CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE AND ADJUSTMENT IN THE CULTURAL DIVERSE CONTEXTS: THE ROLE OF SATISFACTION WITH LIFE AND INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE

Abstract

Cultural intelligence (CQ) contributes to the wellbeing and satisfaction of individuals who are living abroad or meet members of other cultures and as such it influences the professional efficiency and competitiveness of organizations interacting with cross-cultural stakeholders. The paper investigates the impact of the individual factors (metacognitive, cognitive, motivational, and behavioral) of CQ on the adjustment of foreigners. The adjustment mechanism is explained in association with the individual CQ factors, using satisfaction with life as the mediator. The results of a PLS-SEM analysis on a sample of 191 foreign students studying at Czech universities have shown that all CQ factors, except for the cognitive one, are important in the process of adjusting to new intercultural (cross-cultural) situations. Our research further reveals that the effect of motivational CQ on satisfaction with life and adjustment is amplified by intercultural competencies and preparation. An individual who has spent a long time abroad in the past, has come into frequent contact with foreigners, knows the foreign language of the country they are staying in or has good linguistic skills will be more satisfied in a new country and will adjust more easily.