BACKGROUND
All readings are required unless noted as “Optional” or “Not Required.”
Journal articles can be located in the Trident Online Library. Access the library from the TLC Portal page.
Application: Cultural Awareness and Leadership
In this module, we will examine several models of intercultural competence, including Cultural Intelligence (CQ) and Bennett’s developmental model of intercultural sensitivity. Let’s start with an interview with Carlos Ghosn, recipient of the INSEAD Transcultural Leadership Award (2008) for his work in successfully leading across national borders. It is a good illustration of why cross-cultural skills translate into superior leader effectiveness. If you have trouble finding it in the library, check the Business Source Complete database after clicking on “Additional Library Resources.”
Stahl, G. K., & Brannen, M. Y. (2013). Building cross-cultural leadership competence: An interview with Carlos Ghosn. Academy of Management Learning and Education, 12(3): 494–502.
Bennett’s Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity
Before delving into what it takes to be effective as a cross-cultural leader, it is good to take stock of where we are in terms of our own world views. Milton Bennett asserts that people vary along a continuum of cultural awareness, ranging from a viewpoint that our own culture is the critical lens through which to view the world to a more integrated view that takes the relative nature of culture into account. It is a developmental model that not only allows us to self-assess our current state, but also to see what the next step is on our journey to becoming more culturally competent.
What is interesting is that some people claim they are “culturally neutral” or “color blind” and treat everyone the same, but they are really ethnocentric because they are minimizing the reality of cultural differences. To examine the characteristics of the different developmental stages and assess where you are on the continuum, see Milton J. Bennett’s Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS), discussed in the following article.
Hammer, M. R., Bennett, M. J., & Wiseman, R. (2003). Measuring intercultural sensitivity: The intercultural development inventory. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 27(4), 421-443. Retrieved from the Trident Online Library.
Cultural Intelligence
Currently, the most popular way to progress to a higher stage of Intercultural Sensitivity is to develop your Cultural Intelligence Quotient.
Cultural Quotient (CQ) helps us understand and communicate with people from other cultures effectively. It is one’s ability to recognize cultural differences through knowledge and mindfulness, and behave appropriately when facing people from other cultures. The cultural intelligence approach goes beyond this emphasis on knowledge because it also emphasizes the importance of developing an overall repertoire of understanding, motivation, and skills that enables one to move in and out of lots of different cultural contexts (Ang & Van Dyne, 2008).
Reference: Ang, S., & Van Dyne, L. (Eds.) (2008). Handbook on cultural intelligence: Theory, measurement and applications. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe. (Not required)
Cultural Intelligence is probably the most widely used construct for training leaders and managers in cross-cultural competencies. Following is the classic reference on cultural intelligence and is still considered to be the essential reading on the topic. If you have trouble finding it in the library, check the Business Source Complete database after clicking on “Additional Library Resources.”
Earley, P. C., & Mosakowski, E. (2004). Cultural intelligence. Harvard Business Review, 82(10): 139–146.
For an explanation of four facets of acquiring cultural intelligence, watch this video from David Livermore. This course is designed to enable you to develop all four factors identified in this video:
Livermore, D. (2009, September 24). Leading with Cultural Intelligence [Video]. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMi7yhHjASQ
CASE ASSIGNMENT
The Case in this course is an experiential Case that is integrated throughout the entire course. You will be engaging in a cultural activity with a new cultural group and in so doing, will be integrating the self-awareness you gain from the SLP assessments, the general cultural knowledge from the background materials, and the specific cultural knowledge from the experiential exercise. The result is a new set of skills and development of CQ through cognitive, behavioral, and motivational patterns. Click the link to see the Experiential Case Requirements. It is important to look over the requirements now because in Module 2 you need to identify a specific intercultural activity in which you will engage for Module 3.
In this first phase of the Case, you will begin to lay the foundation for your cross-cultural experience through “awareness development.” You will accomplish this by writing a reflection paper on the topic of intercultural competence, introduced in this module. Your paper should be 4–6 pages in total and focus on the following topics:
1. CQ as a capacity
2. The developmental continuum of cultural sensitivity
3. Key components of CQ
ASSIGNMENT EXPECTATIONS
This paper is to demonstrate that you have read and understood the materials in this module and are ready to apply this knowledge to an intercultural experience and thus develop your own capacity for cross-cultural leadership. A reflection paper is a structured essay that records your understanding of new ideas and concepts, and your critical assessment of those ideas.
For each of the topics listed in the instructions, you will write approximately 1–2 pages that consist of the following two parts:
1. Summary: What is the main point of the reading(s) on this topic? What is the argument that the author is making and what evidence does he provide? What are the conclusions?
2. Critical Thinking: Do you agree with the author’s conclusions? Did the evidence support the author’s conclusions—or an alternate explanation? What are the exceptions to the author’s argument? Explain why you agree or disagree—the “why” is more important that the “what.”
Although a reflection paper is not a formal academic paper, these requirements still apply:
1. The writing is proofread, edited, and free of errors.
2. Cite sources drawing on the readings, and provide a bibliography in APA format.
PLEASE USE SOURCES INCLUDED IN THE ATTACHMENTS AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION PROVIDED
3. Use headings to organize your paper and guide the reader.
