Cultural Intelligence

Book excerpt: Whether traveling abroad or working at home, businesspeople routinely face challenges when it comes to understanding the culture of others. When misunderstandings occur, relationships suffer. The good news is that cultivating cultural intelligence is a skill that can be learned, and Brooks Peterson tells you how. Packed with dozens of engaging stories, case examples and humorous contemporary catoons, Culture Intelligence is the perfect antidote for overcoming cross-cultural differences, improving workplace communication, building solid business relationships and contributing positively to your organization's bottem line. More than 15,000 people have used the Peterson Cultural Style Indicator. Here, Dr. Peterson defines what cultural intelligence is and explores the skills and characteristics required to work effectively with international clients, customers and business partners--or inside any team, department or organization with a rich mix of cultural perspectives. Using a set of twenty business-oriented dimensions, the author helps you examine your own cultural style and determine that of others in six vital areas: management, strategy, planning, personnel, commucation and reasoning. The crowning piece is a powerful set of key action steps for increasing your own cultural intelligence.