David Livermore’s latest book, “Leading With Cultural Intelligence”, is a book that many people should read. If you work in a global environment, if you work in a setting with multiple cultures, or if you work in a setting with high diversity, this book could be very helpful. Even if none of those situations fits you, this book will still be interesting.
According to Livermore, a good definition of cultural intelligence is the capability to function effectively across national, ethnic, and organizational structures (reference below). This book gives solid information about how to develop that skill. And it is a skill — it’s not innate. You get better with experience, and Livermore has shown how to minimize your mistakes while also learning from your mistakes. He’s wonderfully transparent as he shares stories of his own mistakes.
The book can be a bit technical. If you are looking for a book that focuses exclusively on why cultural intelligence is important, this book will answer that but go much deeper. It’s a solid combination of the “why” of CQ along with the “how” of CQ. But, as I said, the “how” can become a bit technical and might not be for everybody. Still worth reading though!
By the way, the author has a nice blog that I read regularly and would encourage you to do the same.
*Soon Ang and Linn Van Dyne, “Conceptualization of Cultural Intelligence” in Handbook of Cultural Intelligence: Theory, Measurement, and Applications, Soon Ang and Linn Van Dyne, eds. (Armonk, NY: M.E. Shapre, 2008).