Cultural intelligence and voice behavior among migrant workers: the mediating role of leader–member exchange

Abstract

This empirical study is the first to explicitly examine cultural intelligence (CQ) as an antecedent of voice behavior and to explore the mediating role of leader–member exchange (LMX) in the CQ–voice relationship. Two hundred and sixty-one usable questionnaires were collected from migrant workers in Australia using an online survey. The data were analyzed with regression analyses and structural equation modeling. Results showed that migrant employees with higher CQ were more likely to engage in voice behavior. The positive relationship between CQ and voice behavior was partially mediated by LMX. These findings verify a relatively new individual antecedent (i.e. CQ) of voice behavior and reveal the underlying mediation mechanism that explains the effects of CQ on employee voice. This study also carries important implications for managing culturally-diverse workforces (i.e. migrant workers) regarding the promotion of voice.

Keywords:

• Cultural intelligence
• voice behavior
• leader–member exchange
• migrant workers
• mediation

Acknowledgments

An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 76th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, Anaheim, CA, 5–9 August 2016.

Notes

1. Post hoc regression analysis was run by entering all four CQ components into the regression predicting voice behavior showed significant coefficients for only two components: meta-cognitive CQ (β = .23, p < .01), and motivational CQ (β = .22, p < .01).