Cultural intelligence, also known as cultural quotient (CQ), refers to a persons capability to adapt as they interact with others from different cultural regions. It is the skill to relate and work effectively in culturally diverse situations, and it goes beyond existing notions of cultural sensitivity and awareness by highlighting certain skillsets and capabilities needed to successfully realize objectives in culturally diverse situations. Cultural intelligence has behavioral, motivational, and metacognitive aspects. Unlike IQ, cultural intelligence is not something that can be quantified by a score. Instead, it should be viewed as something that we must continuously improve on and work on.

Cultural intelligence is a critical part of setting oneself apart in todays globalized world of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and innovation. People with high cultural intelligence are attuned to the values, beliefs, and styles of communication of people from different cultures. They use this knowledge to help them relate to others with empathy and understanding. Cultural intelligence links to emotional intelligence but goes a bit further. People with high emotional intelligence can pick up on the emotions, wants, and needs of others.

Cultural intelligence has four capabilities that need to be developed in order to relate and work effectively with people from different backgrounds. These capabilities are:

• CQ Drive: the curiosity and motivation needed to learn about other cultures.
• CQ Knowledge: understanding the norms, customs, and values of different cultures.
• CQ Strategy: the ability to use this knowledge to plan and execute culturally appropriate interactions.
• CQ Action: the ability to adapt behavior to different cultural situations.

Cultural intelligence is an important predictor of success in the workplace, and it is often referred to as “cultural quotient” or CQ, reflecting its importance alongside EQ and IQ. Culturally intelligent people are often curious, open-minded, and empathetic. To become more culturally intelligent, one can learn about different cultures, travel, and interact with people from different backgrounds.