by Thirty-eight Corban University students and faculty explored cross-cultural communication in a Cultural Intelligence (CQ) workshop held February 26 and 27. Led by Dr. Janine Allen, participants considered concepts such as:
- Power distance
- Leadership styles in culturally diverse settings
- Individualism versus collectivism
- Direct versus indirect communication
- Uncertainty avoidance
Why study CQ?
- Leadership development: Offering training in effective cross-cultural ministry, the CQ workshop prepared faculty and students for leadership development opportunities abroad.
- Ministry: Cultural sensitivity helps us “become all things to all people” in ministry, as Paul writes in I Corinthians 9:22.
- Career: As Dr. Annette Harrison observed, “In an increasingly pluralistic and diverse American society, and in an increasingly globalized world, learning what Cultural Intelligence is and how to leverage it in our careers and vocations is essential.”
The takeaway? Many students found the portfolio of their unique strengths and weaknesses in intercultural communication, based on comparison to globalized norms, to be the most compelling aspect of the workshop. The workshop “not only furthered my understanding of Cultural Intelligence,” reflected Lexi McQueary (Business, ’18), “but expanded my interest in the study of cultures all around the world.”
