Cultural Intelligence

Conceptual Overview

Contemporary conceptualizations of intelligence emphasize that it is more than academic intelligence or cognitive ability, as noted by Robert Sternberg and Douglas Detterman in 1986. For example, researchers and managers recognize the importance of nonacademic intelligence such as interpersonal intelligence, emotional intelligence, and social intelligence. Like these other forms of intelligence, CQ complements IQ (cognitive ability) by focusing on specific capabilities that are important for high-quality personal relationships and effectiveness in culturally diverse settings. Cultural intelligence provides insights about individual capabilities to cope with and flourish in multicultural situations, engage in intercultural interactions, and perform effectively in culturally diverse social and work groups.

Sternberg and Detterman integrated the numerous views of intelligence and proposed four complementary ways of conceptualizing individual-level intelligence based on different loci: (a) metacognitive intelligence is knowledge and control of cognition (the processes individuals use to acquire and understand knowledge); (b) cognitive intelligence is individual knowledge and knowledge structures; (c) motivational [Page 346]intelligence acknowledges that most cognition is motivated and thus it focuses on a person's capability to channel energy toward acquiring knowledge as a locus of intelligence; and (d) behavioral intelligence focuses on individual capabilities at the action level (behavior). This framework is noteworthy because it recognizes multiple forms and loci of intelligence within an individual and moves beyond the more traditional focus on linguistic, logical-mathematical, and spatial intelligence. It complements Howard Gardner's ideas on aspects of intelligence that are related to self-regulation and interpersonal relations.

Drawing on this perspective of multiple loci of intelligence, P. Christopher Earley and Soon Ang conceptualized cultural intelligence as a multifactor construct with mental (metacognitive and cognitive), motivational, and behavioral components. Metacognitive CQ reflects the mental capability to acquire and understand cultural knowledge. Cognitive CQ reflects general knowledge and knowledge structures about culture. Motivational CQ reflects individual capability to direct energy toward learning about and functioning in intercultural situations. Behavioral CQ reflects individual capability to exhibit appropriate verbal and nonverbal actions in culturally diverse interactions.

CQ is an individual difference capability. Although CQ is influenced by stable personality characteristics (such as extroversion and openness to experience), CQ is not an aspect of personality. CQ is also different from a person's values. While personality and values are strongly influenced by early socialization experiences, CQ is more state-like and fluid. It is an individual capability that develops over time based on ongoing experiences, education, training, and exposure to multicultural and international situations.

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