Kevin Groves, Ann Feyerherm and Xinhua Gu recently had their article, “Examining Cultural Intelligence and Cross-Cultural Negotiation Effectiveness,” in the Journal of Management Education. This is great news because more information is needed on this topic. They stated that cultural intelligence (CQ), defined by Earley, Ang, and Tan (2006) as “a person’s capability for successful adaptation to new cultural settings. . .”

Certainly cultural intelligence is necessary. I do, however, take issue with two comments.

First, it is not enough to know that adaptation is necessary or about generic cultural customs. Knowledge of and skill development in specific strategies and techniques appropriate for different cultures necessary for success.  Schuster and Copeland have developed cultural classification models with recommendations for adoption in their books published in 1996 and 2006.

Second, there is a statement that there is very little empirical research documenting the impact of cultural adaptability on the success of negotiation. Schuster, Brodowsky and Anderson have published several articles reporting empirical validation of the Schuster and Copeland model.

The work reported in this article would make an even stronger impact by incorporating relevant academic work  that is directly relevant to the topic.

From the news reports, those voting for Brexit appear to have based their decision on fear, nostalgia, and a single issue. Immigration issues are emotional and many people are fearful of increasing diversity because of the change it implies.  The past usually appears better when looking back in time.  Th good old days are full of fond memories and today is filled with change which is stressful.  Leaving the EU will not lessen the stress of all the decisions that have to be faced. The future will entail change whether or not immigration is halted, whether or not the UK stays in the EU.

Apparently a lot of people in the UK are now searching for information on the EU and Brexit — after the election.  Taking a position on an individual issue is important but basing a vote on only one issue is dangerous.  Not understanding all the implications of l having the EU is hard work, not fun, and not a great sound bite.  However, without that information people may have made a decision that is not really what they wanted.  Leaving the EU will not bring back the good old days (that world no longer exists), will not necessarily stop immigration, and will not necessarily bring universal wealth.

As we prepare for voting this fall in the US, it is important that decisions are not made out of fear, nostalgia, or a single issue.  The world is complicated and we need to make informed decisions.

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