Introduction to Cultural Intelligence

Improve your cultural intelligence (CQ) with the University of Adelaide

Cultural intelligence (CQ) increases the chances of successful negotiations and can help prevent misinterpreting the behaviour of others who are culturally different.

On this four-week course, you’ll learn how to thrive in a culturally diverse context, whether this diversity comes from nationality, ethnicity, organisation, or generation.

You’ll learn to move past your own ‘cultural lens’ to develop your cultural intelligence and adapt to different culturally diverse situations, such as working with overseas clients.

Explore cultural tendencies with theories from Edward Hall and Geert Hofstede

To help increase your cultural intelligence, you’ll delve into the TRAFIC model, based largely on the theory of Edward Hall and Geert Hofstede.

With this tool, you’ll explore the cultural behavioural trends of the majority of people in world cultures and how to progress from low CQ to high CQ.

Unpack managed time vs flexible time

You’ll investigate different attitudes towards time and how managed or flexible time can highlight differences between people.

As you explore how trust can be established in different ways, you’ll delve into rules vs relationships as well as authority and hierarchy to help you predict behaviour in a work environment.

Explore individualism vs collectivism

You’ll learn the difference between individualism and collectivism and unpack how people may behave differently according to their individualist or collectivist values.

Finally, you’ll explore indirect vs direct communication style. With this knowledge, you’ll understand the workplace implications that can come from different communication styles.

By the end, you’ll be able to identify unconscious biases and workplace values and how you might positively influence behaviour in culturally diverse contexts.

This course is designed for anyone interested in developing their cultural intelligence.

It will be particularly of interest if your organisation requires cultural intelligence awareness training or you work with overseas clients.

• Course introduction and time
• Getting started
• Introduction to Week 1
• What is cultural intelligence?
• The TRAFIC model
• Managed vs flexible time
• Bringing it all together
• Rules and authority
• Introduction to Week 2
• Rules vs relationships
• Authority - hierarchy vs egalitarianism
• Bringing it all together
• Formality and individualism
• Introduction to Week 3
• Formality vs informality
• Individualism vs collectivism
• Bringing it all together
• Communication and course conclusion
• Introduction to Week 4
• Communication - direct vs indirect
• Bringing it all together
• What's next?