CUC107 Essay: Cultural Intelligence and the Role of Self-Awareness

This essay provides a critical reflection on the importance of cultural self-awareness in developing cultural intelligence. It delves into understanding cultural beliefs, attitudes, and judgments, emphasizing the role of cross-cultural interaction. The paper explores the connection between cultural self-awareness and cultural intelligence, highlighting how understanding one's values, belief systems, and perceptions forms the foundation for effective communication and cultural competence. It discusses the challenges in achieving cultural awareness and the necessity of cultural intelligence for individuals to thrive in diverse environments. The essay concludes that both cultural self-awareness and cultural intelligence are essential for navigating the complexities of a multicultural society and fostering positive interactions.

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Cultural Intelligence and Capability
Essay
9/10/2018
Student Name

1 | P a g e Cultural Intelligence and Capability
This paper has given focus on understanding the cultural self-awareness and
intelligence that should be develop in the society. The presence of these emotions in the
society brings the harmony among the people. According to the Lee, 2015, understanding the
cultural self-awareness in the society is considered an important task to be implemented in
the society. Understanding own cultural beliefs, attitudes and judgments of the society can be
done by interacting with people from the different cultural backgrounds (Lee, 2015). The
awareness of culture is very important to be known for a cross-cultural interaction.
Understand the culture is important to know the cultural aids, beliefs, and values of those
who are interacting in the society with different cultural groups. For instance, the concept of
joint family has bring out so that the society has concept of extended family together in one
place only and forms the social structure in society (Perry & Southwell, 2011).
Another example can be taken is of the Hip Hop music in the society which is
associated or made only for the young generation. The values of the different culture become
clear in the order they react in the environment and enhance their communication skills while
interacting with each other. On the other hand, cultural intelligence can be defined as the term
used in the business, education, government and academic research to analyze the cultural
factors present in the environment. Understanding the cultural intelligence is relevant to
know the capability to relate to the work and effective across the cultures (Van Dyne, Ang,
Ng, Rockstuhl, Tan & Koh, 2012).
Before analyzing, the difference between cultural intelligence and cultural self-
awareness in the society is nothing but knowing the culture of the society and knowing the
mindset of the people. After doing the thorough research on both the topics, it has been
analyzed that they are the foundation of communication that involves knowing one‘s values,
belief system and perceptions (Deardorff, 2011).
To have more cultural awareness is not an easy task. There are many other cultural
differences present in the market, which makes difficult for the individual to survive. On the
other hand, cultural intelligence requires if the person wants to remain culturally competent in
the society then they have to be aware of the culture. This awareness brings the thought about
culture, motivated to change their behavior and act in the appropriate manner to behave
(Collins & Cooper, 2014).
According to the Collins and cooper, culture is associated with a social group that is
sharing the same value for a product. Social groups are not only sharing the same values but

2 | P a g e Cultural Intelligence and Capability
also coordinating with the other elements, which are operating in the society like
organization, schools, and other institutions. Diversified individuals are operating and are
adopting the awareness in the culture like the economy of knowledge, social norms, beliefs,
and legal systems for a better interaction (Collins & Cooper, 2014).
By understanding, the culture a manager can able to maintain the relation and
communication with their employees and subordinates verbally and non-verbally. The
understanding of the culture is found helpful in doing the businesses globally win which
different set of background and people are working together. The concept of multiculturalism
has arisen in the market. The awareness of cultural values and acquiring the better cultural
intelligence requires the key for developing the businesses (Soria & Troisi, 2014).
The cultural self-awareness helps people to be more culturally intelligent by building
the beliefs and values among the individuals. For example, Islam is one of the religions who
have a number of followers in society (Truong, Paradies & Priest, 2014). The rules and
regulations followed in the Islamic religion are quite different from other religions. However,
the Muslims people try to coordinate and understand the other religion and their culture too.
All the groups in the society try to understand the shared values among all the religions
followed to embrace all the members in the society as their brother and sisters. This will help
in maintaining the peacefulness and mutual coexistence in the society. This is considered an
important phase of cultural self-awareness that plays a crucial role in the development of
cultural intelligence (Ang & Van Dyne, 2015).
Cultural self-awareness helps people to be more culturally intelligent as the people are
upholding the high values in the society. From the research, it has been analyzed that the
human being is highly connected to their culture and believes that their culture is good. This
will able to maintain the relationship between the culture and people following that culture.
Having high moral and ethical standards requires to be followed in the individuals so that
they can able to interact peacefully in the society. The main reason behind cultural self-
awareness is the influence of cultural intelligence in the society, which is full of human
beings interactions that they have in their day-to-day lives (Fullan, 2014).
From the above discussion, it can be concluded that the self-awareness of culture
and cultural intelligence ate move in the same direction. Both have to be moved
simultaneously to coordinate with the society’s environment. The cultural self-awareness has
an impact on cultural intelligence. Culture plays an important role in shaping the society in

3 | P a g e Cultural Intelligence and Capability
the day-to-day lives of the human beings. In the society, there are different culture are present
which are necessary to develop the interaction skills through cultural intelligence. The
understanding of the culture is found helpful in doing the businesses globally win which
different set of background and people are working together. The concept of multiculturalism
has arisen in the market. The awareness of cultural values and acquiring the better cultural
intelligence requires the key to developing the businesses.

4 | P a g e Cultural Intelligence and Capability
References
Ang, S., & Van Dyne, L. (2015). Conceptualization of cultural intelligence: Definition,
distinctiveness, and nomological network. In Handbook of cultural intelligence (pp.
21-33). Oxon: Routledge.
Collins, C. S., & Cooper, J. E. (2014). Emotional intelligence and the qualitative
researcher. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 13(1), 88-103.
Deardorff, D. K. (2011). Assessing intercultural competence. New directions for institutional
research, 2011(149), 65-79.
Fullan, M. (2014). Leading in a culture of change personal action guide and workbook. New
Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
Lee, J. (2015). Social and cultural self-awareness in spiritual direction: reflections of Korean
male spiritual director. Presence, 21(4), 40-46.
Perry, L. B., & Southwell, L. (2011). Developing intercultural understanding and skills:
Models and approaches. Intercultural Education, 22(6), 453-466.
Soria, K. M., & Troisi, J. (2014). Internationalization at home alternatives to study abroad:
Implications for students’ development of global, international, and intercultural
competencies. Journal of Studies in International Education, 18(3), 261-280.
Truong, M., Paradies, Y., & Priest, N. (2014). Interventions to improve cultural competency
in healthcare: a systematic review of reviews. BMC health services research, 14(1),
99.
Van Dyne, L., Ang, S., Ng, K. Y., Rockstuhl, T., Tan, M. L., & Koh, C. (2012). Sub ‐
dimensions of the four factor model of cultural intelligence: Expanding the
conceptualization and measurement of cultural intelligence. Social and personality
psychology compass, 6(4), 295-313.