Working with 3sixtyglobal
Growing Cultural Intelligence
Why is cultural intelligence important? Think of factors such as industry-wide globalization of manufacturing and distribution, cross cultural and often remote teamwork, the need for expatriate assignments and global level leadership, mergers and acquisitions that cross borders. The moment business crosses a border, the influence of a society’s culture significantly affects communication, team building, marketing and negotiation, overall leadership styles between and among all concerned players.
What is Cultural Intelligence?
Success in cross border business depends upon gaining knowledge about the cultural differences between and among different countries. The emphasis is on how nations or societies differ on such dimensions as relating to people, the rule of law, time and nature, among others. Success is equally dependent upon the ability to change behavior, to adapt if necessary, to meet the expectations of the second culture.
If we think of Leadership Agility as a meta-competency, then growing Cultural Intelligence is an important part of higher levels of development.
Without it, the costs of doing business across borders are prohibitively expensive. When failure is not an option, cultural intelligence is a requisite.
How our Cultural Intelligence Program Works
3sixtyglobal works with individuals, teams, and whole organizations in either training or coaching capacities. We are certified in a number of instruments and assessments which clarify the role culture plays in business behavior. Cultural differences are explained by using models such as Fons Trompenaars’ seven dimensions of culture or TMA’s Country Navigator. To determine if an individual is suitably competent to work in international settings, we rely on WorldWork’s International Profiler or Thunderbird University’s Global Mindset Assessment. A confidential coaching relationship follows on when the individual wants to develop new and appropriate behaviors. Coaching allows us to work at the individual’s deeper levels which drive behavior. Teamwork, however, requires a different approach. Here we introduce the importance of trust among team members as the underlying condition for deve!oping highly productive and successful cross-cultural / cross-functional / remote teams.
Why is it important to increase your organization’s cultural intelligence?
When budgeting and allocating resources for organizational development, can you afford not to invest in growing your company’s Cultural Intelligence? Let’s consider some statistics:
- The claim is that the failure rate of cross-border mergers and acquisitions is between 40 – 80%. Research suggests that up to 65% of failed deals are due to ‘people issues.’ A McKinsey report said that fewer than half of all M & A’s created value.
- Companies report spending between $250,000 and $1, 250,00 on failed expatriate assignments; the major challenge: failure to adapt to local culture.
- Population growth and urbanization in emerging economies are driving 2/3rd’s of the world’s GDP growth; can your leaders work with people coming from different parts of the world?
If any of the above caused pause and reflection, you need to be speaking to 3sixtyglobal.
Want to Know More About our Cultural Intelligence Program?
Contact 3sixtyglobal today and receive a complimentary one-hour consultation
“The coaching sessions with 3sixtyglobal have been rewarding. We began by exploring my development as a leader, when I accepted the presidency of a not for profit. She helped me define my objectives and set a path to get there. I always knew where we were in the process. Marion is a great listener. She understands who I am and has proven quite capable in coaching me to implement positive change. She is clearly passionate about coaching, leadership, cross-cultural differences and goal setting. Her enthusiasm is palpable and a vector for my personal growth. She is also quite tactful, which is appreciated when dealing with personal matters. Based on our successful coaching engagement, I hired her again to coach me in another matter.”