OFFICE FOR STRATEGY AND INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE &

KULLIYYAH OF EDUCATION

EXPLORING CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE TOWARDS PROMOTING SEJAHTERA INSTITUTIONAL

EXCELLENCE

1. INTRODUCTION

This proposal explores the values and importance of Cultural Intelligence (CQ) in line
with the leadership competencies developed by Akademi Kepimpinan Pengajian
Tinggi (AKEPT) for the national top talent pool. As part of a collaboration between
International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) and AKEPT, this project also
addresses the 5th MOHE’s Strategic Focus 2021 i.e ‘Mempersada Kecemerlangan
Institusi’,

“AKEPT sebagai pakar dalam pembangunan kepimpinan bakat pendidikan

tinggi perlu lebih kreatif untuk mempromosikan kepakaran yang dimiliki
sehingga diakui di peringkat antarabangsa”

2. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Developing successful global leaders is a competitive advantage for organisations. In
addition to essential leadership competencies, global leaders face special challenges
that require additional competencies. AKEPT, being the heart of the Higher Education
Institutions (HEIs) particularly on Human Resource matters must support the aspiration
of the Ministry. To ensure the sustainability of HEIs in the short term and long-term
period, it is vital to have leaders who are thorough, meticulous and well-equipped with
knowledge to surge forward with confidence and versatility at the international arena.

One of the emerging important skills to have is the Cultural Intelligence skills for global
leaders. As stated by insight.learnlight.com, there was a time when having a high
Intelligence Quotient (IQ) was one of the key components of leadership. The ability to
analyse facts and information quickly and intelligently was later complimented by the
need for Emotional Intelligence (EQ). EQ enabled leaders to understand the people
who followed them and engaged with them in a credible and authentic fashion.

Then came the skillset that may define today’s successful leaders which is ‘Cultural
Quotient’ (CQ) or commonly known ‘Cultural Intelligence’, offers the advantage that
leaders need in a world where people increasingly work across borders, physically,
culturally and virtually. CQ is the ability not just to understand others, but to understand
others who do not meet your cultural norms, and then act on that knowledge in a
mutually beneficial way.

Cultural intelligence is a significant improvement over existing approaches because it

“provides an integrated approach to training dealing with knowledge and learning,
motivation and behaviour, and is built upon a unifying psychological model of cultural
adaptation rather than the piecemeal and country-specific approach in training” (Earley
& Peterson, 2004, p. 101). Thomas and Inkson (2003) wrote that, compared to

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emotional and social intelligence, cultural intelligence theory includes the influence of
cultural factors and their impact in intercultural interactions.

According to Saylor Academy (2012), the following describes other ways in which
scholars and practitioners believe cultural intelligence is different from other
approaches:

a) Cultural intelligence is a growing field that is continuously being researched and

tested in many societies. A search on the Internet for the word “cultural
intelligence” yields over 2.7 million hits. When searching for academic papers and
scholarship, the word yields almost 1.5 million hits. Other intercultural approaches
do not yield as much universal appeal as cultural intelligence.

Cultural intelligence demands that leaders gather more than knowledge of cultural
facts. It is awareness of how culture works, of the values and beliefs that ground a
person’s thinking and motivation, and of exploring behavioural intelligence.

b) Cultural intelligence emphasises a circular path, not a linear one; this means that,
over time, one will continue to learn, and their cultural intelligence will expand. It is
not a step-by-step process that culminates in an “ultimate outcome.” Rather,
through cultural intelligence, one learns more about him- or herself and his or her
ability to interact with different cultures. There is always room for improvement and
development in cultural intelligence.

c) Cultural intelligence does not speak to specific cultures. Cultural intelligence is a

broad approach that looks at developing a set of skills, as well as awareness and
knowledge, that help you to adapt and interact with multiple cultures.

Therefore, it is imperative that HEIs administrators understand and apply CQ skills in

their everyday transactions to prepare them to be comprehensive leaders. Considering
this, being an international Islamic university, the administrators in IIUM are certainly
expected to be equipped with adequate CQ skills. This expectation has been zoomed
in as the vein that wraps the layers of the IIUM Roadmap 2021-2022 framework. From
the institutional principles to the strategic direction, cultural intelligence is the core
element that would ensure the success of humanising education through Maqasid
Shariah (MAS) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

The administrative leaders who have the right CQ skills will be able to respond towards
the cultures of the themselves and the involved parties such as the IIUM community
and stakeholders. This in turn ensures a strong interplay between all the layers.
Furthermore, with specific cultural-based elements such as indigeneity, international,
cultural and experiential learning, and global relevance and citizenship, it is timely for
IIUM to lead cultural intelligence towards promoting sejahtera institutional excellence
and propagate it to other HEIs.

Thus, the objectives of this paper are threefold:

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 a) To examine HEIs administrators’ perceptions on CQ skills and their values and
benefits to become more effective leaders.

b) To identify selected administrators CQ skills based on the CQ Test.

c) To describe the constraints of applying CQ skills in administrators’ everyday

duties.

The research questions that sought answers to are as follows:

a) What are the perceptions of HEIs administrators about CQ skills and their values
and benefits to become more effective leaders?

b) What are the selected administrators CQ Test results?

c) What are the constraints to the administrators in applying CQ skills in their

everyday duties?

3. METHODOLOGY

A guided forum will be conducted online and opened for participants from both public
and private HEIs. Subsequently, a question and answer session from participants will
complement the forum. A concurrent mixed method will be applied in which a self-
administered survey will be used. In addition, a semi-structured interview questions
will be administered to selected respondents, administrators in HEIs.

4. TEAM MEMBERS

a Prof. Emeritus Tan Sri Dato’ Dzulkifli Abdul Razak, Rector, IIUM
)

b Faizah Idrus, Deputy Dean, Student Development and Community Engagement,

) Kulliyyah of Education, IIUM

c) Zurina Abdul Ghani, Deputy Director, Office for Strategy and Institutional
Change, IIUM

d Ahmad Ashaari Alias, Deputy Director, Office for Strategy and Institutional
) Change, IIUM

5. SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS

a) Prof. Emeritus Tan Sri Dato’ Dzulkifli Abd Razak, Rector of IIUM

b) Prof. Dato’ Sri Syed Arabi Idid, Professor in Communication, IIUM

c) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zulkifli Hassan, Deputy Rector, Students Development and

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 Community Engagement, IIUM

d) Prof. Sivamurugan Pandian, Professor in Political Sociology, Advisory Council

Member for National Integration Training and Research Institute, Prime
Minister Department

e) Prof. Ulung Datuk Dr. Shamsul Amri Baharuddin, Unity Advisor to the Ministry
of National Unity

f) Mr. Bradley Hurst, Cultural Affairs Officer, Embassy of the United States of
America

g) Lorna Crozier, Head Chair, Writing Department, University of Victoria

h) Eddin Khoo, Director of Pusaka

i) Professor Pavel Luksha, Moscow School of Management, SKOLKOVO

j) Betsan Martin, Secretary to the New Zealand AG - TS

k) Dr. David Livermore, President, Cultural Intelligent Centre, Michigan US

l) Janet Pillai, School of Arts, USM

m) Izyan Alirahman (Zee Avi), Artist, songwriter

n) Prof. Dr. Muhammad bin Haji Salleh, Sasterawan Negara

o) Suriani Dzulkifli, Phd candidate in Community leadership & Cultural

*List of SME will be added closer to the programme. Besides academics, young
minds and industry players will be invited to share their experiences in relation to
Cultural Diversity and CQ.

6. TIMELINE

2021

ACTIVITIES
  FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT
Finalisation and approval
of concept paper            
Appointments and TOR
endorsement            
Guided forum preparation:
 Administrative            
Guided forum session
preparation
 Interview
protocol/questions
 Scoping review            
Guided forum session            

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 Data Transcription            
Meeting of rapporteurs -
Input review            
Finalisation of report            
Submission of report            
Publications
Newspaper articles            
Journal articles
Full report submission
Post-Mortem and way
forward
Closure Meeting with
AKEPT

Webinar (itinerary attached as Appendix A) – 14 & 15 June (Monday & Tuesday)

*Details of activities and other relevant programmes shall be updated on quarterly

basis to AKEPT via meeting and report submissions. AKEPT representative will also
be invited in all sessions.

7. CQ COMPONENTS:

The four CQ components are:

a) Cultural Identity and Leadership skills;

b) Pillars of the UNESCO educational system; National Philosophy of Education;
c) Themes and Construct of Values-based Leadership Competencies with the
additional CQ skills; and
d) A Roadmap of becoming a holistic leader with CQ skills.

8. THE FRAMEWORK

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 Understanding Culture

CQ Skills: Drive, Knowledge, Strategy & Action

Managing Cross Cultural Conflicts Leadership Behaviours and Culture

T
his framework maps the fundamentals in understanding CQ skills which is the bottom-
line of the importance of CQ. It is derived from the FOUR main components of CQ,
namely, the leaders’ drive, knowledge, strategies and action.

9. BUDGET IMPLICATIONS

No Items Amount (RM)

1. Printing and Publication 5, 000.00

Editorial works
Design
2. Honorarium
3 Research Assistants (RM1, 800 x 6 months) 27, 000.00
10 Subject Matter Experts 10, 000.00
Transcription services 4, 000.00
3 Rapporteurs (RM300) 900.00

3. Administrative fees and other expenses 2, 100.00

RMC fee (2%) 1, 000.00

TOTAL 50, 000.00

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Amount will be sponsored by Akademi Kepimpinan Pendidikan Tinggi Negara is RM 45,
300.00 and the balance of RM 6, 500.00 will be taken from the Trust fund account, Office for
Strategy and Institutional Change (Balance from previous project)

(Terms of Reference and relevant documents as attached)

Prepared by:

Office for Strategy and Institutional Change & Kulliyyah of Education

International Islamic University Malaysia
25 February 2021

Appendix A

WEBINAR: CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE TOWARDS PROMOTING INSTITUTIONAL

EXCELLENCE 14TH - 15TH JUNE 2021

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DAY 1: MONDAY (14th JUNE 2021)

SESSION 1
Moderator: Prof. Dr. Nordin Yahya
Director, AKEPT Malaysia

TIME AGENDA SPEAKER

9.10 am Opening Remarks Her Majesty Seri Paduka Baginda
The Raja Permaisuri Agong
Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah
Maimunah Iskandariah
Binti Almarhum Al-Mutawakkil
Alallah Sultan Iskandar
Al-Haj
IIUM Constitutional Head
9.30 am Forum 1:
The Role of HEIs Leaders in Cultural Prof. Ulung Datuk Dr. Shamsul Amri
Intelligence (CQ) towards promoting Baharuddin
Institutional Excellence for Global Unity Advisor to the Ministry of National
Relevance Unity
Lorna Crozier
Head Chair, Writing Department
University of Victoria

9.50 am Question & Answer

10.15am BREAK

SESSION 2
Moderator: Prof. Dr. Ahmad Faris Ismail
Deputy Rector, Academic and Internationalisation, IIUM, Malaysia

TIME AGENDA SPEAKER

10.30 am Forum 2: Prof. Emeritus Tan Sri Dato’ Dzulkifli
Cultural Intelligence (CQ) and Abdul Razak
Sustainability towards Futures of Rector,
Education IIUM, Malaysia
Eddin Khoo
Director of Pusaka

Professor Pavel Luksha - Tan Sri

Moscow School of Management
SKOLKOVO
12.15 pm Question & Answer
1.00 pm BREAK

SESSION 3
Moderator: Prof. Dr. Rahmah Ahmad Osman
Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences, IIUM

TIME AGENDA SPEAKER

2.00 pm Forum 3: Prof. Dato’ Sri Syed Arabi Idid,
Cultural Intelligence (CQ) and Professor in Communication, IIUM
Communicating CQ Prof. Sivamurugan Pandian

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 Professor in Political Sociology,
Advisory Council Member for National
Integration Training and Research
Institute, Prime Minister Department
Mr. Bradley Hurst –FI
Cultural Affairs Officer, Embassy of the
United States of America
3.45 pm Question & Answer
4.30 pm END OF DAY ONE

DAY 2: TUESDAY (15th JUNE 2021)

SESSION 4
Moderator: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Wendy Yee Mei Tien,
Centre for Internship Training and Academic Enrichment (CITRA)
Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic & International), UM - FI

TIME AGENDA SPEAKER

9.00 am Forum 4: Betsan Martin
Cultural Intelligence (CQ) towards Secretary to the New Zealand AG - TS
Global Citizenship
Dr. David Livermore – Ash
President, Cultural Intelligent Centre
Michigan, US
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zulkifli Hassan
Deputy Rector, Students Development
and Community Engagement, IIUM
Janet Pillai – Tan Sri
School of Arts, USM
10.00am Question & Answer
10.30am BREAK

SESSION 2
Moderator:
Shazrina Tan Sri Azman (Mizz Nina) -Ash n ZAG
Humanitarian and the co-founder of Dopstv, an Islamic lifestyle channel

TIME AGENDA SPEAKER

10.30 am Forum 5: Izyan Alirahman (Zee Avi)
Humanising Leadership and CQ Artist, songwriter
Prof. Dr. Muhammad bin Haji Salleh
Sasterawan Negara
Suriani Dzulkifli -TS
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 Phd candidate in Community
leadership & Cultural

12.15 pm Question & Answer

12.45 pm Closing
YB Datuk Seri Dr. Noraini Ahmad
Minister of Higher Education, Malaysia

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