Current Status and Future Directions for Cultural Intelligence

Abstract

The concept of cultural intelligence was formulated to ease and understand multicultural interactions in business organizations. Based on the theory of multiple intelligence; it is the cross-cultural facet of intelligence that assists adaptive cultural adjustment. Due to its implications for the contemporary world witnessing increased cultural contact and clashes; it has attracted multidisciplinary scholarly interest. This article reviews the development, validation and major approaches to the construct, along with a focus on its critical analysis. Significance of the construct in promoting intercultural discourse to encourage pacific multicultural existence is implicated. Furthermore, suggestions are made to extend the scope of cultural intelligence research and integrate it in diverse fields encompassing intercultural contact and communication.

Keywords:

• Cultural intelligence
• intercultural communication
• cross-cultural adjustment
• cultural diversity

Notes

1. EQ is the ability to effectively appraise and regulate emotions in self and others (Mayer & Salovey, 1993).

2. SI is the ability to understand people and effectively manage social relations with them (Thorndike, 1936).

3. PI is the ability to implement ideas to solve every day, real life problems (Sternberg et al., 2000).

4. Unlike the permanent migration of refugees, asylum seekers are people forced to migrate to a different country on a temporary basis (Berry, 2006), usually due to factors of war, internal insurgence, economic turmoil etc. in their country of origin to which they are to return once proper living condition is re-established.