The Leadership in Action Series: On Leading the Global Organization

Cultural Intelligence and the Global Economy

Joo-Seng Tan

Among the skills required to be a successful global leader is cultural intelligence—the ability to adapt to new cultural settings. Cultural intelligence has three key parts: thinking and solving problems in particular ways, being energized and persistent in one’s actions, and acting in certain ways. Today more and more organizations and individuals are seeing cultural intelligence as a competitive advantage and strategic capability.

Among the twenty-first-century skills that are frequently talked about are the ability to adapt constantly to different people from diverse cultures and the ability to manage the interconnectedness of today’s world. The global workplace requires individuals ...