{"id":17579,"date":"2018-05-10T22:37:57","date_gmt":"2018-05-11T05:37:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=17579"},"modified":"2018-05-10T23:09:04","modified_gmt":"2018-05-11T06:09:04","slug":"we-need-cultural-intelligence-in-our-churches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/we-need-cultural-intelligence-in-our-churches\/","title":{"rendered":"We need cultural intelligence in our churches"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A little over a year ago I watched the following video at a pastor\u2019s conference. The focus of the gathering was around holiness in the 21<sup>st<\/sup> century but the video cut through to the heart of where culture is going and the need for us to not only be prepared but adaptable as ministry leaders.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Did you know, in 2028...\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QpEFjWbXog0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>This video reveals major changes in our world technologically and culturally. Although these are predictions based on current trends, they give insight that the world is changing and that globalization and the need for cultural intelligence are real and important.<\/p>\n<p>In David Livermore\u2019s book, <em>Leading with Cultural Intelligence: The Real Secret to Success<\/em>, Livermore makes it is clear that leaders of the ever globalizing world must be able to adapt to the cultural changes around them. One of his personal examples is of getting it wrong when assuming who the best leaders are in a room, while doing so from a US perspective while in the Czech Republic. Cultural differences in leadership are real not only from country to country but also within varying cultures and ethnicity in the same city, neighborhood, workplace, and even family. Being aware of the need for cultural intelligence and adapting appropriately for varying cultures is necessary for leading positive change.<\/p>\n<p>Defining cultural intelligence as \u201cthe capability to function effectively across national, ethnic, and organizational borders,\u201d<a href=\"#_ftn1\" name=\"_ftnref1\">[1]<\/a> Livermore has found that cultural intelligence is a needed skill in today\u2019s global economy. As proven from multiple academic studies, \u201cCQ is more a reliable, consistent way to predict how you will lead across cultures than your personality, age, gender, where you\u2019re from, or emotional intelligence.\u201d<a href=\"#_ftn2\" name=\"_ftnref2\">[2]<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The text is framed around four key steps for cultural intelligence (CQ) that closely parallel that of Livermore\u2019s colleagues Soon Ang and Linn Van Dyne and their <em>Handbook of Cultural Intelligence,<\/em> which came out shortly before Livermore\u2019s. These four concepts include:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Step 1: CQ Drive (motivational dimension) gives us the energy and self-confidence to pursue the needed understanding and planning necessary for a particular cross-cultural project.<\/p>\n<p>Step 2: CQ Knowledge (cognitive dimension) provides us with an understanding of basic cultural issues that are relevant to this project.<\/p>\n<p>Step 3: CQ Strategy (metacognitive dimension) allows us to draw on our cultural understanding so we can plan and interpret what\u2019s going on in this situation.<\/p>\n<p>Step 4: CQ Action (behavioral dimension) provides us with the ability to engage in effective, flexible leadership for this task.<a href=\"#_ftn3\" name=\"_ftnref3\">[3]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Reviewing academic perspectives to better understand the placement of Livermore\u2019s text, it was obvious that his work has been well received. Comments by one reviewer agreed with Livermore, \u201cAs most proponents of cultural intelligence agree, it is not about abandoning our convictions, values, and assumptions to try to \u2018become\u2019 the culture of another. Rather, it is respecting other cultures, and seeing how dissimilarities between two people may be part of universal, cultural, or personal differences. Cultural intelligence may help you decide where these differences lie, and how to work through them.\u201d<a href=\"#_ftn4\" name=\"_ftnref4\">[4]<\/a><\/p>\n<p>While Livermore\u2019s work is highly esteemed, it would have been helpful to add a few other elements to his text as Steve Gladis suggested, \u201cWhile I&#8217;d recommend this book to anyone going abroad for business, I suggest two additions. First, add a CQ assessment (even an abbreviated one) in the book for readers. Second, add a consolidated workbook or checklist in the appendix. Both would add value to this very valuable read.\u201d <a href=\"#_ftn5\" name=\"_ftnref5\">[5]<\/a> This seems to be true of the book and the website as well. It would be beneficial to have a basic version of the assessment to understand one\u2019s need for cultural intelligence in addition to being able to directly apply CQ content.<\/p>\n<p>Considering my own research of disciple-making with the Other, I am fascinated by the idea of cultural intelligence. It may not seem that cultural intelligence is needed when leading people within the same culture in America but when those we lead are not like us in some way, whether in ethnicity or even gender, there are potential barriers to communication.<\/p>\n<p>I have found this to be true recently when interviewing a woman from a Wesleyan theological tradition. She and her husband just became the first minority leaders over sixty plus churches in their region. However, all of the other leaders in the same position across the county are white and do not know how to relate to their newly appointed minority leaders. They made cultural assumptions and did not demonstrate interest in knowing (step two from above) their new leaders. Unfortunately, the peers to the new leaders were also leading several churches across the rest of the country, which inevitably include a multiplicity of cultures that may not be well received due to the current primary leadership.<\/p>\n<p>The challenge I see with majority leadership in the church, is that as long as the leader (pastor or superintendent) seems to thrive personally in the dominant culture they tend to have little motivation to pursue cultural intelligence. Without the motivation to grow in cultural intelligence the steps of knowledge, strategy, and action rarely follow.<\/p>\n<p>While white people primarily congregate much of our Wesleyan churches with white pastors, we have a growing minority that will likely not be a minority in the near future. If we are unwilling to look ahead to see how the world is changing and continue to only serve those within who look like us, we will have tremendous problems not only with our cultural intelligence but with the future membership of our churches. Livermore speaks to leaders within the church as well when he states, \u201cLeaders who commit to improving the ways they think, plan, and act through intercultural situations have an unusual edge for navigating the fascinating terrain of our curvy, multidimensional world.\u201d<a href=\"#_ftn6\" name=\"_ftnref6\">[6]<\/a> The church needs this edge if we are to grow into the future.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref1\" name=\"_ftn1\">[1]<\/a> Livermore, David. <em>Leading with Cultural Intelligence: The Real Secret to Success. <\/em>AMACOM Books, New York, 2015, 15.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref2\" name=\"_ftn2\">[2]<\/a> Livermore, 33.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref3\" name=\"_ftn3\">[3]<\/a> Livermore, 37.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref4\" name=\"_ftn4\">[4]<\/a> Miller, Gloria J. \u201cLivermore, David. Leading with Cultural Intelligence: The Real Secret to Success.\u201d Journal of Applied Management and Entrepreneurship. Sheffield\u00a0Vol\u00a021, 1. Jan 2016, 86-88.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref5\" name=\"_ftn5\">[5]<\/a> Gladis, Steve. \u201cLivermore, David. Leading with Cultural Intelligence: The Real Secret to Success.\u201d TD Magazine. Vol 69, 8. Aug. 2015, 74.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref6\" name=\"_ftn6\">[6]<\/a> Livermore, 39.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A little over a year ago I watched the following video at a pastor\u2019s conference. The focus of the gathering was around holiness in the 21st century but the video cut through to the heart of where culture is going and the need for us to not only be prepared but adaptable as ministry leaders. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[979],"class_list":["post-17579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-david-livermore","cohort-lgp8"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17579","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/105"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17579"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17579\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17586,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17579\/revisions\/17586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}