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Humans are flawed by design, but each day we can get a little bit better, a little more empathetic, and a little more patient. Emotional intelligence and cultural intelligence are primary ingredients to great leadership.
When looking at individual behavioural preferences, there are various dimensions that have a significant impact on specific traits. Everything from the traits a person is born with, how a person was raised, to what conflict and environment he or she has been exposed to throughout their lifetime, to their cultural heritage, can play a pivotal role in personality development. We can see these traits on full display in the workplace.
The Covid-19 pandemic changed so many aspects of our lives. While the it led to great loss, there have also been considerable shifts promoting gains. For example, teleworking increased throughout the global workforce. This gave companies the opportunity to hire talent outside of geographic boundaries without worrying about relocation complications.
Cognitive diversity is a by-product of a growing global workforce, and few would state that is a bad thing. However, it is paramount that leaders, managers, and colleagues sharpen their awareness - emotional and cultural intelligence.
Emotional intelligence is the capacity of individuals to recognise their own and other people’s emotions. It is the ability to differentiate between a variety of feelings and label them appropriately. Leaders use emotional information, or cues, to guide thinking and behaviour. Having a high emotional intelligence is essential for authentic leadership.
Cultural intelligence is the ability of individuals to interpret another person’s unfamiliar and at times ambiguous gestures, in the same manner, someone from the subject’s cultural heritage would. For example, smiling is traditionally a sign of politeness in most of the Western world. However, smiling is not connected with politeness in Russia, therefore, smiling in a professional setting may well be considered a non-serious and unprofessional attitude in Russia.
Global workforce considerations
While this is a simplified example, it demonstrates how cultural intelligence (and emotional intelligence) are necessary for productive and fruitful working relationships within a global workforce. The awareness that comes with each strengthens an individual’s capacity for empathy as well as communication skills.
For a greater understanding of cultural intelligence, the Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory is a great place to start. It was developed by Dutch psychologist Geert Hofstede. Hofstede identified six dimensions and how society prefers to organise itself in light of these dimensions. Each has been expressed on a scale from 0 to 100. This model describes the effects of society’s culture on the values of its members and how these values relate to behaviour.
The six dimensions are:
One of the most applicable dimensions for cultural intelligence in a global workforce is the Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI). This index is defined by Hofstede Insights as “a society’s tolerance for ambiguity.” Societies that score a high degree in this index favour strict laws and unquestionable codes of conduct in the event of something unexpected. Societies that have a low degree on this index are flexible, accept different ideas, and tend to be less rigid.
Imagine, you had this awareness when working with global colleagues. Perhaps your colleague is highly inquisitive and does not make decisions with ease. Before chalking this up to a personality flaw, you would recall their Uncertainty Avoidance Index. Therefore, you would approach your professional relationship with empathy and understanding. Now, this is a highly simplified explanation; however, you can clearly see how a greater cultural awareness is beneficial in a global workforce.
Another example
Awareness of every dimension is beneficial to a global workforce, but let us take a moment to consider the Individualism versus Collectivism (IDV) Index which measures one’s relationship to a group. If you have two colleagues on either end of the IDV spectrum, office politics might play out something like this:
The person from a culture bearing a high Collectivism Index may communicate indirectly to maintain harmony in the working group. They may ‘read the air’, so to speak, looking for non-verbal cues and reactions before speaking up. Whereas the person with a culture bearing a high Individualism Index may be polite and direct, forgo searching for ‘hidden clues’ in the atmosphere, and speak up if he or she does not agree or understand.
As you can see, the cultural index influences leadership, management, teamwork, and professional behaviours.
A word on power
The Power Distance Index (PDI) measures the culture’s relationship to power. This is an insight that is highly valuable for leaders to grow their awareness. If you are a leader from a high PDI culture, you may leave room for initiative from team members, trust and delegate, treat your subordinates and your boss as equals, and facilitate cooperation between team members. However, if you are a leader from a low PDI culture, you may instead give clear and concise instructions, check regularly, show interest in completed work, and be a benevolent and caring boss.
Note, neither approach is bad. They are simply different.
Building on these skills
You don’t know what you don’t know, right? So, the first thing you can do is familiarise yourself with Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions. You can also have an open dialogue with your global workforce colleagues and ask respectful questions to get to know them better. Keep your questions open-ended and do not hint at any particular stereotype or bias. Assure your colleague you are trying to build upon your own cultural intelligence. This may lead to fruitful conversations and unlock a whole wealth of new knowledge.
Consider offering opportunities where colleagues can share aspects of their cultural heritage with the team at large. Alternate these learning opportunities while strengthening your diversity and inclusion efforts in a meaningful way. This could be as simple as a lunch and learn where someone shares a story from their home country. Be sure to participate as well as your unique experience is one worth sharing to build awareness within your work group.
The power of awareness
Combined, a high sense of emotional and cultural intelligence fundamentally make you a better person open to the human experience. You become more productive in your labour and can enhance your leadership profile by demonstrating efficient ‘soft skills’. Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for human connection and understanding has never been greater. This includes professional spaces as well. Most people just want to feel valued and work in environments that provide psychological safety, that is, a space they feel they can be their authentic selves without judgment.
Yet every soft skill comes down to awareness. This means the awareness of self and the awareness of others. Humans are flawed by design, but each day we can get a little bit better, a little more empathetic, and a little more patient.
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