Experiences with Cultural Intelligence in Chile

Cultural intelligence, or CQ, is a way of measuring our ability to adapt to a foreign  culture. There are four parts to cultural intelligence: knowledge CQ, interpretive CQ, perseverance CQ, and behavioral CQ. To varying degrees, I have experienced all four parts of cultural intelligence, even in my limited experience with missions. My hope is that the time that I have spent preparing to go to Chile and the time I have spent in Chile will make the four parts of cultural intelligence clear.

Knowledge CQ is the part of cultural intelligence that has to do with your understanding of a culture. It can be done, in part, by reading books and through other forms of research, however, knowledge CQ is often obtained from hands on experience within a culture (Livermore, 2006).

When I was preparing for a short term trip to Chile, we spent quite a bit of time, as a group, discussing what it is like in the Chilean culture. We had an added element in that the church we were going to minister to had originally been planted by a very conservative church. This meant not only learning about the culture of the community, but also that of the church. The time spent in discussion with members of our church who had already been down to Chile was invaluable but, the knowledge obtained from actually visiting the country far exceeded it in value.

An example of something which we did not learn about was the way the church in Chile viewed the Catholic faith, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Mormons and even other denominations, such as Pentecostals. They understood their roots in the same doctrines which they hold to, but found them to be false witnesses, which actually lead people away from Christ. We would never say that of most denominations in the US, so it had to be experienced first hand to see the truth in it.

Interpretive CQ has to do with our awareness when amidst another culture. It is one thing to have knowledge, but it is a far greater thing to be aware enough to interpret a situation to use the knowledge of that culture properly. Without interpretive CQ, it is not possible to use the hard earned knowledge properly (Livermore, 2006).

One of the things we were told before we went to Chile is that the men will often greet close brothers with a holy kiss. This could be a kiss on the cheek or a kiss on the lips. About the third day in Chile, I was greeted by one of the church elders whom I had just met the night before. He extended his arm and then leaned in to kiss me on the cheek. Knowing myself, I probably would not have freaked out. I would have allowed it, but because I had the knowledge, I was able to properly interpret the situation so, I was able to take the proper cultural response—to return the kiss on the other cheek.

Perseverance CQ does not, as it suggests, simply have to do with the ability to withstand the challenges that come with cross-cultural missions. It has more to do with a desire to persevere by adapting to the culture. It is an inner motivation to learn about the culture so that, as much as possible, life can be lived as the locals live it. Often Westerners, persevere by finding ways to live as Americans from within the foreign culture, which is not perseverance CQ at all (Livermore, 2006).

I was zealous in going to Chile. I was ready to eat the weird stuff. I was ready to live in slums and anything else they threw at us. What I didn’t realize is that those things were not going to take place. The major differences I encountered on the trip had to do with relationships and the way that one person interacts with others. In my practical mind, I was not prepared for this. But, I got lucky. I immediately made friends with a young man named Jorge. He knew as much English as I did Spanish—none. In spite of the obvious stumbling blocks, he took me around town to meet all the people he ministers to. We were able to communicate non-verbally enough to discover many ways in which we were the same. This situation made it comfortable for me to interact with others whom I had a language barrier with as well. It opened the door for me to persevere in an area in which I would not previously have been able to do so.

To this point a missionary can have all sorts of knowledge, the ability to discern what knowledge applies to what situation and actually have a drive and desire to adapt to a foreign culture, but there is one major piece missing. It is the ability to actually put the knowledge into practice. This is called behavioral CQ. The extent to which one is able to put knowledge CQ, interpretive CQ and perseverance CQ to work is the level of behavioral CQ they have (Livermore, 2006).

Before going to Chile much of the discussion was about how to deal with the challenges and differences. There was not a focus on cultural intelligence. I really feel that God instilled a great deal of intelligence in me and others on the team in order to make the trip successful. Now, with a greater understanding of cultural intelligence and the ways that knowledge CQ, interpretive CQ, perseverance CQ and behavioral CQ all work together, I believe I am well equipped for the challenges that missions may bring me in the future.

References

Livermore, D. (2006). Serving with eyes wide shut. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.