Customs of the World: Using Cultural Intelligence to Adapt, Wherever You Are

Overview

Avoid costly mistakes and faux pas when traveling abroad with this course that helps anyone—businesspersons, tourists, and more—navigate other cultures.

Taught by an international adviser to leaders of Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, and governments, this eye-opening course reveals how you can actively improve your cultural intelligence in an increasingly globalized world. Based on groundbreaking research, these 24 lectures address dynamics and customs related to working, socializing, dining, marriage, and family—all the areas necessary to help you function with a greater level of respect and effectiveness wherever you go.

You’ll also encounter practical tips and crucial context for greeting, interacting with, and even managing people from other parts of the world. In the first half, you’ll analyze 10 cultural value dimensions that researchers have identified as helpful for comparing cultures; and you’ll see how these “archetypes” play out in day-to-day lives. In the second half, you’ll look at 10 cultural clusters around the world that—when combined with your understanding of the 10 cultural dimensions—provide strategic insight into how to be more effective as you live, work, and travel in our globalized world.

Course Structure

1. Culture Matters
   Duration: 33 min
   Explore the significance of culture in shaping behavior and communication.
2. Developing Cultural Intelligence (CQ)
   Duration: 28 min
   Examine the characteristics of culturally intelligent individuals and how to enhance your own CQ.
3. Identity – Individualist versus Collectivist
   Duration: 29 min
   Contrast individualist and collectivist societies and their impact on behavior.
4. Authority – Low versus High Power Distance
   Duration: 30 min
   Understand how power distance affects interactions and conflict resolution.
5. Risk – Low versus High Uncertainty Avoidance
   Duration: 30 min
   Compare behaviors in high and low uncertainty-avoidant cultures.
6. Achievement – Cooperative versus Competitive
   Duration: 30 min
   Analyze the emphasis on collaboration versus competition in different cultures.
7. Time – Punctuality versus Relationships
   Duration: 29 min
   Learn how cultural attitudes toward time influence interactions.
8. Communication – Direct versus Indirect
   Duration: 30 min
   Differentiate between high-context and low-context communication styles.
9. Lifestyle – Being versus Doing
   Duration: 29 min
   Explore how cultural orientations affect attitudes toward time and productivity.
10. Rules – Particularist versus Universalist
    Duration: 29 min
    Understand the differences between universalist and particularist approaches to rules.
11. Expressiveness – Neutral versus Affective
    Duration: 31 min
    Examine how cultures express emotions and the concept of “face.”
12. Social Norms – Tight versus Loose
    Duration: 30 min
    Contrast cultures with strict norms versus those with more flexibility.
13. Roots of Cultural Differences
    Duration: 31 min
    Analyze the broader framework of cultural intelligence and its implications.
14. Anglo Cultures
    Duration: 29 min
    Explore the characteristics and customs of Anglo cultures.
15. Nordic European Cultures
    Duration: 28 min
    Understand the cultural traits of Nordic countries and their social norms.
16. Germanic Cultures
    Duration: 30 min
    Investigate the values and behaviors associated with Germanic cultures.
17. Eastern European/Central Asian Cultures
    Duration: 30 min
    Examine the diverse customs and traditions of Eastern European and Central Asian cultures.
18. Latin European Cultures
    Duration: 29 min
    Discover the cultural dynamics of Latin European countries.
19. Latin American Cultures
    Duration: 31 min
    Explore the common traits and values of Latin American cultures.
20. Confucian Asian Cultures
    Duration: 30 min
    Learn about the customs and values of Confucian-influenced cultures.
21. South Asian Cultures
    Duration: 29 min
    Understand the cultural diversity and characteristics of South Asian societies.
22. Sub-Saharan African Cultures
    Duration: 29 min
    Examine the rich traditions and values of Sub-Saharan African cultures.
23. Arab Cultures
    Duration: 29 min
    Explore the complexities and nuances of Arab cultural practices.
24. Cultural Intelligence for Life
    Duration: 33 min
    Learn strategies for applying cultural intelligence in various contexts.