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Cultural Intelligence

The document discusses how cultural intelligence is important for businesses as workforces become more diverse and employees work more internationally. Cultural intelligence refers to understanding how different cultures interact, and problems can arise from differences in expectations around personal space, greetings, and workplace hierarchy. To improve cultural intelligence, people should learn about their own culture's norms and be open to different ways of working when interacting with other cultures.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
72 views2 pages

Cultural Intelligence

The document discusses how cultural intelligence is important for businesses as workforces become more diverse and employees work more internationally. Cultural intelligence refers to understanding how different cultures interact, and problems can arise from differences in expectations around personal space, greetings, and workplace hierarchy. To improve cultural intelligence, people should learn about their own culture's norms and be open to different ways of working when interacting with other cultures.

Uploaded by

Lana
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
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CAREER READINESS

Reading Lesson

B1+ Business: Cultural Intelligence in Business


Reading
Read the text. What does cultural intelligence mean and what type of problems may it cause?

Cultural Intelligence in Business


In many countries, two things are happening that mean businesses
are having to pay more attention to the way people from different
cultures work together. The first is that the workforce is becoming
more diverse in many places. People from different ethnic
backgrounds and with different kinds of life experiences are now
working side by side more often. The second is that employees in
many companies are more likely these days to be required to work
with international co-workers based in other countries. This may involve traveling to another country to work
with people there, or it may involve working online with people from various countries.
Businesses can’t afford to ignore the effects this has on the workplace. When members of a team all have
different expectations and different ways of working, the team will almost certainly be less effective. It can mean
that it takes longer to complete a project, or in extreme cases, it can mean that a project fails to achieve its goals.
Things like that cost a business money and prevent it from putting its strategy into practice.
Understanding the way different cultures interact is sometimes referred to as “cultural intelligence.” One area of
cultural intelligence that can cause problems is the way in which people of different cultures react to physical space
and touch. We all have our own sense of a comfortable distance from the person we are talking to, and that varies
across cultures. If your idea of a comfortable distance differs from the other person’s, that person might think you
are being pushy or being cold toward him or her. Greetings and gestures can also cause problems, as different
cultures have different ideas on how appropriate shaking hands, kissing, or bowing are in a business context.
Questions about this kind of interaction may be fairly easy to answer from information in books or online sources,
where you’ll discover, for example, that Japanese businesspeople expect you to handle their business cards
with respect and may be offended if you simply put a card in your pocket without reading it carefully. There are
other aspects of workplace culture that are less obvious, but which have a big effect on the success of a project,
including attitudes to time management and relationships between senior and junior members of staff.
The first step in improving your own cultural intelligence is to think about your own culture. This involves asking
yourself questions about how you see other people in your organization, how you usually interact with them, and
what expectations you share with other people. It’s important to consider the unwritten rules of the workplace. For
example, it may be unacceptable in your organization for a junior employee to raise questions about the plans of
senior employees. Co-workers from other cultures may need to know that kind of detail to avoid offending people.
The next step is to learn about other cultures and their ways of working. This involves having an open mind and
recognizing that there is more than one way of achieving a goal. Careful observation of how people behave can
teach you a lot. Watching how people interact at work can provide a good example to follow. You should also bear
in mind that most people are very happy to answer questions about their own culture. People generally understand
that it’s not always easy to work with people from different backgrounds, but a willingness to learn goes a long way.
Worksheet

Of course, it’s important during this process to remember the risks of stereotyping people. When we stereotype
a person, we make a judgment about how they may feel or act based on our knowledge not of them but of their
culture in general. Although we can say that people from certain cultures often or usually share some ideas, it
would be a mistake to assume that any one individual from that country or culture necessarily feels or behaves
that way. You should always remember that there can be great differences in the way that people from the same
culture think, just as there are great differences between you and some people from your own culture.
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Published by Macmillan Education Ltd. © Macmillan Education Limited, 2021. Image credit: FatCamera/Getty Images
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CAREER READINESS
Reading Lesson

Vocabulary
Choose the correct option.

1. A … country is one where there are many different kinds of people living.

a different b divided c diverse

2. Your … group is the people who have the same culture and traditions as you.

a ethnic b background c customs

3. Someone who is … to you is older or in a higher position.

a above b senior c over

4. Someone who is … to you is younger or in a lower position.

a below b under c junior

5. When you … someone, you upset that person by doing something that is not appropriate in his
or her culture.

a defend b pretend c offend

Comprehension
Choose the correct option.

1. The main idea of the reading shows that these days, you are more likely to work with different kinds
of people / only with people in your own country.

2. People sometimes judge your character based on your appearance / how close you stand.

3. The example of business cards shows how easily the Japanese are offended / the kind of offense
it is easy to avoid.

4. When you think about your own work culture, you may realize what other people need to know / how
important it is to follow rules.

5. It’s important to realize that people will learn to do things correctly if you show them how /
methods you don’t normally use can be successful.
Worksheet

Check Answers
Thinking
What are some of the main characteristics of the work culture in your country?
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