Tera Sabo
Spring 2013
Cross Cultural Communications Course Reflection

Most people view cultural intelligence as purely gaining knowledge about other cultures. From racial cultures to social cultures it is literally impossible to become an expert in knowledge about every single one. Simply being sensitive to another’s culture does not mean you are culturally intelligent. There has to be some kind of loss of your own culture and loss of the Other’s cultural assumptions. What cultural intelligence as a whole means to me is being aware of the “Other’s differences, unconditionally loving them for that difference, and having the ability to respectfully interact with them without letting any presuppositions get in the way with how you interact or feel about them. It’s important to do so because we share this world and in order to effectively work together and communicate there needs to be a strong foundation of respect between cultures.
The real battle here is what we discussed in class: sensitivity versus competency. A popular view of cultural intelligence is tolerance of the other culture. Conflict is something most want to avoid, in doing so one will put forth the smallest about of acceptance towards the Other. Unfortunately this isn’t what cultural intelligence is all about. Simply accepting another culture to avoid clashing is merely an act. If one wishes to push past the surface level masks then it is important to go outside of oneself and interpret how the Other acts. Comparing and contrasting the Other’s actions and experiences to one’s own will help translate how the Other is behaving. Instead of looking at the actions of the other culture at face value, true cultural intelligence will look at the motives behind the actions. What are the intentions behind this action? In my culture, how would I go about portraying this? How do we differ and in what areas do we connect in this instance? A culture can be viewed as an iceberg. Above the surface is a small amount of what makes up the people involved; the tangible objects and practices. Once you take a look below the surface, a much larger portion of who those people are can be found; this includes the cultural values of the group, their cultural principals and ideals that frame the initially visible artifacts of the culture. In identifying the communication underneath the actions and translating them to one’s own cultural communication, a sense of understanding beyond just tolerance will begin to blossom.
It is important to be culturally intelligent for a variety of different reasons. In such a large world it is hard to come outside of one’s own bubble and be open to what isn’t normal. Being culturally intelligent broadens your horizons. This skill gives you the ability to truly respect other cultures and dive into the reasoning behind actions. Besides just admiration of another culture, cultural intelligence is necessary in a wide array of jobs nowadays. International business is the most profitable way of doing business. With technology at an all-time high, speaking with a Chinese business partner in the morning and negotiating with an Indonesian customer by the afternoon is not uncommon anymore. To better work together, some kind of cultural intelligence will help the process run smoother and even be more enjoyable! This isn’t a kind of intelligence you can get by reading a book or studying, it is through experience and intentional relational development.
Hofestede ranks America as the top country for individualism. In our culture it is our own responsibility to make a name for ourselves. The basic American dream is to go to school, get good grades so that we can go to a prestigious college where we get more good grades, work to build our resumes, and then get a good job to get a lot of money to buy stuff for ourselves. On the flipside, the basic Christian responsibility to the rest of the world is to come outside of one’s life, get uncomfortable, and love