Cultural Intelligence:Concepts and Organisational Implications

With the increasing pace of globalisation, the world is becoming smaller. It has become near impossible for human beings to live in the comfortable cocoons offered by their own communities, cultures, religions, and countries. Diversity in cultures and ethnicities often promote feelings of 'otherness' and misinterpretation of needs, values, intentions, and expectations of the other person resulting in disputes and subsequently aggrandizing feelings of hatred and contempt. Workplace settings are no exception to this. The present article reviews the concept of cultural intelligence and its implications in the organisational milieu. Right from negotiations to leadership, cultural intelligence has been found to be a critical skill, enhancing task performance and workplace adjustment in this multicultural environment.