I first heard of the term ‘intercultural intelligence’, in all its seriousness, when I began my stint in teaching at a management institute some five years back. Not that I had not heard of it before, but this ‘term’ was given gravitas by ways of treating it as an exclusive subject, and rightfully so. I wondered to myself: intercultural intelligence? A subject? Doesn’t exploring the world or interacting with different people from different backgrounds and from different parts of the world teach you more about this ‘subject’ than a classroom would? Well, apparently, like many other things in the world, curricula has seen drastic changes, and with it the concerned pedagogic tools and methodologies.
My first brush with the ‘concept’ of intercultural intelligence was as a child thanks to be being born with mixed heritage. The German side from my mother introduced me to cultural and traditional patterns very different from the Indian side my father exposed me to. The challenge remained in striking a balance between both worlds, while holding firm to one’s roots, and whilst maintaining and respecting diversity in individuality. The challenge was a rich lesson in acquiring attributes such as acceptability, adaptability, openness and respect. That was my classroom. Of course, exposure is not only dependent on one’s destiny, but one’s proactiveness in exploring the world and its beings. Ours was still a world of pen friends, books from various embassies, projects on foreign countries as part of Geography as a subject, and even exploring the diversity of one’s own country — a country comprising of various ‘sub-countries’, if one may so say, keeping the richness India has to offer in mind.
Acceptance
In today’s time, things have changed, like almost everything else. Of course, change is the only constant and all that, but a technicality of sorts in the approach to the concept term or subject of intercultural intelligence has been introduced, which has its pros and cons. My professional journey at some bend on its meandering course brought me in touch with AFS — a leading non-profit international education organisation — that works towards developing active global citizens, who take action to make a positive difference where they live, study, work and volunteer. In one of my conversations with Divya Arora, Director, AFS, we discussed the meaning of intercultural intelligence. Divya has been working for more than 12 years with an intercultural organisation and has interacted with people across India and 60 countries.
According to her, and based on her experiences, the term associated itself with the mind-set that is more open to ideas and thoughts. “It is the ability to relate to diversity that we have in our cultures and to accept them. The skill needed to do that, would be to accept ‘it is not bad, it is not good, it is different’,” explains Divya. In a nutshell, possessing intercultural intelligence would mean accepting diversity at the personal, interpersonal, global levels — an art, and a science, in itself.
So, of course, nuances of diverse, and in case of professional spheres, specific cultures can be ‘taught’, but in Divya’s words “learning how to accept the multi-dimensional spheres, the concepts of empathy, tolerance and other imperative life concepts is what makes intercultural intelligence a holistic approach.”
I met Vivek Atray, ex-IAS, motivational speaker and author around 12 years back when I was engaged with the Embassy of Switzerland. Since then, our initial professional assignments developed in a distance friendship of sorts, with much respect for our mutual, creative works. His has been on a diverse journey, and, hence, his take on intercultural intelligence is quite succinct, “Intercultural intelligence is about empathy for and understanding people and cultures that are distinct from our own. The ability to appreciate and find happiness in and through cultures which are distinct and varied.” He agrees it is an art, but he also feels it is something personal and emotional, about feelings and sensibilities. “I have been fortunate to have lived in and worked with people from varied countries and backgrounds. Having interacted with several musicians and artists from across the globe as Director of Tourism and Culture, I was able to bring into play my own sensitivity in this regard several times,” he adds.
So, as I see more and more students, professionals, corporates and others striving to get a hang of intercultural intelligence, as their personal and professional lives take them across the globe, the basic core skills remain — the willingness to reach out, understand and accept. That, in fact, remains the core for almost anything attempted in this world.
The writer is from the Indian School of Public Policy.
