Մենք պատկերացնում ենք ապագա, որտեղ գլոբալ մտածողությամբ առաջնորդները կընդունեն բազմազանությունը, հետամուտ կլինեն արդարությանը և կառուցեն ներառական մշակույթներ
CULTURALLY INTELLIGENT APPROACH
Learn why CI is essential to sustain a people-centered organization
Developing Culturally Intelligent (CI) behaviors is fundamental to creating and maintaining healthy, productive workplace environments where all employees can thrive.
CITC's Culturally Intelligent model is an innovative, research-based approach to organizational transformation. We recognize that culture encompasses not just race, ethnicity, and nationality, but extends to age, ability, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, religion, and personal background. CI builds upon emotional intelligence (EI) by specifically adapting behavioral capabilities across diverse cultural contexts. While emotional intelligence often operates within cultural boundaries, Cultural Intelligence becomes critical for diverse teams to achieve their full potential.
Our experienced facilitators guide participants through a developmental journey to enhance Cultural Openness, deepen Cultural Awareness, and improve Cultural Responsiveness. Through our comprehensive facilitation process, individuals gain holistic self-understanding that enables them to respond thoughtfully to people from different cultural backgrounds with socio-emotional intelligence. These capabilities are anchored in essential leadership qualities: curiosity, empathy, and compassion.
Recognizing that experiential learning is most effective, we equip participants with practical self-reflection tools and actionable solutions for meaningful change. By developing deeper self-understanding, we naturally engage with others more compassionately.
Our CI Models foster both personal and organizational integration, enabling individuals to lead from a place of wholeness—communicating effectively, collaborating meaningfully, and achieving shared goals. When every organizational member commits to increasing their Cultural Intelligence, they collectively create a workplace distinguished by cultural humility and human-centeredness, characterized by compassionate leadership, empathetic management, and curious contribution at all levels.
Let's bring humanity back to the workplace together.
CURIOSITY
“A penchant for seeking new experiences, knowledge, and feedback and an openness to change.”
-Fernández-Aráoz et. al.
EMPATHY
“The ability to perspective-take, withhold judgment, recognize feelings, and reflect them back accurately.”
- Wiseman
COMPASSION
Empathy in action | "The deliberate response to needs identified through genuine understanding of another's experience and perspective."
- Bhatti-Klug
CULTURALLY INTELLIGENT (CI) LEADERSHIP MODEL
Our guiding framework
The CI Leadership Model helps leaders navigate cultural complexity with clarity and action. Grounded in emotional and relational intelligence, the model builds CI through three interconnected capabilities:
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Cultural Openness | Cultivating curiosity and a willingness to learn about self and others.
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Cultural Awareness | Developing empathy through continuous reflection and understanding of one's own and others' cultural dynamics.
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Cultural Responsiveness | Practicing compassion by taking inclusive, informed action.
These capabilities and guiding skills work together to create culturally intelligent leaders who foster belonging, bridge difference, and lead with intentionality in diverse environments.
Although our CI Leadership Model appears in linear steps, becoming culturally intelligent is
a cyclical, integrative process.
Below the model, the Venn diagram illustrates the interconnectedness of the CI capabilities of Openness, Awareness, and Responsiveness, as guided by the skills of curiosity, empathy, and compassion.
As we develop and demonstrate CI, we achieve healthy workplace outcomes. Often, the more we learn, the more we are compelled to keep learning; thus, our Openness/curiosity builds our Awareness/empathy, which guides our Responsiveness/compassion.
This is how we help facilitate individual and organizational integration, which is the goal of true CI. See our CI Integrative Model below.
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CI INTEGRATIVE MODEL
Because a Culturally Intelligent organization is an integrated organization
Our CI approach is integrative because our emotions, thoughts, and behaviors are connected. Our thinking patterns play a significant and primary role in the development and maintenance of our emotional and behavioral responses to life situations. If we acknowledge and even understand how we feel about a situation, we can make better decisions and take more informed action.
The more we understand about ourselves, the better we can recognize and accommodate differences in others' communication and engagement styles. If everyone within an organization becomes more integrated, or Culturally Intelligent, the organization itself will be more integrated, specifically with compassionate leadership, empathetic management, and curious contribution.
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OUR CI APPROACH TO CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE
Building on a Foundation of Research
Our Culturally Intelligent (CI) framework represents our organization's unique approach to intercultural effectiveness, developed through extensive research and field experience. While informed by the same foundational research that inspired the Cultural Intelligence (CQ) Center's valuable work, our CI model reflects our distinct perspective on cultural intelligence development.
Our CI Difference
Our approach emerged from examining the multifaceted nature of cultural interactions, not just globally, but locally. While the CQ Center's Cultural Intelligence (CQ) model has been widely adopted, our organization has developed a CI framework that holistically addresses today's complex intercultural challenges.
Our CI approach expands beyond the traditional four-dimension CQ model (Drive, Knowledge, Strategy, and Action) to incorporate deeper aspects of cultural understanding. Drawing on research from various disciplines including anthropology, psychology, and organizational behavior, we've developed a framework that reflects:
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Integrated Cultural Awareness | We believe cultural intelligence isn't just about discerning differences or developing strategies, but about cultivating genuine cultural empathy and perspective-taking abilities.
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Systems-Based Understanding | Our CI framework recognizes that cultures exist within complex social, historical, and political systems that must be understood holistically.
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Practical Application Focus | Our CI approach emphasizes real-world application through experiential learning and continuous feedback loops.
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Ethical Considerations | Our CI framework explicitly addresses power dynamics, privilege, and ethical considerations often overlooked in traditional cultural intelligence models.
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Adaptive Learning Process | Rather than viewing cultural intelligence as a fixed skill to be acquired, we see it as an ongoing, adaptive process that evolves through genuine intercultural engagement.
Through our CI approach, we've helped organizations move beyond traditional cultural competence approaches to develop authentic intercultural fluency that drives meaningful connection, collaboration, and innovation across differences.
HOW CI CONNECTS TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION
Culturally Intelligent leadership is central to having a thriving organization.
Our CI approach innately fosters the outcomes of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB), whether or not organizations choose to adopt these terms:
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Diversity (or representation) invites various cultural perspectives within your organization; having leaders with diverse perspectives and backgrounds fosters balance and deeper intercultural understanding, enabling more well-rounded decision-making and organizational insight
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Equity promotes fairness within systems, like hiring and promoting, so each team member has equal access to opportunity
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Inclusion involves the behaviors we demonstrate to assure people that they are heard, seen, and valued—notably through empathetic listening and compassionate action
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Belonging is the feeling of security and support people experience because of inclusive behaviors
We help organizations reach these outcomes through data analysis, research-based curriculum, and engaging, interactive activities that guide people to demonstrate higher levels of CI.
All aspects of our work abide by anti-discrimination laws and respect First Amendment rights.