How about changing your body language and facial expressions, depending on the background of the person in front of you? Would you sit or stand differently and pay attention to your hand gestures?
These are just a handful of the small changes in behaviour that can contribute to what is known as your "cultural intelligence", or CQ— and there is growing evidence that suggests they are well worth learning.
"The number one predictor of your success in today's borderless world is not your IQ, not your resume, and not even your professional skills, " writes social scientist David Livermore in his book The Cultural Intelligence Difference. "It's your CQ. "
Much of the research on CQ has been done by Soon Ang, a professor of management at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. In the late 1990s, her job was updating computer systems in Singapore to deal with a software problem that would possibly bring down the world's computer networks. Ang put together an international team of programmers to solve the problem.
They were some of the brightest minds, yet she soon found that they just couldn't work together. The programmers failed to work together effectively. Often, the members would appear to agree on a solution, but then carry it out in completely different ways.
Clearly, it wasn't a question of expertise or motivation. Instead, she saw that these highly gifted employees were stumbling over each other's cultural differences, leading to a breakdown in communication and understanding.
These insights would lead Ang to team up with the organizational psychologist P. Christopher Earley. Together they built a comprehensive theory of CQ, which they described as "the capability to function effectively in a variety of cultural contexts".
Typically CQ is measured through a series of questions that assess four distinct components. The first is "CQ Drive"—the motivation to learn about other cultures. Then there is "CQ Knowledge", which is an understanding of some of the general cultural differences you may face. "CQ Strategy", examines how you make sense of those difficult confrontations and learn from them, while "CQ Action", involves your behavioral flexibility—whether you are able to adapt your conduct flexibly.