Robustness and cross-cultural equivalence of the Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS)

Integrating intrapreneurial self-capital, cultural intelligence, and gender in Chinese international education: pathways to flourishing

Background

This study investigates the complex interplay between Intrapreneurial Self Capital, Cultural Intelligence, and gender, and their collective influence on the flourishing of Chinese international students in foreign academic settings. As global interconnectivity intensifies, the increasing number of Chinese students seeking education abroad presents a unique opportunity to examine the psychological and sociocultural dynamics of this demographic.

Aim

Central to our investigation is the role of Cultural Intelligence, a crucial competency for navigating diverse environments, and Intrapreneurial Self Capital, a composite of psychological resources instrumental in educational and career success. The study also explores the mediating role of Cultural Intelligence in the relationship between Intrapreneurial Self Capital and student flourishing, and examines how gender moderates this dynamic.

Method

The research engaged 508 Chinese international students, utilizing a variety of social networks for participant recruitment. The survey, conducted via Qualtrics, focused on a diverse range of students across different educational levels and disciplines. A moderated mediation model was tested to examine the mediation effect of cultural intelligence on the relationship between intrapreneurial self-capital and flourishing, with gender serving as a moderating variable.

Results

Our findings reveal significant insights into how Intrapreneurial Self Capital and Cultural Intelligence contribute to the personal and professional development of Chinese international students. Overall, the results suggest that the impact of Intrapreneurial Self Capital on various cognitive qualities (Metacognitive Cultural Intelligence, Cognitive Cultural Intelligence, Motivational Cultural Intelligence and Behavioral Cultural Intelligence) is moderated by gender, highlighting the importance of considering gender differences in this context. Related to the prediction of Flourishing, the direct effect of Intrapreneurial Self Capital on flourishing is notably strong. However, the mediating roles of Metacognitive, Cognitive, and Behavioral aspects of Cultural Intelligence show different levels of influence.

Implications

The study underscores the need for educational institutions to adopt holistic approaches in fostering student well-being and success, accounting for the nuanced effects of cultural and gender dynamics. These results have significant implications for the development of targeted educational programs and training, aimed at enhancing the international educational experience for students and professionals.

A comparative study on culture-specific and cross-cultural aspects of intercultural relations in Hungary, Serbia, Czech Republic, and Germany

The ability, will, and belief that it is possible to deal effectively with members of other cultural/ethnic groups are still gaining importance all over the world. However, the majority of studies on intercultural relations focus on Western Europe and the USA, applying constructs and theories that replicate a western-centered worldview. As a consequence, it is unclear whether established measures for intergroup attitudes and intercultural competence may be applied in Eastern European countries and to what extent they display comparable ideas, thoughts, and feelings. The current study thus explores cross-cultural commonalities and differences in established measures of ethnic identity, prejudice, acculturation strategies, intercultural intelligence, and multicultural personality. Therefore, we compare the scale structure, difficulty, and sensitivity in samples from Germany and the Eastern European countries Hungary, Serbia, and the Czech Republic (etic-perspective), as well as the culture-specific conceptions of said concepts (emic-perspective). Results show that the investigated scales do not work comparably across German and Eastern European samples. Differences might be rooted in variations of underlying thinking patterns and connotations of single expressions. Those variations are likely to be related to the constant individual societal and historical developments of cultures, shaping the way individuals think and talk about cultural diversity. Future studies are encouraged to consider culture-specific and generalizable aspects of constructs when conducting cross-cultural research on intercultural relations.

Psychometric Investigation of the Cultural Intelligence Scale Using the Rasch Measurement Model in South Korea

As the business environment and its workforce’s composition have become more diversified, more attention has been paid to cultural intelligence or the ability to effectively function in such an environment. Various attempts have been made to measure and develop leaders and staff members’ cultural intelligence. The Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS) is the most representative tool for measuring cultural intelligence worldwide and has been frequently used in South Korea. Although CQS validity has been verified for each country and cultural region, it has been used without psychometric verification in South Korea and simply translates the original scale into Korean. This study’s objective was to test CQS validity when employed with the employees of South Korean companies. It applied the Rasch measurement model to confirm the validity in various aspects. First, this study calculated an item adequacy index and performed point biserial correlation analysis. The results showed that all values were above the appropriateness threshold. A Likert scale response test was conducted to check actual validity. The results confirmed that the 7-point rating scale was valid, and the item–subject map proved that the CQS items reflected the respondents’ ability distribution relatively well. Rasch factor analysis for confirming the internal structure’s validity revealed that CQS showed a multidimensional factor structure. Lastly, this study checked differential functioning items by position to secure evidence of generalization validity. It was confirmed that it has an appropriate level of generalization-related validity.

Combining lifelines to thrive: a stage-based need fulfilment network of international assignees

Purpose

The paper tries to understand the needs of the international assignees across the different stages of expatriation and how different developers in the professional and non-professional sphere render support and advice through these stages.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, the authors have interviewed 20 expatriates of various nationalities and tried to understand the various needs of the expatriates across the three initial stages of an assignment.

Findings

The paper finds that four important mentors in an expatriation assignment play multiple need-based mentoring functions at various assignment stages: host country nationals (HCNs), parent country nationals, fellow expatriates and family.

Research limitations/implications

This paper contributes to the literature on the need-based support rendered to expatriates during an international assignment. The paper, however, does not incorporate the perceptions of other vital stakeholders in the network and their intentions to contribute to the developmental network.

Practical implications

This paper lays down important practical implications for expatriates and the human resource management (HRM) professionals. This paper urges the practitioners to take a nuanced approach for developing expatriates than a generalized mentoring programme.

Originality/value

This study highlights the changing needs of the international assignees across the stages of an international assignment and demonstrates the important intra-organizational and extra-organizational developers such as family members in the fulfilment of these needs.

The Polish version of the Cultural Intelligence Scale: Assessment of its reliability and validity among healthcare professionals and medical faculty students

BACKGROUND

Healthcare professionals and students of medical faculties in Poland increasingly encounter culturally diverse patients. It is necessary to support the development of cultural intelligence in order to improve the medical care provided to patients from different cultural backgrounds. At present there are no standardized tools in Poland that can accurately and reliably assess cultural intelligence, which is defined by Ang et al. as "an individual's capability to function and manage effectively in culturally diverse settings". As argued in the present paper, this (cap)ability may be important for providing patient-centred care that is culturally adequate and competent.

PURPOSE

The aim of the research was to show the multistage process of validation of the Polish version of The Cultural Intelligence Scale by Ang et al. and Van Dyne et. al.

METHODS

Across two studies we examined the psychometric properties of the Cultural Intelligence Scale, including reliability (i.e. internal consistency, test-retest reliability, factor structure) and validity (i.e. theoretical, criteria, convergent). In the first two-session study, 349 participants (98% were healthcare professionals, e.g. nurse, student nurse, medical student; mainly women, 89%) completed the Polish version of the Cultural Intelligence Scale twice with an interval of at least 22 days. In addition, across two study sessions participants completed questionnaires constructed to measure (a) cultural competence, (b) need for cognitive closure, (c) emphatic sensitiveness, (d) emotional intelligence, (e) self-esteem, (f) social desirability, (g) personality, and (h) positive/negative attitudes towards culturally divergent people. Finally, to additionally examine the theoretical validity, 36 professional cross-cultural competence trainers completed the Cultural Intelligence Scale during a one-session study.

RESULTS

The Cultural Intelligence Scale has been shown to have satisfactory psychometric properties. It has high reliability (Cronbach's alpha, respectively .94 and .95 in the first and second sessions) and the factor structure seems to approach the postulated one. Theoretical and criterion accuracy are well proven; convergence is less straightforward, but it correlates well with tools that examine variables such as cultural competence, cognitive closure, empathy/emphatic sensitiveness, emotional intelligence, self-esteem, personality, and social desirability. The results suggest that these factors contribute to the development of the cultural intelligence.

CONCLUSION

The Cultural Intelligence Scale can be successfully used in empirical research of cultural intelligence of medical professionals and students of medical majors and their education in Polish conditions.

Linking international experience and cultural intelligence development

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the literature on the relationship between international experience (IE) and cultural intelligence (CQ) development, and advocate for the utilization of theory to explain this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

On the basis of the premise that CQ can be developed through IE, the authors review existing empirical research in regards to this relationship. The authors conducted a search of the main business, education, and psychology databases for articles published from 2003, the year when the CQ construct was introduced, through 2017. The search focused on studies where CQ was tested as a dependent variable or as a mediator between IE and a dependent variable, and resulted in 15 empirical articles and three book chapters.

Findings

A critical analysis of the relationship between IE and CQ reveals considerable variation and inconsistencies among findings within the extant empirical literature. The authors argue that this is mainly because most studies fail to apply a theory to explain the link between these two constructs. The authors draw from social learning theory (SLT) to illustrate how it can be utilized to detail the relationship between IE and CQ development. The authors also suggest how future research can advance the understanding of this relationship, and outline the implications of such examinations for practice.

Originality/value

While substantive knowledge has been generated to understand CQ as an antecedent, the authors investigate CQ development as the dependent variable. The critical review of this literature identifies a specific weakness within previous research and the authors offer a way to resolve it. SLT, which views learning as being affected by both observation and experience, and includes attention, retention, and participative reproduction, is one potentially powerful tool that can explain why and how IE can lead to CQ development. This is a far more fine- grained and detailed approach to understanding and explaining the relationship between the two constructs than provided by previous studies.