Cultural Intelligence and Teamwork

This assignment delves into the crucial role of cultural intelligence (CQ) in fostering effective teamwork and driving individual and collective creativity. It examines how CQ impacts knowledge hiding behaviors within teams and analyzes its influence on innovative output. The assignment encourages critical reflection on the complexities of intercultural communication and collaboration in diverse work environments.

Running head: CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE AND CAPABILITY
Cultural intelligence and Capability- Creating safe places for Communication
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction................................................................................................................................2
1.1 Background................................................................................................................................2
1.2 Aim............................................................................................................................................3
1.3 Scope..........................................................................................................................................3
2.0 Summary and Observation........................................................................................................3
2.1 Summary of the video Clip....................................................................................................3
2.2 Observations..........................................................................................................................4
3.0 Analysis.....................................................................................................................................5
3.1 Setting....................................................................................................................................5
3.2 Body Language......................................................................................................................5
3.3 Communication......................................................................................................................6
3.4 Critical reflection of the video...............................................................................................7
4.0 Recommendations......................................................................................................................8
5.0 Summary and Conclusion..........................................................................................................9
6.0 References................................................................................................................................10

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1.0 Introduction
Culture is considered as one of an important determinant of one’s personal background.
Making practical usage of intellect for responding to the surrounding events reflects the cultural
intelligence of the individuals. Capability of the individuals in making this usage enhances their
personality, setting a positive image in the minds of the neighbors, peers and relatives ( Groves,
Feyerherm & Gu, 2015). At some point of time, the people are exposed to some circumstances,
where they fail to expose their cultural intelligence. Herein lays the importance of safer spaces,
which assures the individuals regarding their safety, security and privacy. This assurance enables
the individuals to expose their cultural intelligence without the hesitation of being deceived (Ang
& Dyne, 2015). This report attempts to enhance the clarity of the readers in terms of the
dynamics of cultural intelligence, through the means of video presentation.
1.1 Background
Culture includes both the positive and the negative connotations. Positive aspect includes the
cultural diversity, which reflects the presence of employees in a workplace from different socio-
cultural background. Along with this, one of the other examples of cultural diversity includes
partnership working among the employees. However, instances of conflicts, discriminations and
harassments destroy the positivity of culture. As a matter of specification, this negativity
snatches the job security from the employees (Yitmen, 2013). This deprivation creates hesitation
among the employees regarding the efficient execution of the allocated roles and responsibilities.
Apart from this, this deprivation makes the employees feel inferior within the workplace
environment. Herein, the safety, security and privacy of the jobs are nullified.

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1.2 Aim
The aim of this report is to establish essential linkages between cultural intelligence and
capability.
1.3 Scope
Taking into consideration the workplace scenario of Fawlty Towers expands the scope and
arena of this report. Moreover, analysis of the workplace issues through the means of real life
examples helps the businesspersons to relate with the issues, which they encounter in the process
of executing the business activities. BBC program reference makes the production of this report
authentic, which reduces the chances of plagiarism and collusion (Youtube.com, 2017).
2.0 Summary and Observation
2.1 Summary of the video Clip
The assignment refers to the video named Handing complaints 2, series 1. This program
has been aired in BBC. The video has been uploaded in YouTube, which has 385, 947 views.
The video is the second series, where the setting is the workplace of Fawlty Towers. The scene
depicts the entrance of one of the visitors in the hotel and the manager has arranged for a car, so
that he can have a quality time (Youtube.com, 2017). The visitor is happy with the cheque
payment and finally bids farewell. Meanwhile, the manager order one of the staffs to clean the
room for the guest. On the other hand, the manager would look into repairing the defective
cheque payment. The video also shows the transaction between a guest and a taxi driver
regarding paying back the accurate change. Here, the polite nature of the taxi driver in terms of
telling the actual address of hotel is noteworthy in terms of the stable relationship between the

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customers and the employees. The video also shows the misunderstanding between the manager
and one of the guest regarding giving a wrong room (Youtube.com, 2017).
2.2 Observations
From the video, communication between the employees, management and the guests can
be reflected. This triangular relationship is the story of all the workplace, where the managers
levy orders and the employees are bound to follow these orders and instructions. At the entrance
of the guest in the hotel room, the manager could have said that the cheque acceptance is
defective for some time and it is being looked after. This would have assured the guest regarding
the conscious attitude of the personnel towards the needs of the customers (Youtube.com, 2017).
Instead, after the guest leaves, the manager engages in repairing the cheque payment system after
giving orders to one of the staffs to clean the room. This attitude contradicts the transparency,
which is required for gaining the trust, dependence and loyalty of the customers. On the other
hand, the conversation between the taxi driver and the guest is the example of the true essence of
communication, which needs to be maintained between the personnel and the customers (Dyne,
Ang & Tan, 2017).
The interactions shown in the video also reflects the conglomeration of employees and
managers from different socio-cultural backgrounds. The body language of the hotel managers
seems inappropriate in terms of creating a positive image in the minds of the customers
(Youtube.com, 2017).

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3.0 Analysis
3.1 Setting
The theme of the video is workplace communication. Instead of the machine environment
of the companies and organizations, the setting is a hotel for the first few minutes. This setting
can have several connotations-positive and negative. The segments of the section can be related
to the aspect of ensuring the wellbeing of the customers. This is because the personnel of
different segments entertain the queries of the guests in the hotel (Groves, Feyerherm & Gu,
2015). These segments can be considered safer, provided the personnel make practical usage of
the learnt skills and abilities. In the later part of the video, the setting changes to outside, where
the taxi driver interacts with the guest who intends to visit the hotel (Youtube.com, 2017).
3.2 Body Language
In the video, the body language of the personnel seems inappropriate in terms of their
maturity needed in the workplace. However, there are exceptions. The front office manager talks
over the phone as the video begins. This telephonic conversation contradicts the aspect of face-
to-face communications, where the person on the other end cannot see the reactions of the person
on this end. This can generate misunderstandings, leading to negative results in the execution of
the business activities. Apart from this, the scene, where the manager orders one of the
employees to clean the room depicts a matured and professional attitude, which is expected from
the managers (Youtube.com, 2017). Countering this, the instance of concealing the case of
defective cheque payment system from the guest contradicts the inner essence of workplace body
language.

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According to Holley & Steiner, (2005), students need to be prepared for making effective
penetration to the workplace. Countering this, the personnel, who are expected to expose rational
behavior, fail, in spite of having received quality education and training. Herein, the
inappropriateness of the body language, as shown by the personnel of Fawlty Towers attains
great value. The word “safe” can be correlated with the prospective environment of training,
which becomes insecure in terms of the workplace due to the instances of conflicts, harassments
and discriminations. Training or coaching is the path to workplace for the students. Delving deep
into the counter argument, similarity is excavated in terms of the teacher-student relationship and
manager-employee relationship. The instructions levied by the teachers and the managers are
common in both school and workplace (Holley & Steiner, 2005).
3.3 Communication
Communication attains an important position in the video. As the video begins, a lady
front office manager is seen talking over the phone. This reflects one of the types of workplace
communication. Telephonic conversation acts as an address for the queries possessed by the
customers. The instance where the manager instructs the employee to clean the room aligns with
the usual workplace communication between a manager and an employee. Obedience here is an
important aspect in order to maintain the decorum of the internal environment of the workplace
(Youtube.com, 2017). On the other hand, concealing the aspect of defective cheque payment
destroys the transparency in the business activities. This adds a negative connotation to
workplace communication. The polite and courteous attitude of the taxi driver turns the
negativity into a positive one.

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3.4 Critical reflection of the video
The hustle and bustle of the hotel is missing in the video. However, the sounds of the
traffic affirm the location of the hotel. The entrance might not be like a five star hotel; however,
the wooden nameplate of the hotel is enough for the guests to recognize. Providing options to the
guests regarding the room preference reflects the conscious approach of the personnel of Fawlty
Towers towards the wellbeing of the guests. On the other hand, the warm gesture of “thank you”
enhances the stability in the relationship between the personnel and the customers (Youtube.com,
2017). In most of the cases, this reciprocation is missing, which generated misunderstandings,
conflicts, discriminations and harassments.
Communication over phone is backdated in terms of the modern means of
communication. However, running in loss might have been one of the causes for not adopting
latest and modern communication channels. Verbal communication between the manager and
employee results in the achievement of easy understanding of the orders and instructions.
Concealing the defective system destroys the stability in the relationship between the employees
and the managers, leading to conflicts and misunderstandings (Youtube.com, 2017). Typical
example of this is the instance where the manager engages the staff to clean the room for the
guest, so that he can look into the repairment of the cheque payment. Countering this, it can also
mean that the manager would make the cheque payment, keeping the staff busy. This enhances
the safety, security and privacy of the managerial works.
If the staff had revolted against the managers’ instruction, he would have been fired. This
is the common practice adopted by the workplaces to punish the disobedient employees. This
termination can also reflect the lack of understanding and oriental approach towards the
performance of the employees. Herein, the post of the managers attains an interrogative

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parameter in terms of handling the business activities in an efficient and effective manner
(Youtube.com, 2017).
Personnel like the taxi drivers are an asset for the company. Polite and courteous
behavior to the customers would help the company personnel to achieve large scale customer
satisfaction. Along with this, it would also enhance the brand image of Fawlty Towers. Practical
application of the learnt skills reflects the collaborated significance of “cultural intelligence” and
capability of the personnel in terms of reaching to the benchmark level of performance.
4.0 Recommendations
Using social media would act as a technological advancement for Fawlty Towers. This
would upgrade the network chain of the company. Uploading the news and images of the
recently uploaded services on the websites and social networking sites would help the personnel
to reach to large number of audiences (Bogilović & Škerlavaj, 2016). However, the stakeholders
and shareholders need to be provided with the access to log into these websites. Within this,
ensuring the security of the customers would be an important aspect. This could be done by
installing security software in the profiles of the stakeholders. This access would help the guests
to make online bookings, which would ease the process. The guests would just enter the hotels,
complete the formalities and reach the booked rooms.
Along with this, organizing training for the employees would help the personnel to
enhance the productivity. This training would enhance the clarity of the employees regarding the
basic ways and means to achieve customer satisfaction. Moreover, training would enhance their
cultural intelligence, making them capable for generating customer-centric business. Herein lays
the correlations of the reviews by Holley & Steiner. This is because the managers need to

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provide safe and comfortable working environment for the employees, so that they an expose
their hidden talents.
Upgrading the standards and quality of the taxis and room accessories would helps the
personnel of the hotel to achieve large-scale customer satisfaction. Here, the means of survey and
feedback finds relevancy (Li, Mobley & Kelly, 2013).
5.0 Summary and Conclusion
This assignment provides an insight into the aspect of cultural intelligence and capability
from the business perspective. The video of Fawlty Towers is used as an example, which acts as
a lesson for the businessperson in terms of exposing the appropriate attitude towards the
customers. The recommendation of training is one of an efficient means, which can be used for
invoking the intelligence of the employees. Along with this, taking post-training tests helps the
managers to evaluate the capability of the employees to make practical application of the learnt
skills and abilities for executing the allocated duties and responsibilities.

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6.0 References
Adair, W. L., Hideg, I., & Spence, J. R. (2013). The culturally intelligent team: The impact of
team cultural intelligence and cultural heterogeneity on team shared values. Journal of
Cross-Cultural Psychology, 44(6), 941-962.
Ang, S., & Van Dyne, L. (2015). Conceptualization of cultural intelligence: Definition,
distinctiveness, and nomological network. In Handbook of cultural intelligence (pp. 21-
33). Routledge.
Bogilović, S., & Škerlavaj, M. (2016). Metacogonitive and motivational cultural intelligence:
Superpowers for creativity an a culturally diverse environment. Economic and Business
Review, 18(1), 55-76.
Bogilović, S., Černe, M., & Škerlavaj, M. (2017). Hiding behind a mask? Cultural intelligence,
knowledge hiding, and individual and team creativity. European Journal of Work and
Organizational Psychology, 1-14.
Chao, M. M., Takeuchi, R., & Farh, J. L. (2017). Enhancing cultural intelligence: The roles of
implicit culture beliefs and adjustment. Personnel Psychology, 70(1), 257-292.
Erez, M., Lisak, A., Harush, R., Glikson, E., Nouri, R., & Shokef, E. (2013). Going global:
Developing management students' cultural intelligence and global identity in culturally
diverse virtual teams. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 12(3), 330-355.
Groves, K. S., Feyerherm, A., & Gu, M. (2015). Examining cultural intelligence and cross-
cultural negotiation effectiveness. Journal of Management Education, 39(2), 209-243.

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Holley, L. C., & Steiner, S. (2005). Safe space: Student perspectives on classroom
environment. Journal of Social Work Education, 41(1), 49-64.
Jyoti, J., & Kour, S. (2017). Factors affecting cultural intelligence and its impact on job
performance: role of cross-cultural adjustment, experience and perceived social
support. Personnel Review, 46(4).
Li, M., Mobley, W. H., & Kelly, A. (2013). When do global leaders learn best to develop
cultural intelligence? An investigation of the moderating role of experiential learning
style. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 12(1), 32-50.
Nouri, R., Erez, M., Rockstuhl, T., Ang, S., Leshem‐Calif, L., & Rafaeli, A. (2013). Taking the
bite out of culture: The impact of task structure and task type on overcoming
impediments to cross‐cultural team performance. Journal of Organizational
Behavior, 34(6), 739-763.
Şahin, F., Gurbuz, S., & Köksal, O. (2014). Cultural intelligence (CQ) in action: The effects of
personality and international assignment on the development of CQ. International
Journal of Intercultural Relations, 39, 152-163. Erez, M., Lisak, A., Harush, R., Glikson,
E., Nouri, R., & Shokef, E. (2013). Going global: Developing management students'
cultural intelligence and global identity in culturally diverse virtual teams. Academy of
Management Learning & Education, 12(3), 330-355.
Van Dyne, L., Ang, S., & Tan, M. L. (2017). Cultural intelligence. Oxford University Press.

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Yitmen, I. (2013). Organizational cultural intelligence: A competitive capability for strategic
alliances in the international construction industry. Project Management Journal, 44(4),
5-25.
Youtube.com (2017), Spiers, B. (Director), Fawlty Towers, Communication Problems, Handling
Complaints, Season 2 Episode 1, (1979, Feb 19). Fawlty Towers, Communication
Problems, Handling Complaints, Season 2 Episode 1 (BBC Television program)
Retrieved 13th October 2017 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_cDmwlbVkg