Customer Reviews

Handbook of Cultural Intelligence: Theory Measurement and Application

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This book is a "must read" for anyone teaching, conducting research or training in the relatively new area of Cultural Intelligence. It also manages to be clear enough so that it is very useful for those engaged in the practical side of cross-cultural relations as well. Corporate executives who select and supervise people working in multiple countries, almost any member of a global organization with multi-cultural teams, and workers facing relocation to a different culture will all find this book valuable. I have had years of experience working outside the US with people of other cultures and I wish this book had been available thirty years ago. I found that just browsing through the book was worthwhile - I skimmed the chapters that were highly academic in nature - because part of the value of this book is that it reminds me of the differences in perceptions across cultures, some of the effects of these differences, and possible ways of dealing with cultural differences. I won't go into details about the contents, since anyone can browse the table of contents. The authors are academics and this is definitely not a popular business book that is full of anecdotes and simplistic rules. I strongly recommend this book for anyone who must work in an international or cross-cultural setting.

This is going to be a seminal piece for those of us who are engaged as researchers and practitioners in cross-cultural contexts. A growing number of titles are throwing around the label "cultural intelligence" but this collection of research from academics around the world roots the emerging domain of cultural intelligence in robust research done across a variety of cultural and professional contexts. While drawing upon the volumes of data that already exists on culture, the cultural intelligence model moves beyond simply comparing cultural values to looking at the individual motivation and behavior required to actually adapt in cross-cultural situations. Academics and consultants will want to add this volume to their personal and professional libraries. While clearly an academic piece, the chapters are written accessibly.