LED520 Cross-Cultural Communication and Leadership - Assignment Example

This paper examines cultural intelligence as a capacity, development of cultural sensitivity and the critical components of cultural intelligence. Cultural Intelligence can be defined as the capacity to read and understand the familiar and unfamiliar gestures of a foreigner and give the same meaning the foreigner’s colleagues would give. It is the ability to understand and perceive the world from the perspective of someone from a different culture (Earley & Mosakowski, 2004). CQ is a critical tool in a world that has been turned into a small village by globalization.

It is also important in the business world because different people culture interact on a daily basis. Different companies have different cultures that may affect their interaction. Cultural intelligence bear a close resemblance to emotional intelligence, but it is delves deeper. Emotional intelligence enables one to understand what makes everyone human and what makes a specific person unique (Earley & Mosakowski, 2004). In the same manner, high cultural intelligence makes it possible for an individual to perceive and identify the unique features of a group and the peculiar characteristics that are exhibited by people from that same group.

Individuals with high cultural intelligence can identify unique features of a person that are not idiosyncratic to the situation. It is apparent from the definition that cultural intelligence entails emotional intelligence plus the ability to read cultures. Cultural Intelligence emphasizes the need to think before a judgment is passed. A culturally intelligent person takes the time to analyze actions, responses and general behavior of individuals before reaching a conclusion about their unique features.

It entails registering the way people are behaving and comparing to one’s culture. The comparison facilitates the discovery of similar characteristics or features that might help in understanding the culture of the group or