one’s comprehension about how cultures are similar and different from one another. So, for example, comparing my Mexican culture to Native American culture I would be in the wrong because both cultures have completely different beliefs. Native Americans have different rituals, music, characteristics, and food that Mexican culture. CQ Knowledge is important to know because the more you’re aware of different cultures the more you’re prepared to know how these cultures influence the way people think and behave (Menzies, 2015). By developing this mentality, it helps you to be creative and flexible in your interpretations and responses (Menzies, 2015). If you fail to develop this skill, you’re in other words interpreting the world through your cultural views, failing to attribute differences in behaviors and beliefs to cultural influences. In the long run, it will cause conflict and affect how people view your leadership competencies.

CQ Strategy

The third component is CQ strategy which refers to high-level thinking skills used to manage diversity which includes planning, awareness, and checking (Menzies, 2015). To further clarify planning draws on your knowledge and experience to anticipate and respond to cultural differences. Awareness entails being consciously alert and mentally flexible during your exchanges. Lastly, check which involves reflection on the accuracy of your assumptions, interpretations, and predictions, and then adjusting this as new information comes to hand (Menzies, 2015). Some of the questions you want to ask yourself when you’re in the planning stage are what are my goals? What are my partner’s goals, interests, and concerns? When in

the awareness stage you want to ask yourself am, did I achieve my goals? What is confusing me? Throughout the checking stage, you want to ask yourself what helped or inhibited my performance? What were my strengths and weaknesses? The purpose of asking all these questions is to conduct a self-evaluation of one’s performance, we don’t want to drift off of false perception.

CQ Action

Lastly, is CQ action which is the ability to adapt when relating and working in multicultural contexts. This is the step that everything that was learned is implemented such as gestures, facial expressions, language, tone, and pronunciations (Purdue University, n.d.). This category helps leaders communicate more effectively with people from different backgrounds. Not to mention this will increase rapport within employees because they feel more comfortable and that they can relate with their leader. One of the main challenges that occur is our default behavior. On most occasions when dealing with cross-culture situations it can become stressful. It’s easier when we are in a heightened state, to go back to our default behavior, but one of the things that need to be worked on by leaders is to learn how to be comfortable with silence. It’s equally important to be able to hear what is not being said.

CQ Development

To develop your CQ effectively all four competencies must be met. Of course, this is something that will take time to achieve and won’t happen in a blink of an eye. After conducting my CQ self-assessment it seems that I have a lot of work to do. Some factors help and also determine one’s chances of success. One of the important factors is personality.

One must have a personality that is open to new experiences and outgoing. People that are open to new experiences are inquisitive and receptive to cultural differences. They’re more willing to attempt new behaviors and take into consideration other perspectives (Empower, n.d). By being outgoing there is a sense of enjoyment of social interaction, including exchanges with diverse others (Empower, n.d). So, by simply having an open mind and being outgoing can increase the chances of success when developing your cultural intelligence.

CQ Knowledge (Strength)

It seems that my strength is CQ Knowledge. In all, six categories within CQ Knowledge, I placed a seven for “strongly agree” accumulating to a total of forty-two. Knowledge phase, one must be open-minded & comprehending dissimilar cultural beliefs. Not only must one be open-minded, but also vigilant of numerous dialects, customs, & looks. One must be prepared & knowledgeable of how to overcome some problematic cultural differences such as values, presumptions & beliefs (Include-Empower. n.d). The results from the assessment I can agree with. When I am introduced to a new culture, it automatically captures my attention. I’m open to new ideas and beliefs and overall, just willing to learn. In future careers, my CQ knowledge can work to my advantage because it will help me create rapport with employees. Not to mention people will feel more comfortable because I won’t criticize them for what they believe in.

CQ Drive (Neutral Area)

Regarding CQ Drive it’s an area of opportunity for me. It’s not considered a weakness nor a strength it just requires more effort. To better perform in CQ Drive I must be capable of dealing with the stresses of adjusting to

a culture that is new to me as well as being confident that I can get accustomed to the shopping conditions in a different culture. I can agree with the results of the assessment. I admit that the most difficult category to change is adjusting to a culture that is new to me. I remember being in Oaxaca for almost a month I was going insane. I suppose you can say my body was accustomed to the Arizona lifestyle. When dealing with a change of culture, it’s certainly a stressful situation. There are ways to cope with the stress that can help overcome this objection.

CQ Strategy (Neutral Area)

CQ Strategy is another area of opportunity. The self-assessment has helped me realize my area of flaw. When enhancing my CQ Strategy I must be conscious of the cultural knowledge I use when socializing with people of different backgrounds. The reason why having a strategic skill is important is because not all individuals have the same thoughts & behaviors (Include-Empower. n.d). Therefore, the strategy phase helps facilitate selecting an organized response, then tests & reflect on the precision of your assumption, & experiment with alternative approaches. In other words, you start building a cultural profile by conducting a trial & error until you locate a profile that best fits. The results of this assessment I can agree with. As I spent most of my time in Arizona, I’m starting to forget the Spanish language. A language barrier is one of the main reasons why I lack socializing with people of different backgrounds because I don’t want to say something that can be misinterpreted.

CQ Action (Weaknesses)

My area of weakness

seems to be CQ Action. Within the five categories of the self-assessment, I placed four ones and one five accumulating to eleven. When I answered these questions, I was remembering the time I traveled to Oaxaca, Mexico, and how I learned and adapted to their culture. When I traveled to Oaxaca, I was knowledgeable of their culture, such as their legal and economic systems. The rules & the numerous indigenous dialects Oaxaca natives used. I was aware of cultural values & religious beliefs. The marriage system, art & crafts, & non-verbal actions within the Oaxaqueno culture. Regarding my CQ Action, I wound notice the accents of others, but I didn’t place an effort to reflect it. I didn’t change my nonverbal behaviors nor did I alter my facial expressions. This is something that I need to consider working on because this makes you stand out and not in a good way. People are less likely to socialize with you because they might feel hostile, unwanted, or disliked. In a leadership position the last thing you want to be recognized as is not being approached.

After conducting this course, I have managed to be more vigilant about cultural differences. I was aware of all the hundreds of thousands of cultures out there I just didn’t pay attention to the conflict that can arise with not having cultural knowledge. Living in the United States cultural knowledge should be something that all employers and employees should consider learning about. I’ve been able to learn about my areas of strength as well as areas of opportunities within my CQ. Also, strategies on how to pursue enhances my CQ. To become

a better leader in the business world it would be a great advantage to learn CQ.