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Taxonomists pinned down the scientific definition of the family Acrididae more than two centuries ago. But culture is so powerful it can affect how even a lowly insect is perceived. So it should come as no surprise that the human actions, gestures, and speech patterns a person encounters in a foreign business setting are subject to an even wider range of interpretations, including ones tfiat can make misunderstandings likely and cooperation impossible. But occasionally an outsider has a seemingly natural ability to interpret someone's unfamiliar and ambiguous gestures in just the way that person's compatriots and colleagues would. even to mirror them. We cafi tfiat cultural intelligence or CQ. In a world wfiere crossing boundaries is routine, CQ becomes a vitally important aptitude and skill, and not just for international bankers and borrowers. Companies, too, have cultures, often very distinctive; anyone who joins a new company spends the first few weeks deciphering its cultural code. Within any large company there are sparring suf> cultures as well: Tfie sales force can't talk to the engineers, and the PR people lose patience witfi the fawyers. Departments, divisions, professions, geographical regions-each fias a constellation of manners, meanings, histories, and values that will confuse the interloper and cause him or her to stumble. tJnIess, that is, he or sfie fias a high CQ.