CULTURAL INTELLINGENCE
When talking about cultural intelligence, it is important to know what
we mean by culture and what we mean by intelligence. It is necessary to have a clear picture of
those two words, to be able to argue if such a thing exists and if it is
recommendable. The words, and the concept they create together, seem to be
self-evident; however, it is these seemingly simple ideas which tend to create
the most confusion, so it would be useful if I define what these terms mean to
me.
By culture I understand a very common human endeavor: to regulate the
day to day affairs so as to create an appearance of continuity and discipline
in what in reality is a mostly chaotic existence. I am speaking of the meaning
of “culture” which encompasses human behavior and not the other meaning which
has to do with knowledge and artistic aspirations. This “culture” is what
decides which actions are appropriate at a given time and which are taboo or
despicable. They are set by tradition and passed on from one generation to
another in the home and in the schools. They tend to have geographical
boundaries, although within a geographical area, there can exist many
“cultures” due to religious, economic, idiosyncratic and many other factors
like for example migrations. In any case, a “culture” is born when a group of
people determine a set of behaviors which they consider exemplify the proper
nature of their group conscience and decide to abide by those tenants. Anything
outside of those pre-established patterns would be seen as noxious and
reprehensible and would be discouraged and punished.
Intelligence is a pregnant word. Everybody thinks they nurture it at
their bosom and almost no one will admit to lack its attributes. I think that
to understand its nature, it is necessary to see that it has a double edge:
knowledge and ability. A person who has accumulated a wide store of information
in his lifetime, who has taken the time to know things, either in a singular on
in limited fields, or in a plethora of different subject matters, can be said
to possess intelligence, if they can apply the things they know to take
advantage of the situations that arise in their life. There is also an innate
capacity to solve previously unknown problems that some people evidence to a
greater extent than others, much as that damages the democratic ideal that we
are all equal. Like the pigs in “Animal farm,” some humans are more equal than
others. So I would consider intelligence as the ability to solve problems
effectively either by relating them to previously known information or by a
built in facility to create innovative solutions.
If these previous definitions are accepted, then we could begin to see
what could be meant by cultural intelligence and if it is important and
desirable. We live in a world which is made small by the information
technology, by the facility to travel and by the nature of our global economy.
In our time, different “cultures” become aware of each other to an extent that
had never been true before and, with much more frequency than ever, individuals
and groups are faced with the task of interacting with individuals and groups
of alien “cultures.” What is the “intelligent” way to face those challenges?
When deciding what is the “intelligent” approach to a culture
difference, the most important factor to consider is the power relation between
the two positions. An immigrant who arrives at a foreign country to work is in
most cases defenseless against the cultural reality of their host country. In
any case, they might have access to small population of compatriots with whom
to maintain his cultural ties, but in his workplace and in the majority of his
day to day affairs, they will be immersed in a culture which will differ
greatly from their own, and it would be prudent and “intelligent” to learn to
make the adjustments necessary to stand out as little as possible, given the
retaliatory nature of the human nature against those who are perceived as
different. The sooner an immigrant learns to assume, or at least feign to
assume, the unwritten laws of this culture which is new to them, the sooner
they will reap the benefits with which a culture rewards those who adhere to
its designs.
The same can be said of a company who wishes to do business in another
country with another culture. It behooves the investor to know the cultural
nuances of the place where they want to invest their money. It is not feasible
nor profitable to try to impose cultural values on would be customers; the
people simply will reject the product or the marketing campaign and will not
buy. The foreign investor needs to nurture the beliefs of their clients, if
they want to achieve financial success. Money does not have an intrinsic
culture, it is tabula rasa, someone who wants to increase their profits abroad,
needs to forgo his cultural biases in favor of the targeted countries ones, or
prepare to fail.
However, it is not always intelligent to acquiesce. The new global
reality presents humanity with a cultural crossroad which is unparalleled and
rife with possibilities. For the first time in history we are presented with
the opportunity to compare and contrast the world’s cultures in a way that had never
been available before. The most “intelligent” option would be to measure the
different ways that human populations have resolved the problems of living, and
choose the ones which are more attractive, feasible or expedite solutions best.
We are no longer doomed to wear the cultural straitjacket we were born to; we
can shop around for a tailor made culture. Knowing that almost all of the
features of a culture are random instead of intrinsic, an individual can
fashion their own set of values mirroring or mutating that that they see in
their computer screen, in their television or in the movie theaters or other
hot points of our globalized culture. Nobody is dumb to the colonization of the
world by the information glut, and now is the time to take advantage of the
mass culture to construct happier more satisfying lives.
Cultural intelligence is just a matter of weighing your options: knowing
what to leave in and what to leave out. Sometimes the only choice is to give in
to the dominant reality, but the possibility also exists of creating an
individual cultural construct that satisfies you and the people that surround
you. It is an eerie and exciting time, this 21st century, where the
greatest evils and the greatest goods co-exist and Paradise and Armageddon are
almost equally possible.
Rafael Carvajal.