Building Multicultural Teams: Insights And Strategies With Dr. Catherine Wu.

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In this episode we delve into the significance of cultural intelligence for bridging divides and fostering resilience in societies Joining me is Dr Catherine Wu a seasoned expert in cultural intelligence who shares invaluable insights on navigating multicultural environments Our discussion starts by challenging the traditional approach to understanding culture highlighting its dynamic nature and the inadequacy of mere cultural knowledge We explore how cultural intelligence reshapes perceptions encouraging individuals to see beyond stereotypes and acknowledge the uniqueness of each person We then explore the research-backed pillars of cultural intelligence cognition behavior and motivation I stress the importance of ongoing training to combat biases and establish inclusive team dynamics in multicultural settings Dr Wu underscores the necessity of intentional norm creation within multicultural teams emphasizing the pitfalls of aligning norms solely with dominant members We share examples such as contrasting decision-making styles between Norwegian and Japanese engineers to illustrate the impact of cultural differences Addressing the question of minority adaptation we acknowledge power imbalances and advocate for inclusive environments while recognizing contextual nuances where adaptation might be expected Finally we highlight the advantages of cultural intelligence including heightened creativity and cognitive complexity Our conversation underscores the value of openness acceptance and a willingness to embrace diverse perspectives in today apos s interconnected world Dr Catherine Wu is a teacher speaker and cultural intelligence evangelist A passionate advocate for cultural diversity Catherine is currently working towards telling 10 million people about cultural intelligence through speaking writing and creating social media content In 2022 she launched The Cultural Quotient podcast the first podcast to grow cultural intelligence at work and in life As a speaker Catherine frequently gives talks and conducts workshops on cultural intelligence for public and private organisations Catherine holds a PhD in Leadership and Cultural Intelligence from the Center for Leadership and Cultural Intelligence in Singapore She is French and has lived in Asia for the past 18 years She lives in Singapore with her Taiwanese American husband and 3 third-culture kids Dr Catherine Wu apos s contact info Linkedin https www linkedin com in drcatherinewu Website https open spotify com episode 7j4sv0KIw4rIyxOc3IUqz8Tagsepisode cultural intelligence Dr Catherine Wu individuals unique challenge biases multicultural environments cognition behavior motivation intentional team norms acceptance cultural differences benefits increased creativity cognitive complexity curious open-minded learning other cultures practical insights diverse settingsSupport the showSign up for the weekly IT apos S AN INSIDE JOB NEWSLETTER takes 5 seconds to fill out receive a fresh update every Wednesday