Cultural Intelligence: Its Measurement and Effects on Cultural Judgment and Decision Making, Cultural Adaptation and Task Performance

TLDR

The study develops and tests a model linking the four dimensions of cultural intelligence—metacognitive, cognitive, motivational, and behavioural—to three intercultural effectiveness outcomes: cultural judgment and decision making, cultural adaptation, and task performance. The authors first created and cross‑validated a multidimensional cultural intelligence scale with 1,360 participants across multiple samples, time points, and countries, then examined the model in three studies involving 794 participants in the United States and Singapore. Results show that metacognitive and cognitive CQ predict cultural judgment and decision making, motivational and behavioural CQ predict cultural adaptation, and metacognitive and behavioural CQ predict task performance, underscoring distinct pathways to intercultural effectiveness.

Abstract

We enhance the theoretical precision of cultural intelligence (CQ: capability to function effectively in culturally diverse settings) by developing and testing a model that posits differential relationships between the four CQ, dimensions (metacognitive, cognitive, motivational and behavioural) and three intercultural effectiveness outcomes (cultural judgment and decision making, cultural adaptation and task performance in culturally diverse settings). Before testing the model, we describe development and cross-validation (N = 1,360) of the multidimensional cultural intelligence scale (CQS) across samples, time and country. We then describe three substantive studies (N = 794) in field and educational development settings across two national contexts, the USA and Singapore. The results demonstrate a consistent pattern of relationships where metacognitive CQ and cognitive CQ predicted cultural judgment and decision making; motivational CQ and behavioural CQ predicted cultural adaptation; and metacognitive CQ and behavioural CQ predicted task performance. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of our model and findings.