Cultural agility and cultural intelligence

Abstract

Both cultural intelligence and culture agility are individual-level responses to being in a novel cultural context, such that people with these attributes are more effective in different cultures. There are differences in CQ and cultural agility, especially with respect to: (1) the role of adaptation in both constructs, (2) the existence of each construct in the absence of cultural differences or a novel cultural context, and (3) the way an individual assimilates each construct. The latter is particularly important as the two constructs have different underlying assumption of mutability and the need for a cross-cultural context for development to occur. The development of CQ occurs in the context of cultural interactions, whereas the development of cultural agility can occur separate from cultural interactions. In this chapter, I discuss the conceptual similarities and differences and highlight how these two critical competencies should be integrated in theory and practice.